Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I had always been curious about North Korea, having heard about it in the news, and I thought this book would be interesting. It does have vivid descriptions of life in North Korea. It also turns out to be suspenseful and emotionally engaging. Once I started reading this book, I did not want to stop until I was done. The book is divided into parts, describing the author's life in North Korea, then her life in China (an entire decade), escape to South Korea, and finally, the ordeal of getting her mother and brother out of North Korea. I won't bother to summarize everything other than to say that her life was in significant danger in every place except for South Korea. In China, she makes a life and barely avoids deportation, being captured by human traffickers, and an arranged marriage to a complete zero. The biggest surprise for me was maybe how hard it is for North Koreans to adjust to life outside of their country. Of course, it is very different, and despite knowing that they will likely be tortured and killed if they go back, some want to return anyway. The author's own brother almost goes back in a moment of weakness, but she manages to talk him out of it. Thinking back on this story, it seems almost unbelievable that a person could have lived this life. It took huge amounts of courage, intelligence, and luck, all of which the author has.