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jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
I've read several accounts of life in North Korea, and I've learned something from each of them. The thing I found most interesting about Eunsun Kim's account was her life in South Korea and her observations about how they view North Korea and people who manage to defect.
milliei's review against another edition
3.0
It was a good book, it made you think about the situation in North Korea. I usually don't read books like this, so it was a nice change.
alidottie's review against another edition
4.0
If you have never read any books about North Korea, I do not recommend this one because it just skims the surface of what I have read in other books. Nevertheless, it is another reminder of what these poor people endure and what they have to go through just to be a refugee. It makes my heart ache all they endure in their very flawed countries only to be exploited by those who would "help" them and all they suffer as they try to just have some kind of decent life. I am grateful in the case of the North Koreans who escape that at least for many years South Korea has helped them and made them citizens.
nekomeith's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful biography from a North Korean defector that survived a prison camp was able to make a life for herself despite all the obstacles she faced. I think it’s very important for everyone to be aware of countries like North Korea and of the people trapped in circumstances they didn’t choose or deserve.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
Now and then I read a memoir. I have read some good ones, I could not put down Malika Oufkir's book, Wild Swans moved me, and Leaving Mother Lake was so interesting. While this book failed in that aspect, it was the simplicity of the book. It was just too simple for what it was about.
I wanted more horror, misery. Ok so that might sound bad, but I just expected more from a book about North Korea. But then the book was not really about North Korea, it was about trying to survive in China.
I was told about starvation and how relatives and friends died left and right. Yes that is horrible, but that was the only horrific part she ever knew. I learned they were given 1 kg of candy on their glorious leader's birthday and how the capital was the most wonderful place ever. But then she could not tell me about prisons, work camps and executions cos she only knew a good life, the starvation and then China. In that aspect I was not really moved by her tale. A simple YA like tale. Where things were mentioned that we had already been told before. I also did not like how she totally dissed Mongolia and how they lived there. So that is worse than North Korea then?
So do not expect to learn more about North Korea. Maybe she was not critical of NA enough for me.
BUT, it was still a good and short book. Interesting in those early NA parts and later the China parts that made me angry. They are just throwing them back into that hell.
I wanted more horror, misery. Ok so that might sound bad, but I just expected more from a book about North Korea. But then the book was not really about North Korea, it was about trying to survive in China.
I was told about starvation and how relatives and friends died left and right. Yes that is horrible, but that was the only horrific part she ever knew. I learned they were given 1 kg of candy on their glorious leader's birthday and how the capital was the most wonderful place ever. But then she could not tell me about prisons, work camps and executions cos she only knew a good life, the starvation and then China. In that aspect I was not really moved by her tale. A simple YA like tale. Where things were mentioned that we had already been told before. I also did not like how she totally dissed Mongolia and how they lived there. So that is worse than North Korea then?
So do not expect to learn more about North Korea. Maybe she was not critical of NA enough for me.
BUT, it was still a good and short book. Interesting in those early NA parts and later the China parts that made me angry. They are just throwing them back into that hell.
m_h_dahl's review against another edition
5.0
(Who am I to even rate Eunsun Kim's story ...?- it doesn't feel right to rate this book in the same way as other books I review. Therefore, I have decided to review the significance of the book instead.)
By sharing her story, Eunsun Kim is giving a voice to the millions of North Koreans who are unable to speak out about their own experiences. Her testimony is a powerful reminder of the importance of protecting human rights and promoting freedom, and serves as a call to action for individuals and governments around the world to take steps to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in North Korea.
Eunsun Kim's experience highlights the severe deprivation and lack of basic freedoms that exist in North Korea, including limited access to food, healthcare, and education. Her story also illustrates the severe punishments that can be imposed on individuals who defy the government or attempt to escape, including imprisonment, torture, and even death.
It is crucial that the world knows about what is happening in North Korea because the country is one of the most closed and repressive societies in the world, and its government has been accused of committing numerous human rights violations, including forced labor, political repression, and torture. By shining a light on these issues, the international community can work together to hold the North Korean government accountable for its actions and support efforts to promote greater freedom and human rights for the people of North Korea.
By sharing her story, Eunsun Kim is giving a voice to the millions of North Koreans who are unable to speak out about their own experiences. Her testimony is a powerful reminder of the importance of protecting human rights and promoting freedom, and serves as a call to action for individuals and governments around the world to take steps to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in North Korea.
Eunsun Kim's experience highlights the severe deprivation and lack of basic freedoms that exist in North Korea, including limited access to food, healthcare, and education. Her story also illustrates the severe punishments that can be imposed on individuals who defy the government or attempt to escape, including imprisonment, torture, and even death.
It is crucial that the world knows about what is happening in North Korea because the country is one of the most closed and repressive societies in the world, and its government has been accused of committing numerous human rights violations, including forced labor, political repression, and torture. By shining a light on these issues, the international community can work together to hold the North Korean government accountable for its actions and support efforts to promote greater freedom and human rights for the people of North Korea.
jettreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0