You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
Outstanding. Extremely well written and very interesting.
It’s one thing to learn about North Korea through history books, but it’s another to fully understand and feel what those who live in this totalitarian state deal with in their daily lives. It was incredibly eye-opening to read the detailed accounts of these North Korean defectors - from the hidden romances to the traumatic familial losses. Their view of the world and what is considered the norm is completely shattered upon learning what the world is truly like on the other side after having been fed lies from birth.
This is a really compelling book and a great example of the narrative nonfiction genre. It's the kind of book that makes you want to read all of the author's other books.
An intense and very human set of accounts about the lives of real citizens of the North Korean town of Chongjin, told from a perfectly weaved perspective that Barbara Demick was able to gain via several in-depth interviews with defectors from the town. It portrays a story of overwhelming patriotism, learning, adolescence, love, suffering and death, but also tremendously powerful senses of humanity and community, describing how people came together to make the best of an awful situation, in spite of the regulations governing their lives at all times. It also paints a painfully vivid picture of the squalor and penury that overcomes all the so-called ‘real’ North Korean cities and towns outside of the Potemkin city of Pyongyang, and still holds true to this day. An absolute masterpiece of journalism and historical preservation told in a way that any reader can relate closely to.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
I think this should be necessary reading for just about everyone. This was an eye-opening journey into the true experience of North Koreans. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in other cultures, history, and the human experience.
Well written, well researched, interesting, enjoyable.
This is the book to read if you want to learn more about North Korea. It is a few years old-hoping to find an update on the people soon. So heartbreaking and engaging! Highly recommend!!
Looking back I don't recall learning much about North Korea in school, or college for that matter. It's only in the last few years that I've really come to know much about it through my own curiosity. I found Nothing to Envy very interesting & I learned a lot.