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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
inspiring
slow-paced
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
sad
slow-paced
Lot of telling but not enough showing. It didn't really motivate me to really think as hard as I think I could about the nuances with the issues between the abuses in North Korea, the trafficking in China and the treatment of South Korea towards defectors.
I also heard there are some inconsistencies in Yeonmi's story based on some further research which I think also requires further looking into but for the book itself, I think it's missing a lot of impact in balancing between telling your personal story and attempting to be inspiring
I also heard there are some inconsistencies in Yeonmi's story based on some further research which I think also requires further looking into but for the book itself, I think it's missing a lot of impact in balancing between telling your personal story and attempting to be inspiring
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Preface: I am writing this almost three months after finishing the book- oops. Yeonmi’s voice is so powerful in this memoir and it’s difficult to believe she is still so young. Her innocence was stripped away at such a young age. What was shocking to me was the prevalence of censorship within North Korea. I had heard about it before, but I never processed or thought about the extent to which they engrain the government propaganda into people’s brains since childhood. It’s like worshipping a God, and if that God is the only one you have ever known- the one who guides you through life and extremely difficult times, how would you ever know that all you know is wrong? As soon as Yeonmi crosses the river over to China, the small bubble of life in rural Hyesan is burst and she realizes the conditions she lives in. I would be interested in reading her second memoir about adjusting to life in South Korea and the US because I know she ended up going to Columbia even though her level of education upon leaving North Korea was equivalent to an elementary schooler.