Scan barcode
jojo99's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
Disturbing look into the lives of the children of North Korea's elite, although I use elite as a relative term. Every part of their lives is totally controlled. Every word and action is monitored. Every thought is shaped by limiting access to information. It's horrifying.
autumndream's review against another edition
4.0
Memorable Quote:
"The notion of following your heart's desire, of going wherever you chose, did not exist here, and I did not see any way to let them know what it felt like, especially since, after so little time in their system, I had lost my own sense of freedom." ~Suki Kim
"The notion of following your heart's desire, of going wherever you chose, did not exist here, and I did not see any way to let them know what it felt like, especially since, after so little time in their system, I had lost my own sense of freedom." ~Suki Kim
randlepap's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
4.0
I enjoyed this book as a new type of memoir. I liked Kim's exploration of powerful propaganda across the world, the connections she drew between the worship of the great leader and the Christian missionaries she worked with. As well, this book explores the grief of the Korean war and the yearning for reunification of Korea.
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
4.0
Shave off the first 60 pages that are a little removed from the topic of teaching in North Korea and this book might go 5 stars. Extremely interesting. Seems almost like a sci-fi novel or some dystopian series. Only the sad thing is it's about real people in a real place. Spooky.
katemc's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
3.5! This felt like a good entry point to the subject and there were a lot of beautiful passages. I especially appreciated the author’s discussion and reflection on the links and severances between North and South Korea. That added a layer I hadn’t previously considered or been exposed to, and added a personal investment from the author that deepened the emotional resonance and impact of her experience/narrative.
The main difficulty (and mentioned in a few other reviews I think) was she often flipped back and forth between her own conviction in the role she played in the lives of her students. Sometimes she’d be pushing further to expose them to ideas and try to “break” their brainwashing by alluding to the advances in the world outside NK and other times she’d say it was too dangerous and it was meaningless and she shouldn’t even bother. I can understand that she did experience ambivalence on the subject but how quickly she’d go back and forth (and how determined she was each time that it was the only way) became a little tiresome. This being positioned as a memoir also meant she was centered pretty heavily (some aspects being compelling and others less so) so I think that played a role in how interactions were presented.
Overall I was very engaged by it and it made me interested in reading more about NK/the Korean War.
The main difficulty (and mentioned in a few other reviews I think) was she often flipped back and forth between her own conviction in the role she played in the lives of her students. Sometimes she’d be pushing further to expose them to ideas and try to “break” their brainwashing by alluding to the advances in the world outside NK and other times she’d say it was too dangerous and it was meaningless and she shouldn’t even bother. I can understand that she did experience ambivalence on the subject but how quickly she’d go back and forth (and how determined she was each time that it was the only way) became a little tiresome. This being positioned as a memoir also meant she was centered pretty heavily (some aspects being compelling and others less so) so I think that played a role in how interactions were presented.
Overall I was very engaged by it and it made me interested in reading more about NK/the Korean War.