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The Little Book of Jeong: The Korean Art of Building Deep Connections - and How It Changed My Life
"In a year where human connection has been put to the test and physical interactions limited due to social distancing, Charlotte Cho's The Little Book of Jeong reminds us how important and powerful deep connections can be... it's the call to action to slow down, be present, and revel in the deep appreciation for the people, places and things that hold a special place in your heart." -- Karin Eldor, Forbes contributor and host of the podcast Share Of Voice
In these uncertain times, jeong is needed now more than ever.
Through The Little Book of Jeong, Charlotte Cho reveals how practicing Simple Acts of Jeong can transform our relationships for the better and challenges us to cultivate jeong in our own lives. Go deeper and start building meaningful connections with Charlotte’s guidance through The Little Book of Jeong.
In these uncertain times, jeong is needed now more than ever.
Through The Little Book of Jeong, Charlotte Cho reveals how practicing Simple Acts of Jeong can transform our relationships for the better and challenges us to cultivate jeong in our own lives. Go deeper and start building meaningful connections with Charlotte’s guidance through The Little Book of Jeong.
Unknown Binding
Published July 1, 2021
43 people are currently reading
577 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Cho
3 books67 followersCharlotte Cho is a South Korean-American esthetician, author and entrepreneur. She is best known as the co-founder of Soko Glam, a company that specializes in Korean beauty products. She is considered a major contributor to the current K-Beauty emergence in the U.S.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 4, 2021
Really enjoyed Cho's story and the introduction to Jeong. We all need more Jenny in our lives. Her first book, The Little Book of Skin Care, totally changed my skin routine when I read it in 2015 and I’ve been following her and the Korean skincare industry ever since. I’m a fan.
December 16, 2025
I know absolutely nothing about Soko Glam or Charlotte Cho but I'm a sucker for an interesting video title. A month ago, a video titled "do I actually want it or do I want others to see that I have it?" popped up on my Youtube feed, and it truly could not have came at a more perfect time. This past semester, my mind has been in 20 places, which made it nearly impossible to focus on one thing. I wasn't necessarily failing at anything but it certainly felt that way because of how little I was actually retaining from everything I was doing. Even the most interesting things in my life, like my stem cell class (which I LOVE and the best class I've taken in college to date), became tasks to check off on my calendar, and it honestly felt so draining. Even though the video was mostly about post-graduation pressures, the question in title still had me thinking about I genuinely enjoy doing. Since then, I've decided to take things slower. During the video, the girl had briefly mentioned this book as one of her favorites, so I decided to bookmark it for a rainy day.
That being said, while today was not rainy, this week has been a needed break from college and work. It allowed me to reach some mental clarity and unload some emotional baggage. So, I decided to read this semi-short book. For the most part, it was wholesome and emphasized the power of jeong (affection and connection with people, places, and things developed through experiences and time). From sharing meals with co-workers to talking to the server, Charlotte's anecdotes from her experiences working at Samsung in Korea were special and appreciated windows into Korean culture. I loved how she discussed jeong as a double-edged sword in that it can also drive you to do things you wouldn't do ordinarily. I particularly resonated with the idea of how you can dislike something/someone but still feel upset/resentful about leaving it because of jeong. It's so interesting how powerful and tenable a connection can be. However, when she ended up connecting jeong to how she built Soko Glam, it felt slightly out of left field and took me out of the book. It would probably be interesting to fans of Soko Glam but unfortunately I was not the target audience. Still, it was a fine read.
That being said, while today was not rainy, this week has been a needed break from college and work. It allowed me to reach some mental clarity and unload some emotional baggage. So, I decided to read this semi-short book. For the most part, it was wholesome and emphasized the power of jeong (affection and connection with people, places, and things developed through experiences and time). From sharing meals with co-workers to talking to the server, Charlotte's anecdotes from her experiences working at Samsung in Korea were special and appreciated windows into Korean culture. I loved how she discussed jeong as a double-edged sword in that it can also drive you to do things you wouldn't do ordinarily. I particularly resonated with the idea of how you can dislike something/someone but still feel upset/resentful about leaving it because of jeong. It's so interesting how powerful and tenable a connection can be. However, when she ended up connecting jeong to how she built Soko Glam, it felt slightly out of left field and took me out of the book. It would probably be interesting to fans of Soko Glam but unfortunately I was not the target audience. Still, it was a fine read.
July 27, 2021
I LOVE Charlotte Cho, her first book, and her skincare products!!
This book reminded me of all the jeong I've experienced in my life, especially jeong for college, Korea, and loved ones. I didn't realize the jeong I experienced when bowing to elders, fighting over paying the bill, talking to servers over Korean BBQ, watching dramas (VHS tapes!), and having miweon jeong. I also liked her advice, to not let jeong manipulate you to feeling indebted or pressured, but to instead set limits and stay firm. Her little tips (such as not flaking-totally agree!) were helpful as well.
This book reminded me of all the jeong I've experienced in my life, especially jeong for college, Korea, and loved ones. I didn't realize the jeong I experienced when bowing to elders, fighting over paying the bill, talking to servers over Korean BBQ, watching dramas (VHS tapes!), and having miweon jeong. I also liked her advice, to not let jeong manipulate you to feeling indebted or pressured, but to instead set limits and stay firm. Her little tips (such as not flaking-totally agree!) were helpful as well.
January 21, 2023
A kind, light-hearted read providing an introductory explanation to the concept of jeong with personal anecdotes to exemplify it. It was nice to learn a word for an experience I know I've felt, but couldn't find the English word that properly encapsulated it. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were a nice visual touch that brought additional personality to the text and the side bars with the simple acts of jeong had actionable steps. The book also taught me some new things regarding Korean culture and traditions, as I was already familiar with some but not all that was mentioned in the book.
