Scan barcode
A review by bellawoo
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
4.0
This would be 5 stars if I could imagine myself reading this again, but cultural non-fiction and commentary are rarely re-reads.
This book cobbles together the stories of six North Korean defectors, all of whom are neither the preferred elite class in Pyongyang nor the lowest of the low. They are in various strata of the population's core, all leading ordinary lives in North Korea. (Very accurate title for this book.) I understand so much more about why North Korea is the way that it is; it makes no predictions about the future nor does it make judgements about North Korean regime's political or economic decisions.
One of the true standout profiles are those of Mi-ran and Jun-sang, two youthful lovers. Though they lead separate lives and their story is told to Demick post-defection, I found myself cheering for both of them to make it out and be reunited. It is a rare skill for a non-fiction author to accurately retell someone else's story gripping enough to be believed as fiction.
Truly worth a read.
This book cobbles together the stories of six North Korean defectors, all of whom are neither the preferred elite class in Pyongyang nor the lowest of the low. They are in various strata of the population's core, all leading ordinary lives in North Korea. (Very accurate title for this book.) I understand so much more about why North Korea is the way that it is; it makes no predictions about the future nor does it make judgements about North Korean regime's political or economic decisions.
One of the true standout profiles are those of Mi-ran and Jun-sang, two youthful lovers. Though they lead separate lives and their story is told to Demick post-defection, I found myself cheering for both of them to make it out and be reunited. It is a rare skill for a non-fiction author to accurately retell someone else's story gripping enough to be believed as fiction.
Truly worth a read.