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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
The voice of the narrator was unique for this kind of story. Incredibly sad. Realistic and not optimistic.
dark
informative
sad
this changed my perspective on north korea as a whole. we as americans truly have no idea what it is like to live under such a regime. we can only hope that no other countries follow in their footsteps. very powerful and devastating. i cannot imagine living the way he did, seeing the things he did, or doing the things he had to do in order to survive for thirty years.
This book is powerful.
Masaji was born in Japan to an abusive Korean father and Japanese mother. He had a hard time in Japan, being looked down on due to having a Korean father. So his father takes them to North Korean in the 60s to have a better life. There, they are looked down upon for being returnees and also having a Japanese mother. But that is the least of their worries. North Korea is hell. Especially during the 80s and 90s when the nation, outside of the favored, is literally starving to death in the streets, including Masaji and his family.
The book is not well written but the story is just heart breaking. Something that I don't think we can fully comprehend.
That said, I somewhat doubt the validity of this story (not the circumstances) Some of the story seems too fantastical but I understand that atrocities in the world are stranger and more horrible than fiction. But there is no information on Masaji and events after this book. It makes me skeptical about the authenticity of this book. Try to find further information. You can't. The ending is quite sudden and without finality, which is fine as the only finality in life is death. However, it seems as Masaji does not exist. From what I read, this was originally published under another name, then under Masaji Ishikawa and his picture is on the book, yet there is nothing about what happens after the end of the book (you will be asking what happened after the book) nor any interviews or anything. So I took a star away because of this.
Masaji was born in Japan to an abusive Korean father and Japanese mother. He had a hard time in Japan, being looked down on due to having a Korean father. So his father takes them to North Korean in the 60s to have a better life. There, they are looked down upon for being returnees and also having a Japanese mother. But that is the least of their worries. North Korea is hell. Especially during the 80s and 90s when the nation, outside of the favored, is literally starving to death in the streets, including Masaji and his family.
The book is not well written but the story is just heart breaking. Something that I don't think we can fully comprehend.
That said, I somewhat doubt the validity of this story (not the circumstances) Some of the story seems too fantastical but I understand that atrocities in the world are stranger and more horrible than fiction. But there is no information on Masaji and events after this book. It makes me skeptical about the authenticity of this book. Try to find further information. You can't. The ending is quite sudden and without finality, which is fine as the only finality in life is death. However, it seems as Masaji does not exist. From what I read, this was originally published under another name, then under Masaji Ishikawa and his picture is on the book, yet there is nothing about what happens after the end of the book (you will be asking what happened after the book) nor any interviews or anything. So I took a star away because of this.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
This book was so heartbreaking, but yet always thread through with a tiny sliver of hope. It will probably stay with me for a while, I don't think I can forget about it easily. I hope he was somehow able to make his peace with his life.
This book is relentlessly sad. His story has this intense melancholy about it...that feeling that no matter how hard you work, or what you do, things won't get better.
I've never read anything about life in North Korea so this was eye opening. I thought it was more about general control and oppression, I had no idea about the desolation and starvation the population experienced in the second half of the 20th Century. Just as you think that things have got as bad as they could get, things get worse. Ishikawa is faced with the choice of sating with his family and watching them waste away, or leaving and surviving on his own.
Ishikawa's story is intimate and personal but he is also telling us the story of the millions who went over to North Korea with the promises of paradise and wonderful, care free life.
What's interesting, is that the subtitle makes you think there's a happy ending, but there really isn't. Yes, he escapes the horrors of North Korea, but things don't work out like he expected and the ending is more about hope than happiness. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in life in North Korea.
I've never read anything about life in North Korea so this was eye opening. I thought it was more about general control and oppression, I had no idea about the desolation and starvation the population experienced in the second half of the 20th Century. Just as you think that things have got as bad as they could get, things get worse. Ishikawa is faced with the choice of sating with his family and watching them waste away, or leaving and surviving on his own.
Ishikawa's story is intimate and personal but he is also telling us the story of the millions who went over to North Korea with the promises of paradise and wonderful, care free life.
What's interesting, is that the subtitle makes you think there's a happy ending, but there really isn't. Yes, he escapes the horrors of North Korea, but things don't work out like he expected and the ending is more about hope than happiness. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in life in North Korea.
Uau! What a book!
Simple writing but so engaging. So raw! I could feel the pain and sorrow in his words and just kept wishing that everything would be alright.
Really puts your life into perspective and makes you Rethink about everything you complain about.
What a story, and what a survivor.
After I finished the book I started goggling to find where he is now and what happened, but couldn't find anything. I just hope that wherever he is, he found some peace and happiness.
Simple writing but so engaging. So raw! I could feel the pain and sorrow in his words and just kept wishing that everything would be alright.
Really puts your life into perspective and makes you Rethink about everything you complain about.
What a story, and what a survivor.
After I finished the book I started goggling to find where he is now and what happened, but couldn't find anything. I just hope that wherever he is, he found some peace and happiness.
A heart-wrenching biography giving us a glimpse into the nightmarish world of North Korea. This book was very difficult to read because of the despair and hopelessness that exudes from it. Yet, I simply could not put it down because the author's voice and his story need to be heard, to be known.
A heart-wrenching biography giving us a glimpse into the nightmarish world of North Korea. This book was very difficult to read because of the despair and hopelessness that exudes from it. Yet, I simply could not put it down because the author's voice and his story need to be heard, to be known.
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad