Reviews

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

bookish_emi's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative sad medium-paced

5.0

estheresr's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

4.0

Interesting and informative, written by an American reporter and based on interviews with North Korean defectors, it offers insight into the lives of ordinary people in North Korea. It has a distinctive American perspective, which has both advantages and disadvantages for American readers, and also touches on some of the issues of reintegration faced by defectors 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

matt_reads720's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.0

johnye's review against another edition

dark informative sad slow-paced

4.0

zulemasbooks's review

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

4.5

cryptoclastic's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

3.0

joytianyi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

3.75

very informative read, it reads almost like a dystopian YA novel but then you realize this is real and actual humans are experiencing this magnitude of suffering and loss and suddenly you need to reflect on the mechanisms of society and our international relations. also it’s almost 20 years old now so i would love to read more on what’s happened since. worth a read!

diana1's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

sammibreads's review against another edition

4.0

Finished on the couch. 

Hard to read at times but a really fantastic book. Focussing on real people’s stories and using them to showcase the experience of being in North Korea was well done. Would recommend. 

pboutin75's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

5.0