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moniwicz's review against another edition
4.0
The author saw a woman in the market place "Selling My Daughter for 100 Won." Nearby there were women selling bottled water to "wash your face with" while their own faces remained muddied and browned for lack of it. Such is the type of poverty the those in The Democratic Republic of Korea experience.
It was surprising to me that Communism's phrasing and grey buildings and military uniforms and slogans and Room 100s are the same anywhere. The author's descriptions could very easily have been plucked from 1950s Russia or Poland or Czechoslovakia. I don't know why I assumed that somehow Eastern Asia would be able to maintain its own identity and "rebrand" communism? (on reflection I was nonsensical)
Equally ashamedly surprised to read about Kim-Jong Il's callous (an unsuitable qualifier for many reasons) overthrow of his own father Kim Il-Sung.
It was surprising to me that Communism's phrasing and grey buildings and military uniforms and slogans and Room 100s are the same anywhere. The author's descriptions could very easily have been plucked from 1950s Russia or Poland or Czechoslovakia. I don't know why I assumed that somehow Eastern Asia would be able to maintain its own identity and "rebrand" communism? (on reflection I was nonsensical)
Equally ashamedly surprised to read about Kim-Jong Il's callous (an unsuitable qualifier for many reasons) overthrow of his own father Kim Il-Sung.
emilybryk's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating, but not engaging. If that even makes sense. (It doesn't *need* to be engaging -- it's that interesting. And I don't really know how much comes from the actual writing, how much from the translation, etc. Regardless.)
mabersold's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic, gripping account of a party insider's escape from North Korea. Unlike "Nothing to Envy," which I read last year, this book focuses more on what happens after you cross the river and escape into China, while the other focuses more on life in North Korea. Additionally, the author gives details on the party's inner workings and even some of his own interactions with Kim Jong-il himself. This is a very exciting and eye-opening book, and helps further make the case that North Korea is pretty much the worst place in the world.
cawhite's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, but some of the information about the inner workings of the North Korean gov't got a little tedious. I found the personal stories quite compelling.
altlovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Freedom is freely given to anyone born in a free land, but others have to risk their lives for it.
I've read a lot of books about North Korea, but this one is unique in that the main character was actually fairly highly placed in North Korean society. He was one of Kim Jong Il's poet laureates, even meeting him a couple of times. His insights into how the government views its country's problems and some historical context for how it got there was interesting and unique when compared with other books I've read on this topic. You can tell the author was a poet, because the writing of the book was extremely lyrical in places, extremely descriptive, and extremely compelling. Some of the incidents he describes early on in the book while still in North Korea are chilling, particularly his visit to his home town and what had happened after he left.
I've read a lot of books about North Korea, but this one is unique in that the main character was actually fairly highly placed in North Korean society. He was one of Kim Jong Il's poet laureates, even meeting him a couple of times. His insights into how the government views its country's problems and some historical context for how it got there was interesting and unique when compared with other books I've read on this topic. You can tell the author was a poet, because the writing of the book was extremely lyrical in places, extremely descriptive, and extremely compelling. Some of the incidents he describes early on in the book while still in North Korea are chilling, particularly his visit to his home town and what had happened after he left.