Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park, Maryanne Vollers

24 reviews

gracie_reads_everything's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A very powerful and moving story about a North Korean defector turned human rights advocate. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Chronic illness, Cancer, Rape, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, and Sexism

Minor: Gore, Stalking, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Torture, Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Fire/Fire injury

Biography, autobiography, memoir, North Korea, human rights, powerful

clare_dv's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Grief, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Trafficking, Rape, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Child abuse, and Police brutality

Moderate: Cancer, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, and Deportation

axo17's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.75

Amazing personal account of her life in North Korea, China, and South Korea. It’s a dark truth, but overall I absolutely loved it. 

I included a lot of disclaimers. It’s a heavy read… lots of content that can be too much to handle at times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Body horror, Classism, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

justovereherereading's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

4.75

What a life you have lived Yeonmi Park, you have overcome obstacles that few will ever have to face, hold your head high and continue to speak out…we stand with you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Self harm, Police brutality, and Rape

zavi_d's review

emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Trafficking, War, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Self harm, Rape, Death, Eating disorder, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

alainasnow's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book was incredible. A review cannot do it justice. Such an inspiring book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, Suicide, Self harm, and Racism

ell_n's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.0

An incredible story, beautifully written 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicide, Death, Cancer, Rape, Abandonment, and Slavery

Moderate: War

graff_fuller's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

Do we ever really know why we pick up a book...and start reading it? Was it the cover? Was it the topic? Or could it be that we desire to know the story being told is going to TOUCH us...change the way we feel about [whatever the subject is]. 

I love biographies, but autobiographies are even better. "Straight from the horse's mouth", as they say.

The traumatic escape of Yeon-mi Park from N. Korea, to China, to Mongolia, to S. Korea, onward...to where she now lives in America.

The peak behind the curtain of what is actually going on in N. Korea is amazing (in a bad way). Also, to read about the propaganda machine that is at work in N. Korea...for 70+ years, so that not even S. Koreans know HOW different these two cultures are now.

To hear about empathy and love being devoid in the average N. Korean. Seeing public executions and dead people in the streets...as normal events. Being sold into slavery and prostitution, just to survive and escape...for slavery and prostitution are one thing, but HUNGER is worse. Anything, just to eat food.

None of us in the US can understand these things, which I'm glad for, but we need to educate ourselves. We do not agree with the leadership of N. Korea, but the people of N. Korea are enslaved, themselves to this dynasty and deserve our pity. The need to help other escape this hell hole...as Yeon-mi says, it is the DARKEST place on the earth. If you look at satellite photos of the area...there are very few lights, compared to the bordering countries...it looks like a black hole swallowed the entire country. Shortages of electricity, food, are necessities normal...and this is how the leadership keeps the people in check.

You really have to read it in her own words. She escaped when she was 13, but it wasn't until years later that she truly had freedom from the oppression that ALL people of N. Korea accept as NORMAL.

Share this story to your friends and family. It is a VERY sad tale, but she's come out of it, scars and all...and is trying to shine a light on N. Korea...so the world will come to its (the enslaved people who live in this country, under THIS regime) rescue.

I'm so happy that I picked this book up and read her story. There will be images that I won't be able to get out of my head, but maybe this will help people to help these downtrodden people.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, Trafficking, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Deportation, Murder, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

isla8's review

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

Breathtaking and inspirational read. Heartbreaking to read about a young woman’s experience in North Korea and in China. Very hopeful and optimistic ending as Yeonmi Park continues her activism as a human rights activist. A difficult but important read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

on_your_raedar's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I’ll be the first to admit that I never knew what happened in North Korea because I never thought about it. I watched a YouTube video about the 8 ways to defect from the country and this story was mentioned, I knew I had to read it, educate myself about what’s happen in the world.

This entire story is heartbreaking and is a necessary read. It took weeks to get through because things were so hard to stomach but I truly cannot express the appreciation I feel toward Yeonmi for being brave and willing to share her experiences. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Rape

Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Torture, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Cancer, Murder, and Alcoholism

Minor: Addiction, Medical content, Ableism, Misogyny, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts