Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

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

61 reviews

elkiebear's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, and War

Moderate: Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Rape

rachreads681's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Excrement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

sabrinz's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

This book was given to my by a friend as a present with the words "a friend recommended it to me and said it would make my cry!"

Needless to say, this book and the real story it conveys did make me cry. But not for the brutal honesty with which Yeonmi Park describes her journey to freedom (I was mainly too shocked and heartbroken), but the positive outlook on her future and what she is trying to do with her voice and her story.

Simpyl because of the nature of this joruney, it is not a light read, but very much worth it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Genocide, and Suicide

bookswithabbey1's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and Death of parent

underthetreereads's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

“In the free world, children dream about what they want to be when they grow up and how they can use their talents. When I was four and five years old, my only adult ambition was to buy as much bread as I liked and eat all of it.”

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park is a brutally eye opening memoir of human brutality and kindness. Yeonmi tells her story suffering under the North Korean regime, escaping to China only to be sold into human trafficking, and then finally making her way to freedom. Something I think was very unique (and yet not at all for so many) was her eventual understanding that even when she made it to South Korea, she still wasn’t free until she allowed herself to be free.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Abortion and Death of parent

chaya_v's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This is one of the most impactful books I’ve ever read. It is extremely well written and even if it wasn’t the story of her life just grips you.
Park Yeonmi gives us an insight into the life in North Korea and her hellish escape to South-Korea. Park Yeonmi has lived through things most of us can’t imagine. I’ve learned many things by reading her memoirs 

I don’t really have words, you just have to read this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, and Trafficking

Moderate: Death and Rape

sofiarf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

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

georgia_gabrielle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Absolutely outstanding, how Park and her family went through such a  harrowing time and came out on the otherside of it is completely mindboggling. This book made me tense, it made me cry and it was beautiful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, War, and Deportation