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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Excellent, devastating and intrinsically human book.
Incredible storytelling, and so unique. We all have some vague idea about what must go on in North Korea but Johnson paints scenes I won’t be able to forget. From the kidnapping of Japanese people to starvation in mining labor camps, so much of this story is unbelievable. One of the wildest things to imagine is the way such a regime cuts you off from even your closest loved ones - like the interrogator from his parents, or Jun Do as an orphan.
The ending was a little too pro-American for me, especially coming from an American author, but maybe that’s how escapees of this regime really feel. Johnson did interview some of the few refugees and visited North Korea as part of his research. I’m also sensitive to violence and there were more than a few disturbing moments.
The ending was a little too pro-American for me, especially coming from an American author, but maybe that’s how escapees of this regime really feel. Johnson did interview some of the few refugees and visited North Korea as part of his research. I’m also sensitive to violence and there were more than a few disturbing moments.
Unremittingly cruel and bleak. No pure moments of joy, no humor that actually makes you laugh — every ‘funny’ bit feels like it’s punching at someone. An exhausting read.
a masterpiece I am currently unable to describe as I sit here in slack-jawed awe
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Perphaps it's my fascination with North Korea, or just good story-telling, but this book is haunting me a month after I read it. I can't say it's light summer reading, but it's definately memorable reading in any season.
This is an easy way to get the feel of what it's like in current North Korea. So many of the tactics are similar to those that have come out of Mao's time in China, that it's very believable, but a lot is written in way that you can get through it. Considering news coming out of North Korea today about King Jong-un assassinating his uncle, it sounded like it could have been another chapter in this book.
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No