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parasolcrafter's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Suicide, War, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Medical content, Abortion, Addiction, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Deportation, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Sexism, Slavery, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Torture, Trafficking, Colonisation, Murder, Racism, Rape, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, and Drug use
Moderate: Excrement and Cannibalism
ajediprincess's review
5.0
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea is a non-fiction account of the lives of six different people growing up and struggling to survive in North Korea across a fifteen year period in the 1990's and into the new millenium. It explores not only the culture, conditions, and political climate of North Korea but what daily life was like for the average citizen during a period of time where the former Supreme Leader Kim Il-sung died, his son Kim Jong-il rose to power, and the country saw a devastating famine that killed one-fifth of their population. It was written by award-winning American journalist Barbara Demick in 2009, following over 100 interviews she conducted with North Korean defectors from Chongjin.
I found it absolutely captivating in the most chilling way. There is political intrigue, love, indoctrination, heartbreak, imagination, censorship, abuse, triumph, devastation, economic collapse, perseverance, propaganda, and the uneasy, ever present threat of betrayal by one's own friends, family, and government. It completely transported me to the time and setting as I followed the day-to-day of each of the main “characters”: Mi-ran, Doctor Kim, Mrs. Song, Hyuck, Oak-hee, and Jun-sang. I watched with rapt suspense as they worked hard to overcome hurdle after hurdle just to survive and avoid finding themselves on the wrong side of the ruthless, totalitarian North Korean regime.
If you enjoy non-fiction and are curious about North Korea, I definitely recommend this book. It's written in such a way that it feels like a 3rd person close narrative, which I found immersive and effective. The author very briefly mentions herself and instead keeps the focus on each of the primary figures and their personal stories, giving us a realistic and sobering look at their experiences. I left this book with a new-found appreciation of the freedoms, rights, and opportunities my own country offers to its citizens. Many thanks to my dear friend, Chelsie, who recommended it to me!
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Domestic abuse
mercurial's review
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse
helenamichelle's review
4.0
Graphic: War, Medical trauma, Torture, Classism, Violence, Suicide, Death, Sexual violence, and Grief
chrisiant's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Child death and Death
Minor: Cannibalism
There are some really tough descriptions of starvation and famine.astrangewind's review against another edition
4.75
The oppression faced by North Koreans is unimaginable, and this book brings that to life through a cast of defectors. The facts tell their own story of the struggle to survive. Reading about the famine was almost too much, but I enjoyed reading about their escape.
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Animal death, Physical abuse, Deportation, and War
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Trafficking, and Cannibalism
jackiepreston's review
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Police brutality
treeme's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Death, Police brutality, and Confinement
starscollision's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Abandonment, Child death, and Animal death
beholderess's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Chronic illness