Reviews

Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite by Suki Kim

emhilman's review

adventurous challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

4.5

Great read!! I normally can't read non fiction but this was so interesting and so sad. Like reading a dystopian novel but the dystopia was real life. 

kflavoie's review

reflective slow-paced

3.0

onlylonelystars's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

This book, which narrates events mostly taking place in the year 2011, makes me wonder what has happened in North Korea in the intervening 13 years. Kim did a very good job engaging me as a reader, and Song was a very good narrator. I wonder how the impact of this book would differ if I spoke Korean or was more familiar with the culture; Kim made it very approachable and understandable. If only the students she taught had the same opportunity.

breadandmushrooms's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

2.25

binky931's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

emmaaazing's review

4.0

Really interesting and shows a different look into the daily lives of "regular" kids in North Korea. The dialogue and interactions between Suki and the students really makes it heart wrenching to read.

deschatjes's review

4.0

#Korea (North) #education
Tough read about a year spent in a N-Korean university teaching elite. The extent of the lack of freedom is actually quite mind boggling until you hear it blow by blow. As it the fact that a nation can continue to eliminates itself from the rest of the world.
written about events in 2011 it would be very interesting to have an update (impossible) but I would also have appreciated a little bit of retrospective background as to why the students left the normal universities at that time.

jennc's review against another edition

5.0

This was funny and at other times heart breaking. I can’t imagine the isolation the author dealt with. She really made you feel for the people of North Korea. The missionaries were pretty awful. The thing that really got to me was the author agonizing over whether it was a good thing to enlighten the students to the rest of the world. - The good vs the harm it could do.

mmooo's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.25

nwilliams96's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.75