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Loading... Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea (original 2009; edition 2010)by Barbara Demick (Author)
Work InformationNothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (2009)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. A readable and illuminating account of the famine years of the early 20th century in North Korea, as seen through the eyes of six escapees. Not all of these people had been critical of the repressive, totalitarian regime under which they had been brought up. They accepted unquestioningly that there was nothing to envy beyond the country's borders, despite the fact that education, career ambitions, love and home life were under constant surveillance and minor 'offences' could result in lifelong punishment for themselves and their families. An eye opening look at a largely unknown world. ( ) Very well done look at North Korea, thanks to those who were willing to relive the best and worst details of their lives to share with the world. See the full review and more at baileysbooks.home.blog! Recommended: ABSOLUTELY For those who know nothing about North Korea, for those who know a boatload about North Korea, for a fantastic history of the country (and the whole peninsula, really), for moving stories of the people who grew up there, for an incredibly comprehensive and personal set of biographies Thoughts: Oh, wow. So I am not a beginner in learning about North Korea, but this book was a whole new style of writing about it that I deeply appreciated and was seriously impressed by. Although these are true stories of people who grew up in North Korea before making their way out of North Korea, it most often read like a novel. Barbara Demick was able to construct painfully relatable experiences from the numerous interviews she conducted with the people she met who had defected. Historical context is given as well, to help the reader understand the significance of events and actions that are occurring. I mean... I'm just blown away by this. An absolutely fantastic compilation, and my gratitude to all who contributed to it - especially the defectors who relived some of the most painful parts of their lives in great detail and shared it with the world. Stunningly effective writing brings each person to life on the page until you feel as though you know them inside and out, which makes their losses hurt all the more. The most chilling aspect of this is remembering that these are real people, these stories being told actually happened, and most of all that there are countless other people for whom these stories are still their daily life experience.
Barbara Demick's book Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea opens with a nighttime satellite image of northeast Asia that shows the bright lights of South Korea and China. In the middle of the photograph is a dark spot — a nation of 23 million people that has little electricity. Nothing to Envy – the title comes from a piece of propaganda aimed at hoodwinking gullible North Korean citizens – is a fascinating work which highlights in the lives of the individuals concerned the triumph of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity. Elegantly structured and written, Nothing To Envy is a groundbreaking work of literary nonfiction. Belongs to Publisher SeriesAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
References to this work on external resources. Wikipedia in English (17)Follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years, a chaotic period that saw the rise to power of Kim Jong Il and the devastation of a famine that killed one-fifth of the population, illustrating what it means to live under the most repressive totalitarian regime today. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)306.095193090511Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Culture and Institutions Biography And History Asia China & KoreaLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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