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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
great to finally read a book I said I read on my ucas form lol
And good read, only disadvantage is that it was written over a decade ago so a bit dated
And good read, only disadvantage is that it was written over a decade ago so a bit dated
This book is an amazing non-fiction read. It's an oral history of 6 North Koreans, interlaced with the history of North & South Korea. (Maybe I am forgetting, but I think we never actually learned about Korea in HS... I knew none of this.) It felt like a movie, or some sort of dystopian novel (it makes the Hunger Games world seem... not that hard to believe.) The bulk of the book seemed to focus on the famine of the mid-90's, and being able to see these dates (1995, 1997) and be like "oh wow, I was in HS, I was a teenager then" put a very real perspective on it for me. They had no food; they were eating grass, weeds, pine bark because their Communist government who provides food for them, wasn't. The state really fell apart during that time, and it is fascinating how in the presence of an unfulfilled basic need, nature just takes over. In this case, capitalism seemed to sprout up organically, with markets and people creating businesses simply to survive, damn the laws against it.
The people she interviewed ultimately defected, and those stories were amazing to me. The atmosphere these folks grow up in is so propaganda filled, it's really a stretch to buck against it. And the untethered feeling after deciding the regime is corrupt was an interesting point to consider.
I learned so much reading this, it really made me reevaluate my privileges, freedoms and society. It makes me so sad North Korea still exists, still is oppressing and keeping their society stuck in time. Even aid organizations are ineffective in getting food to those who need it. It was a hard read at times, but I feel, an important one.
The people she interviewed ultimately defected, and those stories were amazing to me. The atmosphere these folks grow up in is so propaganda filled, it's really a stretch to buck against it. And the untethered feeling after deciding the regime is corrupt was an interesting point to consider.
I learned so much reading this, it really made me reevaluate my privileges, freedoms and society. It makes me so sad North Korea still exists, still is oppressing and keeping their society stuck in time. Even aid organizations are ineffective in getting food to those who need it. It was a hard read at times, but I feel, an important one.
dark
informative
fast-paced
Unbelievable, unforgettable, unputdownable! So informative and weaves the lives of the people perfectly with the history of a remarkably bizarre and terrifying regime. It is astounding how all this is happening in the very near past. You can scarcely imagine these events are occurring in the past decade.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Unbelievable. The stories of a handful of defectors from North Korea: the weirdest, scariest place on Earth.
The content was good and I appreciate the stories within, but it jumped around A LOT.
This is a stunning book about life in North Korea. The amount of governmental denial and apathy towards its citizens is at times, unfathomable. Incredibly interesting read.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
emotional
informative
medium-paced