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lara_tvs 's review for:
Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea
by Barbara Demick
I remember when Kim Jong-Il died, I was seeing on the news thousands of people crying their eyes out and collapsing on the ground screaming and I was thinking "These people are insane". I was very young, knew very few things about North Korea and obviously had no idea of the level of brainwashing they go through from the moment they're born.
This book is amazing in all aspects. It is so well-researched (the author is a journalist after all), the descriptions about the political system, the societal structure, the history, are so meticulous and clear that you can start the book without having the faintest idea about North Korea and finishing it with a solid understanding. It is both a page-turner and at the same time so difficult to read due to all the horrors described. I particularly appreciated that the tone of the book was not dramatic, even the most dreadful events the interviewees suffered were presented in a matter-of-fact fashion, and they were still gut-wrenching. It's another thing knowing that people in North Korea have it rough, and another reading personal testimonials of how people were constantly surveilled and had to worship their leader under threat of imprisonment, how they had to starve for years and years with no food and electricity and the lengths they had to go to in order to escape.
I was truly amazed by the six protagonists (and the many more defectors who contributed with their stories), their endurance, their sacrifices, and the courage to come forward and share their experiences. This is a book I would definitely recommend to anyone.
This book is amazing in all aspects. It is so well-researched (the author is a journalist after all), the descriptions about the political system, the societal structure, the history, are so meticulous and clear that you can start the book without having the faintest idea about North Korea and finishing it with a solid understanding. It is both a page-turner and at the same time so difficult to read due to all the horrors described. I particularly appreciated that the tone of the book was not dramatic, even the most dreadful events the interviewees suffered were presented in a matter-of-fact fashion, and they were still gut-wrenching. It's another thing knowing that people in North Korea have it rough, and another reading personal testimonials of how people were constantly surveilled and had to worship their leader under threat of imprisonment, how they had to starve for years and years with no food and electricity and the lengths they had to go to in order to escape.
I was truly amazed by the six protagonists (and the many more defectors who contributed with their stories), their endurance, their sacrifices, and the courage to come forward and share their experiences. This is a book I would definitely recommend to anyone.