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geoffwood's review
1.0
Call me naive, but I came into this innocent of the author or any context for this and took it at face value as some manner of legit translation of North Korean propaganda. It does capture that tone, with hundreds of pages of treacly, stilted prose thick with "then they all clapped" moments. It eventually becomes apparent textually and if one, say, reads the author's Wikipedia page, that this is heavily gimmicked (seemingly soup-to-nuts), at which point one might have the urge to bail, but for the legendary fourth wall smashing conclusion (DAE think North Korea might be baddies?).
Highly recommended for those that haven't read the Wikipedia page on North Korea but would like the same amount of info relayed in ten times the amount of agonizing prose.
Highly recommended for those that haven't read the Wikipedia page on North Korea but would like the same amount of info relayed in ten times the amount of agonizing prose.
navajas's review
5.0
The author takes you on a journey to North Korean history through the voice of Kim Jong-Il. The approach is the mixture of Forrest Gump and Animal Farm that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the gut punch at the end.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
nick_latanick's review
3.0
I wanted to like this book more. It's a fascinating window into the psychology of north korea, the philosophy of juche, and the men who created both. However, as a reader I felt constantly thrown off-balance by the 100% unreliability of the narrative. It may very well be the author's intention to give the reader the same eerie sense of unreality that the north korean people live under everyday, and if this is the case I applaud Malice for the execution. Yet, I would have enjoyed the experience more if I had a firmer understanding of the actual events depicted, so I could tell what was more or less true, what was exaggerated or propagandized, and what was made up out of whole cloth. Unfortunately such factual grounding was not on offer in this volume. I may reread it at some point after doing more research on north korean history and culture, and maybe I will regard it in higher esteem than 3 stars then.
cdvalentine's review
2.0
This book started out good, but became boring halfway through when the novelty wore off. While Michael Malice chose an interesting way to write about North Korea, it made it difficult to differentiate between fact and fiction. Obviously, he had to use some literary licence, but how much?
I was going to give this book only 1 star but the last chapter was pretty good, so it earned an extra star.
I was going to give this book only 1 star but the last chapter was pretty good, so it earned an extra star.
jachso's review
5.0
A superb (faux) auto-biography that discusses the life of Kim Jong Il and with it, the formation of the DPRK. Powerful, entertaining, and above all, horrifying.
asey's review
4.0
This was a difficult book. Although written as satire, I know Malice spent time in North Korea and did a lot of research. Which makes this so sad. On the other hand, there were parts that were extremely funny and his insight was pretty fantastic. Highly recommend.
wallerdc's review
4.0
Read this after hearing Michael Malice on Joe Rogan's podcast. Interesting read to say the least.
shanehawk's review
4.0
Dear Reader,
Comedy gets us through tough times. It’s what we turn to in order to cope. This is a reason why it’s used in the mundane subject of politics. There’s nothing funny about north Korea or its millions of slaves under the Kim Jong Un regime. To make us grasp the concept of a modern day holocaust Malice employs irony and comedy. This serves as an aid to douse nasty medicine in tasty sugar before administering. Thanks to this mixture of comedy and tragedy his readers gain a fruitful understanding of this country’s history and how it came to be one of the largest and most ignored humanitarian crises of our lifetime. To every laugh there’s a tinge of heartbreak.
Malice read numerous books on the subject of north Korea and its leaders from both the Western canon and north Korea’s own propaganda. He mixes historical fact with propaganda from both camps to express Kim Jong Il’s life.
This is a book I highly recommend to anyone especially those who have laughed at north Korea in the past.
I’ll leave you with the first sentence of this great book:
“I remember the day that I was born perfectly.”*
*Notice how Malice doesn’t add a comma after the word “born?” It’s intentional and is foreshadowing for the intense hubris to come later from the novel. Hope you enjoy it.
Comedy gets us through tough times. It’s what we turn to in order to cope. This is a reason why it’s used in the mundane subject of politics. There’s nothing funny about north Korea or its millions of slaves under the Kim Jong Un regime. To make us grasp the concept of a modern day holocaust Malice employs irony and comedy. This serves as an aid to douse nasty medicine in tasty sugar before administering. Thanks to this mixture of comedy and tragedy his readers gain a fruitful understanding of this country’s history and how it came to be one of the largest and most ignored humanitarian crises of our lifetime. To every laugh there’s a tinge of heartbreak.
Malice read numerous books on the subject of north Korea and its leaders from both the Western canon and north Korea’s own propaganda. He mixes historical fact with propaganda from both camps to express Kim Jong Il’s life.
This is a book I highly recommend to anyone especially those who have laughed at north Korea in the past.
I’ll leave you with the first sentence of this great book:
“I remember the day that I was born perfectly.”*
*Notice how Malice doesn’t add a comma after the word “born?” It’s intentional and is foreshadowing for the intense hubris to come later from the novel. Hope you enjoy it.