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trgeyer 's review for:
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
by Barbara Demick
A shocking and fascinating read. Demick details the lives of several North Koreans during the totalitarian regime of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. I was in utter disbelief at the misery these people had to endure at the hands of the state. The citizens are brainwashed from birth and kept in the dark, literally and figuratively, from the outside world. It’s hard to say what shocked and saddened me the most about the lives of each person detailed. From imprisonment and hard labor for the slightest infraction to famine and lack of medical care for the children and elderly. Demick made her career as a journalist and this is apparent in her writing style. Many sections read like long articles, but I didn’t find this to be a negative as Demick returned to each person’s tale. I found each person’s story to be compelling in its own way and by the end was truly uplifted by their eventual defections.