Reviews tagging 'Rape'

In Order to Survive. Mut zur Freiheit, englische Ausgabe by Yeonmi Park, Maryanne Vollers

152 reviews

kcelena's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, Rape, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Medical trauma

writingcaia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

There’s no right way to review such a memoir.
This is not a life many can ever relate to or even conceive off.
While I was reading I shared some sentences out loud to my partner and this comment he made was really poignant to my review of the book “if you ever heard the words poop thief in any other context (that wasn’t that of the memoir) you’d think people were joking.” Well, it was no joke in North Korea.
Another thing that really hit me hard is that when she finally reaches South Korea, after extreme poverty, famine, fear and repression (to say the least) in North Korea, naively being human trafficked to China, raped at 13, she starts reading a lot to try and catch up and it is then she realizes how limited her vocabulary was. Because, in North Korea the state wants you to live a small limited life, to be so naive as to never conceive of anything besides those teachings, but as she then learned new vocabulary she felt a new world had opened up, new feelings, new expression, new life, freedom.
It is not an easy read as you can tell by the hints I left behind so thread lightly if you’re easily triggered.
This was one of the most eye opening memoirs I’ve read, a reality I knew was bad transformed into something beyond comprehension, because even reading about it gives me only a glimpse of the horrific lives North Koreans are subject to. 
At such a young age Yeonmi is free, an example of fight, love, perseverance, and an advocate for her people. I truly hope she can also one day fulfil the promise she made her grandmother and father, and see her people free and an united Korea.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Slavery, and Trafficking

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, Child abuse, and Rape

Famine

absolute_bookery's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

Harrowing, terrifying, brutally honest and incredibly sad - a story of hope and escape for freedom that will inspire and educate you in equal parts. Just wow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Police brutality, Slavery, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Hate crime, Violence, War, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

julia_browns's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This memoir is probably one of the most impactful books I've ever read. Honestly, everybody should read this and educate themselves about the crimes happening daily in that isolated country. If you haven't read this book already, go read it, right now! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence

Moderate: Murder

eileen_goury's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking and Rape

Moderate: Death 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

kiaragennaro's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Violence

reading_bear's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Rape, Kidnapping, War, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, and Sexual violence

hsowko's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, and Trafficking

aguattery's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

This review is more about the book itself then Yeonmi's life story. Her life and journey to freedom was so tragic and complex, and it was beautiful to watch her hold on to hope. 

That being said, the writing style didn't sit well with me. It was VERY choppy and at times I didn't understand how we jumped from one topic to the next. Each chapter felt like reading an essay written by a middle schooler. And maybe that was purposeful to make the story accessible but it didn't work for me. It almost felt like  I almost thought about dnf'ing it because of that but it's such an important story that I finished it anyway. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Cancer, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Abortion, Stalking, and Xenophobia