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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
This was amazing, as a novel and an autobiography. I'm now fascinated with the topics of North Korea, communism, dictatorships, immigration (especially illegal immigration), and so much more. I can't wait to read more books from the point of view of other Korean defectors.
I always feel weird putting a star rating on someone's life... It's their life; who am I to judge it? So know that the five stars here applies only to the book-ish aspects. The pacing, the flow, the accessibility (I'm a white American with high privilege and a limited worldview, yet everything here was explained clearly in a way I could understand). This was very well put together and kept me engaged throughout, though occasionally I wondered why the audiobook narrator sounded exactly like Kiera Knightly. Why does a Korean story require a posh British accent?
That said... The story! This kept me engaged for nearly a week before I finished it. I was constantly messaging my friends and dad "did you know...?" and "holy crap, the balls on this woman!" Even though I knew things would turn out alright, my stomach was tying itself in knots for her. She took such drastic risks; things I myself would never be able to do. And she got so, so lucky a number of times. The only thing I can figure is God was watching out for her, because holy crap.
Something that really struck me hard was just how hard it was to get to safety. Leaving NK was the (comparatively) easy part. But getting through China to Seoul, to be granted amnesty? That was an enormous struggle that many people died attempting. It made me think of the despicable way we treat Mexican immigrants here in Arizona... Of course I've been anti ICE and anti Arpio since I was a teenager, and I've been speaking up about the abuse immigrants have suffered since last year. But if anything, this book has made me want to be more vocal on this issue. Everyone deserves safety.
I first heard of North Korea in junior year of high school (gotta love American public education, sigh). We watched a documentary on it, and the only thing I got out of that was that "this place is scary. North Koreans are scary!"
This book helped me see that really, it's just a country suffering under the brutal rule of a dictatorship. That these people are people, individuals; not a scary hive of monsters. (I'm not proud of this. I shouldn't let childhood biases color my feelings about people. Learn and do better, Lyn.)
And I do want to learn. A lot. I'm hooked, now. I highly recommend this book; it was a real eye-opener.
