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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
I knew little about Korea before reading this book and learned a great deal. History mixed in with the stories of 6 people from North Korea who defected give a good picture of what North Korea is/was like in an easy-to-read and definately not boring format.
Having been born and raised under Ceausescu's regime during its severe "austerity" policies of the 80s, I thought we had it bad - sporadic electricity and water, spending half of our lives waiting in line for food rations, TV limited to one hour propaganda daily, constant monitoring by the Securitate, etc etc. But WHOA after Nothing to Envy, Ceausescu's Romania seems like a privileged land of abundance compared to "ordinary lives in North Korea". The horrors described here are just beyond experiential comprehension. With each turn of a page, my heart sank just a bit lower, my stomach churned in one more rotation, my breath caught until I felt almost suffocated - not trying to be melodramatic here, reading this made me feel physically ill.
Nothing to Envy is basically a journalist's account and oral history of the "ordinary lives" of people in NK, as told by defectors and by the limited research available (i.e. Congressional reports, UN relief agency accounts, and the like). It's written in a style of a good in-depth New-Yorker piece, and it doesn't sensationalize- it doesn't need to, the lives of North Koreans are heartbreaking enough without embellishment.
The most infuriating aspect (well, there are many, but this was it for me) is the United States' complicity in creating North Korea. Shamefully, I knew little and thought even less about NK before last year, when I visited South Korea and had a chance to visit the DMZ. But, basically, Korea was split post WWII and became one of the first battle grounds of the Cold War: communist-USSR-affiliated NK and capitalist-US-affiliated SK. Korean people had little choice in the matter, and were manipulated by the imperialistic tendencies of these two "world-powers" out-competing each other in displays of domination. Not only did we (US) create NK, but we have completely abandoned it (other than to rail against the leaders' nuclear ambitions). But there is no general consciousness in the US about the plight of the North Korean people, who are probably the most politically persecuted and oppressed people on the planet.
I highly recommend this to anyone willing to step out of their comfortable bubble of existence and to re-consider their privilege in light of knowledge about what it means to be truly oppressed.
Nothing to Envy is basically a journalist's account and oral history of the "ordinary lives" of people in NK, as told by defectors and by the limited research available (i.e. Congressional reports, UN relief agency accounts, and the like). It's written in a style of a good in-depth New-Yorker piece, and it doesn't sensationalize- it doesn't need to, the lives of North Koreans are heartbreaking enough without embellishment.
The most infuriating aspect (well, there are many, but this was it for me) is the United States' complicity in creating North Korea. Shamefully, I knew little and thought even less about NK before last year, when I visited South Korea and had a chance to visit the DMZ. But, basically, Korea was split post WWII and became one of the first battle grounds of the Cold War: communist-USSR-affiliated NK and capitalist-US-affiliated SK. Korean people had little choice in the matter, and were manipulated by the imperialistic tendencies of these two "world-powers" out-competing each other in displays of domination. Not only did we (US) create NK, but we have completely abandoned it (other than to rail against the leaders' nuclear ambitions). But there is no general consciousness in the US about the plight of the North Korean people, who are probably the most politically persecuted and oppressed people on the planet.
I highly recommend this to anyone willing to step out of their comfortable bubble of existence and to re-consider their privilege in light of knowledge about what it means to be truly oppressed.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
The most I knew of North Korea was based on the news media and history books in grade school. This was my first understanding of the lives of North Koreans and their struggle and relationship with the home country and, as defectors, with the world outside of NK. It’s clear, factual, and reads like a long essay to give you a good overview of life for different types of people facing life-long adversities.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I highly recommend this important book on North Korea. Barbara Demick was a reporter based in South Korea. Nothing to Envy winds together the stories of six people she met who had defected from a northern region of North Korea. If you don't know much about North Korea, this is an excellent place to start. If you know something about North Korea, you'll love this! I became interested in North Korea after a visit to the DMZ about 20 years ago. This book is easy to read and gives a goes a long way toward explaining how people live in today's most reclusive nation.
Barbara Demick has written a very interesting collections of defectors stories. So much information captured in engaging stories of each individual/family.