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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
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
dark
sad
medium-paced
The narrative was very visual and poignant. Makes you value the freedom that you have even more.
I've read a lot of stories from North Korean defectors, but Ishikawa's story stands out from the rest in that it seems more earnest and emotional than the other ones that I have read. He does not shy away from detailing how the horrors he endured changed him, and I applaud him for his courage in sharing his story with the world.
A brutal look at life in North Korea and one man's escape.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This is an incredibly emotional memoir spanning from the mid 1970s to 1990s. Masaji details his life without flinching away from the horrors that he faced.
When his father takes his young family to North Korea, under the guise that they will have a free education and university, as well as a lavish lifestyle, the family thinks that this change could be helpful. When they arrive, they soon realize that is not the case. As Masaji spends the next four decades in North Korea, facing starvation, abuse, and brainwashing via the government's leader, we are along for the ride with him.
This has easily become one of the more important books that I have read this year. I am so thankful that I picked it up and only wish that I had read it sooner. The epilogue states that Masaji is still in Japan, but I wish there were updates on whether or not he was ever able to reconnect with his family after escaping North Korea.
When his father takes his young family to North Korea, under the guise that they will have a free education and university, as well as a lavish lifestyle, the family thinks that this change could be helpful. When they arrive, they soon realize that is not the case. As Masaji spends the next four decades in North Korea, facing starvation, abuse, and brainwashing via the government's leader, we are along for the ride with him.
This has easily become one of the more important books that I have read this year. I am so thankful that I picked it up and only wish that I had read it sooner. The epilogue states that Masaji is still in Japan, but I wish there were updates on whether or not he was ever able to reconnect with his family after escaping North Korea.