marinarose3's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

4.5


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gracie_reads_everything's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A very powerful and moving story about a North Korean defector turned human rights advocate. 

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bethantg's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Such a worthwhile read. Difficult all the way through, but with a strong current of hope. Grants a lot of insight into what life really is, and what it should never be. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to tell this story over and over, but here it is clear and engaging throughout. Will definitely stick with me.

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livay's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

4.25


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elkiebear's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

5.0


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rachreads681's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

4.25


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chaya_v's review against another edition

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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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kirstenpod_'s review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0


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sofiarf's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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ajsterkel's review against another edition

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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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