Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

39 reviews

ell_n's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.0

An incredible story, beautifully written 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicide, Death, Cancer, Rape, Abandonment, and Slavery

Moderate: War

graff_fuller's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

Do we ever really know why we pick up a book...and start reading it? Was it the cover? Was it the topic? Or could it be that we desire to know the story being told is going to TOUCH us...change the way we feel about [whatever the subject is]. 

I love biographies, but autobiographies are even better. "Straight from the horse's mouth", as they say.

The traumatic escape of Yeon-mi Park from N. Korea, to China, to Mongolia, to S. Korea, onward...to where she now lives in America.

The peak behind the curtain of what is actually going on in N. Korea is amazing (in a bad way). Also, to read about the propaganda machine that is at work in N. Korea...for 70+ years, so that not even S. Koreans know HOW different these two cultures are now.

To hear about empathy and love being devoid in the average N. Korean. Seeing public executions and dead people in the streets...as normal events. Being sold into slavery and prostitution, just to survive and escape...for slavery and prostitution are one thing, but HUNGER is worse. Anything, just to eat food.

None of us in the US can understand these things, which I'm glad for, but we need to educate ourselves. We do not agree with the leadership of N. Korea, but the people of N. Korea are enslaved, themselves to this dynasty and deserve our pity. The need to help other escape this hell hole...as Yeon-mi says, it is the DARKEST place on the earth. If you look at satellite photos of the area...there are very few lights, compared to the bordering countries...it looks like a black hole swallowed the entire country. Shortages of electricity, food, are necessities normal...and this is how the leadership keeps the people in check.

You really have to read it in her own words. She escaped when she was 13, but it wasn't until years later that she truly had freedom from the oppression that ALL people of N. Korea accept as NORMAL.

Share this story to your friends and family. It is a VERY sad tale, but she's come out of it, scars and all...and is trying to shine a light on N. Korea...so the world will come to its (the enslaved people who live in this country, under THIS regime) rescue.

I'm so happy that I picked this book up and read her story. There will be images that I won't be able to get out of my head, but maybe this will help people to help these downtrodden people.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, Trafficking, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Deportation, Murder, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

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

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

ran_sophia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

The book contains a very powerful story that is worth reading.  Although it was difficult to read, because what the author wrote about and what she experienced was very sad and terrible.  I liked that the story was well written and pointed.  And I also liked that she wasn't afraid to talk openly about what she was going through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Death of parent, Medical content, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcohol and Panic attacks/disorders

etty_m's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Child abuse, and Trafficking

meenakshi's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Harrowing but inspiring 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Trafficking

Moderate: Abortion, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Slavery

mahshid_aa's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking

Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, and Cancer

clevelandbookgirl's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Synopsis: Yeonmi Park was born in North Korea. She spent most of her childhood trying to survive the atrocities of the country. One day, Yeonmi's mother decides the family must escape, in order to live. What awaits them during their escape is equally as terrible as the things that happened in North Korea. This true story displays courage, survival, and resiliency. 

I'm so happy I checked out this audiobook from Libby. Yeonmi Park gives insight to what life was like for her in North Korea. 

This story was very hard to listen to. It was tragic, but Yeonmi and her family did what they had to in order to survive, no matter the cost. I will list content warning at the end of this post, because a lot of what Yeonmi and her family survived was extremely brutal.

If you are looking for a memoir for Women's Month this March I would strongly suggest picking up this book. I think this book should be read in political science and sociology classes to showcase politics, survival, and people's ways of thinking. If you're looking for a non-fiction book that will shake you to the core, read In Order to Live.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

Moderate: Cancer and Gore

hannahblundell's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, and Trafficking