Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

49 reviews

kirstenpod_'s review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness

Minor: Alcoholism and Genocide

lauren_sdcard's review against another edition

dark inspiring tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Rape, Violence, Trafficking, and Death of parent

ajsterkel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

I didn't like it, which is a terrible thing to say because it's a memoir. I feel like I'm judging somebody's life. Maybe this is why I don't read more nonfiction.

The author was born in North Korea and didn't have an easy childhood. When she was 13, her and her mother escaped into China and became victims of human trafficking. They jumped from one bad situation into an equally bad situation. It's a brutal story to read.

Aside from the difficult subject matter, most of the book is fine. The writing isn't great, but I can forgive it because the author doesn't have the same education level as other writers.

I think the pacing is too fast. I kept wishing the author would slow down and give more details. I wondered how she learned Mandarin faster than the other kidnapped refugees, and why she was so valuable to human traffickers that they were willing to "go to war" for her, and why her mother allowed a 13-year-old to make so many important decisions for the family. I wanted more information!

Then, a paragraph at the end of the book slightly ruined everything for me. The author admits that her story has changed multiple times. She gave different accounts to different journalists. Instead of telling the truth, she told reporters what she thought they wanted to hear. She says, "I was reacting, improvising like a jazz musician playing the same melody a little differently each time, unaware that there might be people out there keeping score."

My brain went in two directions with this. First, I said, "She obviously lived through something traumatizing. Of course she's not going to spill her secrets to every reporter who asks a question." The second part of me went, "Nooo! North Korea is a vault wrapped in propaganda. Changing your story will muddy the waters and cast doubt on the stories of other refugees." The North Korean government is going to grab these inconsistencies and use them to discredit survivors and keep people trapped.

I don't know what to think about this book. I'm not mad that I read it, but I can't recommend it to other people. I lost trust in the author. How do I know I'm reading the real story right now? Does it even matter if I'm reading the real story? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation

ernie_8's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Cancer and Confinement

Minor: Alcoholism and Abortion

ell_n's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.0

An incredible story, beautifully written 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Trafficking, and Abandonment

Moderate: War

deluna's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

nookatdusk's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

julia_browns's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This memoir is probably one of the most impactful books I've ever read. Honestly, everybody should read this and educate themselves about the crimes happening daily in that isolated country. If you haven't read this book already, go read it, right now! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Murder

on_your_raedar's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I’ll be the first to admit that I never knew what happened in North Korea because I never thought about it. I watched a YouTube video about the 8 ways to defect from the country and this story was mentioned, I knew I had to read it, educate myself about what’s happen in the world.

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Stalking

reading_bear's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and War