Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
Spectacular. I had so many emotions running through me that I had to stop reading every few paragraphs to reflect.
An eye opening account of life in North Korea! I now possess a fundamental understanding of recent Korean history & the North Korean people oppressed by a totalitarian regime.
A fantastic insight into this cryptic and secretive country. Very well written.
Heartbreaking and also heartwarming at the same time. I love how the author approached this - I will say the beginning had me kind of lost as if each chapter was a different story but as the subjects returned I saw more of how the structure was working and liked it more. Bringing humanity to a group of people that tend to be forgotten about.
If you’ve ever wondered what North Korea is like, I highly recommend this book. It’s really not a history book, although there is plenty to learn about the historical context, but a window in to the lives of people who lived there. It’s truly eye opening and a great read.
This was an interesting book because of the people in the stories and what they had to say about their lives in North Korea. It was a glimpse into a world outsiders know very little about. While an interesting read I don't feel it was very well written and seemed repetitive.
This book will stay with me for a long time. At the risk of sounding preachy, I think every American should read it. Though nonfiction, the book reads like a novel. The author (a journalist who lived in South Korea for several years) uses the very human and emotional stories of six North Koreans to shed light on a government and people that most of the world knows very little about. It's like reading 1984, except it's real with tragic consequences.
dark
fast-paced
Very good, highly recommended.
If you are able to read this book you should be grateful for where you were born or where you currently live because it’s much, much better than living in the severe deprivation and cultishness of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (wow, is that ever a euphemism).
The stories are well told, interesting and heartbreaking. The names and stories were sometimes a bit confusing to me but I didn’t read the book continuously so that didn’t help. (It’s not a particularly long book and the chapters are relatively short. I recommend reading it in large chunks to the extent possible.)
My only wish would be for an updated epilogue. I read a kindle version from July 2010, if there’s a later version read that one.
The living conditions described in this book made me think of Peter Hessler’s China trilogy (River Town; Oracle Bones; and Country Driving) which I highly recommend as well.
If you are able to read this book you should be grateful for where you were born or where you currently live because it’s much, much better than living in the severe deprivation and cultishness of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (wow, is that ever a euphemism).
The stories are well told, interesting and heartbreaking. The names and stories were sometimes a bit confusing to me but I didn’t read the book continuously so that didn’t help. (It’s not a particularly long book and the chapters are relatively short. I recommend reading it in large chunks to the extent possible.)
My only wish would be for an updated epilogue. I read a kindle version from July 2010, if there’s a later version read that one.
The living conditions described in this book made me think of Peter Hessler’s China trilogy (River Town; Oracle Bones; and Country Driving) which I highly recommend as well.
3.5 stars but well deserving of the round up. Emotional, real stories that peeled back the curtain a bit into what it would’ve been to live through and defect from North Korea in the late 90s/early 2000s.