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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
Hur betygsätter man en sån här bok? Läste den svenska översättningen och hade lite problem med språket, men läsvärd! Är ovan vid att läsa så känslomässigt skrivande och det tog ett att komma in och inte tycka att det påverkade trovärdigheten (absolut en pluggskada). I slutändan: drabbande läsning om det fruktansvärda livet i Nordkorea under andra halvan av 1900-talet och relationen mellan Japan och Korea och till viss del Kina.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Wow. The life of Masaji Ishikawa is awful. I could not believe the bleak, terrible conditions this poor family had to live in. Throughout the book I was continuously reminded of Night by Eli W. about his experience during the Holocaust. There were many similarities between these two men’s stories, their survival, and their bleak outlooks on life. I cannot blame them for the horrid conditions they went through. In A River Through Darkness, I was shocked by the author’s dad. I was pleasantly surprised by how his character took a turn and it was something in a book that i’ve never seen done before (which made it even more impactful that this is a real-life event). Overall, this book was haunting, bleak, and grim. I learned so much from it and heavily admire Ishikawa and his haunting story.
One of the most melancholy and moving books i've read in a very long time.
I have always been fascinated and horrified by North Korea. This harrowing and powerful memoir tells a first-person account of what it was like to live in "the promised land" of North Korea.
It's a very sad memoir which gives a dark, haunting and eye-opening look into one of the greatest atrocities of our time. If you haven't read anything about North Korea yet, this is the book to pick-up! And you must read it because it's important to be aware of the difficulties people face in Totalitarian regimes that promise "Utopia".
I'm okay with books not having happy endings, but it's a different thing altogether when it's a true story that ends tragically! This book felt like a dystopian fiction with issues ranging from starvation, classism, casteism and oppression from higher authorities, but knowing that this is not a piece of fiction but a true story made my reading experience all the more disturbing.
Read this and encourage others to read it as well. It's a difficult read no doubt, but it'll make you feel grateful and appreciative towards your life.
It's a very sad memoir which gives a dark, haunting and eye-opening look into one of the greatest atrocities of our time. If you haven't read anything about North Korea yet, this is the book to pick-up! And you must read it because it's important to be aware of the difficulties people face in Totalitarian regimes that promise "Utopia".
I'm okay with books not having happy endings, but it's a different thing altogether when it's a true story that ends tragically! This book felt like a dystopian fiction with issues ranging from starvation, classism, casteism and oppression from higher authorities, but knowing that this is not a piece of fiction but a true story made my reading experience all the more disturbing.
Read this and encourage others to read it as well. It's a difficult read no doubt, but it'll make you feel grateful and appreciative towards your life.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
What an eye opening book. Reading about North Korea from the perspective of someone who moved there in his teens really sheds light on what it is truly like there. Definitely a book filled with sorrow and pain.
Amazing story
Best book I have read in 2018. Period
Showed me a completely different reality that we do not know about at all.
Best book I have read in 2018. Period
Showed me a completely different reality that we do not know about at all.
There isn't a lot of description to add here, it is the story of how Masaji Ishikawa was "relocated" from Japan to North Korea as a boy, the hell he endured growing up there, and his escape back to Japan. While it is a good read, I don't think any of it is surprising to people at this point. I think we all sort of know how bad North Korea is. I think the reason I only rate this book as a 3 is that it's very brief. Very little gets talked about in a deep, exploratory sense. I do love the way the book is written as if the author is just talking to you, just telling you his story.
This is also a pretty depressing book so if your looking for something more light hearted then this isn't it.
Time to Read: 2:15
This is also a pretty depressing book so if your looking for something more light hearted then this isn't it.
Time to Read: 2:15