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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
sad
fast-paced
I have been reading a lot of books about North Korea. I think most of us know about the dictators there, threat of nuclear war, but I think many of us forget about the people and their plight and all that they have endured.
We can’t turn a blind eye. I thank the author for being brave enough to share her story and wish her the best.
Warnings: instances of violence and hunger and language.
This book is a heartbreaking read but one that we owe it to humanity to bear witness to.
Recommend.
We can’t turn a blind eye. I thank the author for being brave enough to share her story and wish her the best.
Warnings: instances of violence and hunger and language.
This book is a heartbreaking read but one that we owe it to humanity to bear witness to.
Recommend.
While this was an interesting read, and I learned some things that I wasn't aware of regarding North Korea, South Korea, and China I felt that the writing was a little lacking in depth. I feel guilty for criticizing this aspect of the book as I know the author was not born and raised speaking English. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, because I do think it was a valuable read.
informative
sad
fast-paced
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
The only thing I knew about North Korea prior to reading [b:A Thousand Miles to Freedom|3847356|Escape A Thousand Miles To Freedom|M. Murray|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|3892331] is from the news and the memoir [b:Escape from Camp 14|11797365|Escape from Camp 14 One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West|Blaine Harden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347954566s/11797365.jpg|16750147]. While Escape from Camp 14 shed light on the living conditions and torture that happens in North Korean labour camps, A Thousand Miles to Freedom is about a North Korean ‘middle-class’ family’s journey from North Korea to South Korea.
Eunsun’s journey was a very long one. Its seems like her family had suffered one misfortune after another. Her family went from being ‘middle-class’ to ‘lower-class’ after her father passed away from starvation from the food shortages (which affected all North Koreans except for some of the upper-class citizens). Their hunger and risk of dying from starvation drove them towards attempting to escape the regime. As a result, they became homeless and slowly made their way towards the Chinese border. When they managed smuggle themselves across the North Korean/China border, they fell into the hands of human traffickers who sold them to an abusive Chinese farmer. Even though they were free from Korea, they were now in the hands of the Chinese with the constant threat of being discovered by the Chinese military and deported back to North Korea. From there, they had to plan their escape from China to South Korea. It took them years until they finally reached freedom and became legal South Korean citizens.
Since Eunsun left North Korea when she was still a child and spent most of her life growing up and living in China, this book mostly focused on her experience living in China. I kind of wished there were more details about Eunsun’s childhood while living in North Korea. But overall, her journey towards being a South Korean citizen is very interesting and eye-opening.
Eunsun’s journey was a very long one. Its seems like her family had suffered one misfortune after another. Her family went from being ‘middle-class’ to ‘lower-class’ after her father passed away from starvation from the food shortages (which affected all North Koreans except for some of the upper-class citizens). Their hunger and risk of dying from starvation drove them towards attempting to escape the regime. As a result, they became homeless and slowly made their way towards the Chinese border. When they managed smuggle themselves across the North Korean/China border, they fell into the hands of human traffickers who sold them to an abusive Chinese farmer. Even though they were free from Korea, they were now in the hands of the Chinese with the constant threat of being discovered by the Chinese military and deported back to North Korea. From there, they had to plan their escape from China to South Korea. It took them years until they finally reached freedom and became legal South Korean citizens.
Since Eunsun left North Korea when she was still a child and spent most of her life growing up and living in China, this book mostly focused on her experience living in China. I kind of wished there were more details about Eunsun’s childhood while living in North Korea. But overall, her journey towards being a South Korean citizen is very interesting and eye-opening.
Having a powerful story to tell and being able to tell it powerfully are two separate things. This book never fully engaged me as a reader because I never felt connected with the author. The narrative seemed to lack the emotional depth and description necessary to communicate effectively. In spite of this, the author and other North Korean refugees like her have a powerful platform to share the truth of the oppression they have experienced, and I applaud the courage it took to share her story.
An interesting look into the life of a women who escaped North Korea and what she had to overcome in her life.