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Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'
In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park
65 reviews
ajsterkel's review against another edition
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Trafficking, Cancer, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Chronic illness, Deportation, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, and Death of parent
graff_fuller's review against another edition
4.25
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.
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
5.0
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.
Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Slavery, and Trafficking
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, Child abuse, and Rape
Famineabsolute_bookery's review
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Police brutality, Slavery, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Hate crime, Violence, War, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
julia_browns's review against another edition
5.0
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
on_your_raedar's review against another edition
5.0
This entire story is heartbreaking and is a necessary read. It took weeks to get through because things were so hard to stomach but I truly cannot express the appreciation I feel toward Yeonmi for being brave and willing to share her experiences.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Rape
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Torture, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Cancer, Murder, and Alcoholism
Minor: Addiction, Medical content, Ableism, Misogyny, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
kiaragennaro's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Violence
reading_bear's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Trafficking
Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Rape, Kidnapping, War, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, and Sexual violence
aguattery's review against another edition
3.5
That being said, the writing style didn't sit well with me. It was VERY choppy and at times I didn't understand how we jumped from one topic to the next. Each chapter felt like reading an essay written by a middle schooler. And maybe that was purposeful to make the story accessible but it didn't work for me. It almost felt like I almost thought about dnf'ing it because of that but it's such an important story that I finished it anyway.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Cancer, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Abortion, Stalking, and Xenophobia
spektriva's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Self harm