Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

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

2 reviews

zakcebulski's review

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

4.25

Spoiler
I thought that this book was absolutely fascinating. I, like many people in the Western world have become fascinated with the "Hermit" nation. The more closed off this place is, the more enticing it is, and the more I want to learn about it.
Suki Kim, the author, explains her experiences of being an English teacher in one of the higher end universities in North Korea.
I thought that this book was fucking astounding. In recent years more and more information has come to light due to defectors and people like Suki Kim. I think that these stories are extremely valuable for people of all walks of life to read and to learn about- it helps to ensure that the suffering of those in places like North Korea are not forgotten, and their stories are told.
As this is a memoir, this is fully Suki Kim's feelings and experiences, and I think that that is the perfect medium to explain what North Korea is like. The reason being is simple- humanity is largely forgotten in this country, with the only important people being Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong-un.

As Kim goes through her day to day as an English teacher in NK, she goes through her feelings on the country. She also discusses interactions with students, and with the members of the NK party. I thought that this illustration was vivid and heartbreaking. It is to the fault of nobody that these people were born in such circumstances as the hellacious ones in North Korea.
There were several instances of true fear I experienced while reading this book. The idea that Kim had notes on thumb drives on her person which contained notes which were not the most glowing representations of NK and the party was truly dangerous to her. The fact that she risked imprisonment and possibly even worse because she felt that these stories were necessary to tell makes me respect her so goddamn much.
I wanted to briefly touch on the title of this story- "Without You, There is no Us". This, as we learn in the book, is from a piece of music dedicated to KJI, about how he is directly responsible for everything in NK.
But, I felt a different interpretation of it while reading- what if, and this is pure speculation on my part, this title is referring to the common folk in North Korea. What if their stories are nonexistent- what if they are nonexistent without people coming in and learning about them and smuggling their stories out? This is how I took the title of the book. I don't know whether or not this double meaning was intentional or not, but, goddamn it was frightening. 
While reading through this book there were instances where I had to be shocked in to remembering that places like this truly do exist and isn't that goddamn terrifying? To have someone come in, to risk their freedom, to risk their lives to tell stories that the government of this country is trying to thwart at every step, isn't that absolutely amazing?
I love the idea that every instance of free thought is truly damaging to the Kim regime. The fact that things like Harry Potter, and different cuisines are not able to be discussed because it would allow free speech and free thought- the most dangerous things to the Kim regime- shows how truly fragile this regime is. 
I think that this book, and books like it, are extremely valuable pieces of literature as they tell the stories of the truly voiceless, they are so important, because it is the lack of public knowledge and awareness coupled with the iron fist of the Kim regime is what keeps and estimated 25,000,000+ (I would guess more) under lock and fucking key. 
I think that reading about the death of KJI and the feeling in North Korea at the time was one of the most fascinating things I have read recently. It is literally a country experiencing the death of their god. I can't imagine a more amazing thing, it is something that I cannot wrap my head around. It is truly awe-inspiring, and to know that this book was written early in to KJU's ruling is absolutely amazing as I am reading this with over a decade of knowledge about North Korea's current status. 
This is truly going to be one of those books where I find myself going back to think about it time and again. 
I think that this is an amazingly raw and important book, one that deserves to be read to illustrate a part of the world that is being intentionally shut off by the powers that be. The Kim dynasty refuses to believe that they are nothing special, and for that to work, they need to force people to believe them and more importantly to believe in them. I look forward to a day when this regime, built on sand, crumbles, and the Kim regime becomes nothing more than a relic- a historical anomaly of an experiment that was doomed to fail from the start, but, that did not go quietly in to that great night. 
We are lucky to live in a time where people like Suki Kim exist and write books.


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skudiklier's review against another edition

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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. 
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