Reviews tagging 'Grief'
Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite by Suki Kim
2 reviews
librarymouse's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Suki Kim is a gifted story teller and personalized the students she worked with to her readers expertly. The lives of the elite children of North Korea aren't something outsiders have access to, and they feel dystopian in a way that's unfamiliar to a western audience. Despite the unfamiliarity, there is a through line of familiar discontentment. They lack the vocabulary to express their sorrows, fears, and desires in a way that is hard to fathom. I hope that some day the cognitive dissonance that's foundational to the continued survival of the North Korean regime falls to revolution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Colonisation, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Classism, Animal death, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Police brutality, Sexism, Slavery, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Medical content, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
skudiklier's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Death, Grief, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Vomit, Violence, Religious bigotry, Racism, Murder, and Sexism
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