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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'
Without You, There Is No Us: Undercover Among the Sons of North Korea's Elite by Suki Kim
4 reviews
emelynreads's review against another edition
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
This books gives us a clearer picture on the education of North Korea's future leaders by way of Suki Kim's undercover investigative journalism as she covertly takes an English professor volunteer job at a Christian-funded university.
I've read and listened to defector accounts but this perspective is even more interesting as here we see how disillusioned and propagandized the children of the elite are, down to how they think, talk and write.
Several passages struck me, one in particular about how these 19-20 year old boys struggle to write an essay because they've never encountered the need to prove anything.
Reading this feels like desperate hope that these children will unlock critical thinking skills at the same time being terrified and paranoid for the author for risking her life to write this.
I've read and listened to defector accounts but this perspective is even more interesting as here we see how disillusioned and propagandized the children of the elite are, down to how they think, talk and write.
Several passages struck me, one in particular about how these 19-20 year old boys struggle to write an essay because they've never encountered the need to prove anything.
Reading this feels like desperate hope that these children will unlock critical thinking skills at the same time being terrified and paranoid for the author for risking her life to write this.
Moderate: Animal death
librarymouse's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Suki Kim is a gifted story teller and personalized the students she worked with to her readers expertly. The lives of the elite children of North Korea aren't something outsiders have access to, and they feel dystopian in a way that's unfamiliar to a western audience. Despite the unfamiliarity, there is a through line of familiar discontentment. They lack the vocabulary to express their sorrows, fears, and desires in a way that is hard to fathom. I hope that some day the cognitive dissonance that's foundational to the continued survival of the North Korean regime falls to revolution.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
droggelbecher42's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Extremely disturbing read, had to put this down multiple times, it was so disheartening.
Graphic: War
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death
skudiklier's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
As someone who knows very little about North Korea, this book was fascinating. I found it incredibly compelling in many ways, and I'm grateful for Kim's bravery in writing and sharing it. I found this book heartbreaking, but also surprisingly enjoyable. I wish I could find out more about how the students' lives have gone on in the time since Kim was with them, but I'm sure she wishes that were possible far more than I do. I would definitely recommend this book as a rare and unique look into the lives of upper class young men in North Korea.
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Murder
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