I could not put this one down; normally when I read non-fiction I intersperse my evening reading with fluffy memoirs or popcorn fiction but despite the difficult subject matter I read this one in two nights. Barbara Demick spent numerous years in Seoul covering both Koreas for American articles; in that time she formed relationships with North Korean defectors and began piecing together what eventually became Nothing to Envy. Six defectors are interviewed and their stories are woven together to create a multi-dimensional picture of […]
On Despotism, Famine, and Glimmers of Hope
Imagine this. You’re a college student from a fairly prosperous family. You know things are starting to go wrong in your country, but your position in life shelters you from the profoundly bad shit that’s going down. You have a girlfriend, but social mores and the difference in your stations mean that the most you’ve ever done is hold her hand during late-night walks down unlit streets. But then, your family begins to run out of money, long after less fortunate people have already begun […]
A Book to Truly Envy
This book was a CBR recommendation from Alannaofdoom and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I’m calling it now as one of my top five books for the year. Nothing to Envy is based on the lives of North Korean defectors, whom Demick reported on extensively during her time working as the Los Angeles Times Bureau chief in Korea. Her book focuses on six individuals, all from Chongjin. It is beautifully written, at times reading like a fictional novel rather than a journalistic work of non-fiction. […]