Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

För att kunna leva: en nordkoreansk flickas resa till frihet by Maryanne Vollers, Yeonmi Park

7 reviews

gracie_reads_everything's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury

Biography, autobiography, memoir, North Korea, human rights, powerful

brandiereadsbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism

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

lizgonzo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment

mxpringle's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

natreviews's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

This is one of the books that should be read in every single high school. This is such an important read, not only for an inside look as to what living in North Korea is like, but to read all of the hardships she and others like her have had to experience. It is one of those books that will make you reflect on your own life, and how good you really have it.

I had only seen the title of this book, heard nothing about it before I read it. That's why I'll keep this review to the bare bones. There are some books out there where the less you know, the better the read is. This is one of those books (although I highly recommend checking out the content warnings before reading).

What I will say is Yeonmi holds nothing back. For that I'm truly grateful. Although it is a hard and challenging read, it wouldn't have the same impact as it does without all of the details. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, and Abandonment

phantasyia's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Grief