An eye-opening account of life inside North Korea—a closed world of increasing global importance—hailed as a “tour de force of meticulous reporting” (The New York Review of Books) NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST In this landmark addition to the literature of totalitarianism, award-winning journalist Barbara Demick follows the lives of six North … Barbara Demick follows the lives of six North Korean citizens over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il (the father of Kim Jong-un), and a devastating famine that killed one-fifth of the population.
Demick brings to life what it means to be living under the most repressive regime today—an Orwellian world that is by choice not connected to the Internet, where displays of affection are punished, informants are rewarded, and an offhand remark can send a person to the gulag for life. She takes us deep inside the country, beyond the reach of government censors, and through meticulous and sensitive reporting we see her subjects fall in love, raise families, nurture ambitions, and struggle for survival. One by one, we witness their profound, life-altering disillusionment with the government and their realization that, rather than providing them with lives of abundance, their country has betrayed them.
Praise for Nothing to Envy
“Provocative . . . offers extensive evidence of the author’s deep knowledge of this country while keeping its sights firmly on individual stories and human details.”—The New York Times
“Deeply moving . . . The personal stories are related with novelistic detail.”—The Wall Street Journal
“A tour de force of meticulous reporting.”—The New York Review of Books
“Excellent . . . humanizes a downtrodden, long-suffering people whose individual lives, hopes and dreams are so little known abroad.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“The narrow boundaries of our knowledge have expanded radically with the publication of Nothing to Envy. . . . Elegantly structured and written, [it] is a groundbreaking work of literary nonfiction.”—John Delury, Slate
“At times a page-turner, at others an intimate study in totalitarian psychology.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
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One of my favorite reads in the last 12 months.
This book has a different format compared to many North Korea books. In this book, the author starts with telling the story of the lives of several North Koreans in various walks of life. Of course, we know from the beginning, that regardless of how unlikely it seems, at some point all of these people are going to escape North Korea in order to be able to tell their story. We learn the story of how these individuals grew up and lived in North Korea, their thoughts about their government and now Eternal Leader Kim, how they lived through the starvation years of the 90’s, and the long road leading to why they decided to defect (or in 1 case, was tricked by a family member into defection, and how they finally were able to defect to South Korea. We learn what happened to some of their family members left behind, about their attempts to rescue family members trapped in North Korea (some successful and some not), and the sometimes harsh adjustment to the freedom and capitalism of South Korea. The author details the difficulty and perils involved for North Koreans to defect and safely make it sanctity in South Korea. We learn about a young man left an orphan whose father had been Party member, a pediatrician whose greatest dream was to be allowed to join the Party, a housewife with 2 young children and an abusive husband, a young woman and her “forbidden” boyfriend, a factory worker who had absolute loyalty to the regime, and several more. The stories are poignant and heartwarming, showing vividly the humanity of people trapped in North Korea. This book also covers the operation of the government and its regimentation over people’s lives from a historical viewpoint, how this all changed (slightly for the better) during the starvation years of the 90’s, and the newer changes (for the worse) under Kim Jong-un. Also covered are the issues and problems involved as former North Koreans adjust to a life of capitalism and freedom in South Korea. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to go beyond the history of and current living situation in North Korea, to hear the stories of real people surviving in and then escaping from North Korea.
I lived in South Korea in the early 80’s for 2 years, working at Hyundai. I thought I knew a fair amount about North Korea but this book gave me so much more information, I actually knew very little of what was happening there. I could almost put this book in the horror story category.
Well written and very interesting.
Chilling and interesting
Opened my eyes!
Love the USA
An eye opening account of the humanitarian issues leading to defections from North Korea. The failure of communism personified.
Revealing what happens in North Korea,
This was my first book of stories of people that lived in and escaped North Korea. To date it’s the best one I’ve read on this topic.
A stunning look into North Korea. A must read in this era of Trump as he claims Kim Jung Un is an “honorable” leader. There are no human rights in this country.
I never knew much about the conditions in North Korea. It is terrible and totally restrictive if people’s rights. It tells how people are so indoctrinated and sheltered from the real world. It is a great read and helps you to understand why they do what they do!
This is an extremely hard book to rate/review. I’m sure the majority has heard of the Korean War and the state of Korea during the Japanese invasion and their subsequent departure. What I don’t think most have heard or read about is the state of Korea after…how it was split in the first place and how it became the country it is today.
Such a heartbreaking book to read, even though it’s well written and informative. I look back on my life during the years mentioned here and reflect on where I was at that time. While I’m in my Senior year in high school…children there are dying of starvation, parents are trying to figure out how to survive without being tortured or sent to camps.
Those who managed to escape and defect to South Korea had such a hard time integrating into that society. Even though they were considered citizens and were welcomed…they were also seen as somehow being less than ideal. I can’t even begin to imagine.
it should be required reading for anyone that remotely thinks north korea is anything but a dictatorship run by a ruthless killer and oppressor of his own people. the incessant brain washing and terror in everyone’s lives is soul numbing. the neighbors informing on each other, the life threatening action of speaking out honestly is right from the kgb and stasi handbooks. read this and value/cherish the american way of life, the freedom of the press,and of free speech.
A eye opener as to what is considered NORMAL is such a restricted life.
A historical account of life in North Korea during the famine years.
I liked it. Recommended by a friend, it was well-written and I think factual
If you want to know about North Korea, start here.