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bibliosonic's review against another edition
5.0
This was an excellent and accessible glimpse into the mysterious world of North Korea.
deschatjes's review against another edition
4.0
#YA #NorthKorea - a story set in a place where you hardly hear about anything - least of all the life of young children.
A very gripping story of Sungju Lee and how his life changed after his father was disgraced and the family moved to the country side. Then his father and mother disappeared and he became a street child for 3 years.
Couldn't put it down.
A very gripping story of Sungju Lee and how his life changed after his father was disgraced and the family moved to the country side. Then his father and mother disappeared and he became a street child for 3 years.
Couldn't put it down.
katnortonwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
A great memoir; I need to read a lot more on the topic of North Korea.
emleemay's review against another edition
4.0
North Korea is indeed a Hermit Kingdon: a true-to-life dystopian nation.
It's against this backdrop that my story takes place.
This book really made me want to learn.
Before reading, I knew some things about North Korea. I had a vague understanding of how the North and South were split and how the communist North is one of the most restrictive countries in the world. I sort of knew something about the godlike worship of the Supreme Leader - Kim Jong-un. And that's... basically it.
This memoir, however, was fascinating. Both as a starting point for learning about what it's really like to grow up in North Korea, and as a way of fostering further learning. As soon as I finished, I found myself reading articles about North Korea. I read the travel warnings on the U.S. and British government websites. Which made me curious about whether it was even possible to visit North Korea - it is, and certain companies organize guided tours. I then went on to read articles from those who had visited. I don't think I'd ever dare, but it was very interesting to get their perspective.
Of course, the most fascinating thing about North Korea and this memoir is the way the cult of personality works. The deeply-ingrained notion that Kim Jong-un is an almost magical being, someone to be revered, a perfect specimen of humanity leading the best country on Earth. It is actually illegal to mishandle any images of the Supreme Leader, never mind speak out against the regime.
Sungju Lee recounts his childhood through the 1990s famine. He begins in Pyongyang, a naive child with blind faith in his leader. This later changes as his family is forced to move to a poorer area of the country where the locals are starving and executions are a regular occurrence. We see the complete lack of awareness that is characteristic of the more fortunate North Koreans, especially children - their belief that everyone is provided for and no one goes hungry.
It reads like one of those American cult novels - where an isolated town in the midwest is seduced into a way of thinking by a charismatic leader - but it's completely real and on a much larger scale.
Eye-opening and terrifying.
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mackenziencheez's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Extremely compelling and important piece of nonfiction. However, rape =/= sex. The journalist coauthor should have caught that.
qzsg's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most touching and heartfelt autobiographies I have read. Some passages in the book gave me chills as I was reading.
hellohannahk's review against another edition
4.0
Heart-breaking and eye-opening. Brought the legend and mystery (and tragedy) or North Korea to life. Touching and personal. The writing was simple, but the characters and story were what kept me reading. Brought me close to tears a couple times. Content wise I would recommend 15+ maybe. Some true-life mature themes (drugs, violence) throughout.
bookzgirl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
abanas's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
Even though I've read quite a bit about life in North Korea, this book had a lot to teach me. The suffering endured by the people of North Korea seems to know no bounds, and it seems the world stands by, helpless to do something about it. Books like this break my heart, because I don't see things getting better anytime soon.