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lauraspeirs's review against another edition
4.5
Such an interesting insight into North Korea and it’s leader.
asaftronaut's review against another edition
5.0
It's a great book for getting an overview of North Korea from a high-level perspective. It focuses on the leader of the country, his rise to power, life in North Korea, and more. I would recommend it to anyone interested in knowing more about the country; especially those interested in the studies of societies.
rick2's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting look into North Korea and the family dynamics that have led us to this point in time. The book starts with a brief overview of post Korean War North Korea and ends with the meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un. It focuses mostly of the newest of the Mount Paektu bloodline, Kim Jong Un.
Quite frankly I don’t know enough about North Korea and the history of Southeast Asia to really have a good idea of the strength of this book. But from an outside perspective it was fascinating.
Quite frankly I don’t know enough about North Korea and the history of Southeast Asia to really have a good idea of the strength of this book. But from an outside perspective it was fascinating.
altlovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I've read a lot of North Korean memoirs told from the perspective of people who fled the country many years ago, but this was the first book on North Korea I've read that covers how things are today, under Kim Jong Un. Through interviews and exhaustive research, the author does an excellent job at providing a unique look into this North Korean leader's early life, current life, and the people around him.
Each chapter covers a different aspect, and while the book is mostly told in chronological order, there is some overlap in some chapters concerning different aspects of Kim Jong Un's life. Each topic was really interesting, and I walked away knowing more about life in North Korea today than I knew before.
Highly recommend for anyone interested in this enigmatic leader or North Korea today.
Each chapter covers a different aspect, and while the book is mostly told in chronological order, there is some overlap in some chapters concerning different aspects of Kim Jong Un's life. Each topic was really interesting, and I walked away knowing more about life in North Korea today than I knew before.
Highly recommend for anyone interested in this enigmatic leader or North Korea today.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
5.0
A 2019 staff pick recommended by Rob. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sgreat%20successor%20fifield__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=def
booksofjj's review against another edition
5.0
My final book of the month was a book about a dictator with a large nuclear arsenal. While the rest of the world has been focussing on Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine, I decided to read up more about our other nuclear tyrant in the whole, Kim Jong Un.
This book is written by Anna Fifield who is credited as being the person who probably knows Kim Jong Un the best without evening meeting him due to her extensive research into his life that includes the collections of a number of accounts from those who have met the leader of the hermit kingdom.
The book follows the history of Korea before Jong-Un was born as well as the life he lead before becoming the leader of North Korea. There are lots of different areas of his life that are talked about from his education in Switzerland, the visits of Dennis Rodman, the murder of his uncle and half-brother, and the more recent summits with Donald Trump and Moon Jae-In.
I have a general fascination with North Korea, the Kim dynasty, and "Communist" countries so this book was right up my street. Before reading this book I didn't really know anything about Anna Fifield (but I have loved finding out more about her life and her journalism) as I was given this book as a gift from my boyfriend as he knows my love for books like this.
I loved reading this book as I found so much more out about the leader that I didn't know beforehand, a lot of which comes from these "eye-witness" accounts of defected North Koreans, people who worked for the family, and those who knew Kim Jong-Un from outside the Hermit Kingdom.
Would definitely recommend this book to those who are genuinely interesting in Korean history, North Korea, or the Kim family. I do think that it is very niche meaning that it isn't really for a more "novice" audience to read but it would also be a good starting point for those just getting into researching and finding out more about these topics.
This book is written by Anna Fifield who is credited as being the person who probably knows Kim Jong Un the best without evening meeting him due to her extensive research into his life that includes the collections of a number of accounts from those who have met the leader of the hermit kingdom.
The book follows the history of Korea before Jong-Un was born as well as the life he lead before becoming the leader of North Korea. There are lots of different areas of his life that are talked about from his education in Switzerland, the visits of Dennis Rodman, the murder of his uncle and half-brother, and the more recent summits with Donald Trump and Moon Jae-In.
I have a general fascination with North Korea, the Kim dynasty, and "Communist" countries so this book was right up my street. Before reading this book I didn't really know anything about Anna Fifield (but I have loved finding out more about her life and her journalism) as I was given this book as a gift from my boyfriend as he knows my love for books like this.
I loved reading this book as I found so much more out about the leader that I didn't know beforehand, a lot of which comes from these "eye-witness" accounts of defected North Koreans, people who worked for the family, and those who knew Kim Jong-Un from outside the Hermit Kingdom.
Would definitely recommend this book to those who are genuinely interesting in Korean history, North Korea, or the Kim family. I do think that it is very niche meaning that it isn't really for a more "novice" audience to read but it would also be a good starting point for those just getting into researching and finding out more about these topics.
mojostdennis's review against another edition
4.0
read harder challenge 2021: read a book by or about a non-Western world leader
popsugar challenge 2021: read a book featuring three generations
fifty two book club challenge 2021: read a book by an author with only one published book
popsugar challenge 2021: read a book featuring three generations
fifty two book club challenge 2021: read a book by an author with only one published book