My main criticism I suppose is something that is addressed in the addendum, where Cho acknowledges that this isn't a definitive book on the subject and her experiences and view on jeong may differ from a native Korean. I think this worked well as an introduction, but I may have preferred a bit more discussion on the philosophical and culture histories on jeong and how it takes form over time. She does provide some context, but I wonder how the presentation of the topic may differ from someone more knowledgeable natively. Some of the suggested actions did seem like basic self-help suggestions, but that isn't to say they weren't helpful.
I also mentioned how her personal anecdotes provided examples as how jeong influenced her life. I see this two ways. On a more critical side, because her experiences in Korea are mostly tied to building her eventual beauty brand, it makes sense that it would be a strong basis for the background story and be an example of how jeong can work. But sometimes the stories related to the company kind of took me away from the concept of jeong and felt like I was being sold something, like it was an advertisement for Soko Glam. I think she tried her best to balance out the different moments of her life, but it felt a little bit that way as I read it. I suppose it may be difficult to separate when it is a big part of your life.
On the less critical end, despite feeling like I was being advertised to (with an underdog story that may draw appeal to potential consumers), I did enjoy reading how it all came to be and the challenges and triumphs she experienced. I think if expanded further, those anecdotal parts would have made an interesting memoir, had it not had the self-help angle.
Overall, a good start to introduce folks new to the concept and a recommended read for those interested in reading more on Korean culture or need some ideas on how to better their relationships. I did enjoy it.
My main criticism I suppose is something that is addressed in the addendum, where Cho acknowledges that this isn't a definitive book on the subject and her experiences and view on jeong may differ from a native Korean. I think this worked well as an introduction, but I may have preferred a bit more discussion on the philosophical and culture histories on jeong and how it takes form over time. She does provide some context, but I wonder how the presentation of the topic may differ from someone more knowledgeable natively. Some of the suggested actions did seem like basic self-help suggestions, but that isn't to say they weren't helpful.
I also mentioned how her personal anecdotes provided examples as how jeong influenced her life. I see this two ways. On a more critical side, because her experiences in Korea are mostly tied to building her eventual beauty brand, it makes sense that it would be a strong basis for the background story and be an example of how jeong can work. But sometimes the stories related to the company kind of took me away from the concept of jeong and felt like I was being sold something, like it was an advertisement for Soko Glam. I think she tried her best to balance out the different moments of her life, but it felt a little bit that way as I read it. I suppose it may be difficult to separate when it is a big part of your life.
On the less critical end, despite feeling like I was being advertised to (with an underdog story that may draw appeal to potential consumers), I did enjoy reading how it all came to be and the challenges and triumphs she experienced. I think if expanded further, those anecdotal parts would have made an interesting memoir, had it not had the self-help angle.
Overall, a good start to introduce folks new to the concept and a recommended read for those interested in reading more on Korean culture or need some ideas on how to better their relationships. I did enjoy it.
January 12, 2024
I think my relationship with Korea predisposes me to reading this book with a critical lens, however I took issue with this book and how little it actually delves into jeong as a concept. This book came off more autobiographical than exploratory (perhaps that was the author's intent) and focuses, in my opinion, far too much on how jeong is a positive force in life and how it is a means through which you can solely experience success and meaningful relationships. Her particular demonization of common western practices, paying dutch style for example, as unequivocally inferior left a bad taste in my mouth, not because I have a strong affinity for western practices but because she seems to either ignorantly or purposefully only skim over the negative side of jeong. The book felt entirely too one sided and not as inspirational as I had hoped. Much of this novel is spent explaining Korean culture and idiosyncrasies. The author's frequent vilification of the use of technology and her yearning for the forgotten "better days of the past" was off putting. Overall I can tell the author is well intentioned.
January 6, 2024
I enjoyed this book way more than I expected, I listened to it on audible and it was lovely to hear Charlotte narrating everything. She explained what Jeong was and all the way you experience it. I really liked how she explained how you can love where you while at the same time hating some things but feeling a complicated emotion when you realize you are leaving. I have followed Charlotte since Soko Glam started gaining traction and it’s been amazing seeing her journey. She is truly an inspiration while never forgetting all the people and the struggles that helped her to get where she is today. I hope she releases another book and book publishing agency’s where silly to pass this book up. I hope to get a physical copy of this book in the future.
April 24, 2025
Key takeaway: Having a community is a beautiful thing. Also, the author highly recommends watching Korean drama "Reply 1988" to understand the concept of "jeong". So for K-drama fans, this is for you :)
A short book with a lot of heart. Love seeing an author so passionate about their cultural identity and their love for life. It's self-help, picture book, memoir, and an educational read about Korean culture/collectivism, all in one.
A short book with a lot of heart. Love seeing an author so passionate about their cultural identity and their love for life. It's self-help, picture book, memoir, and an educational read about Korean culture/collectivism, all in one.
September 14, 2021
I've been a fan of Charlotte + Soko Glam for years and loved getting to learn more about the intentionality behind Then I Met You and Soko Glam. Charlotte's personal journey was inspiring and she is so humble. Thank you for this window into cheong, Korean culture, entrepreneurship, and life!
February 23, 2023
I love and appreciate this book so much. Thank you Charlotte for sharing your story and the general meaning of jeong and simple acts of jeong.
May 3, 2025
Interesting
September 7, 2024
I really like how this book started, but as I continued reading, it just got kinda boring. Rather than a memoir, it seemed more like a "manual" at some points and I feel like "jeong" is not something that you can manifest, it's kinda just there. Not sure how to explain it. But it was overall a good read!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews