WIJFR: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

jjr1214 · March 2014

I finished this book last week and it has been on my mind constantly since then. I really didn't know that much about North Korea besides the major news headlines, so to get insight into what people's lives are actually like there was fascinating and horrifying at the same time. The book follows six North Korean citizens over the course of fifteen years, following them through political upheaval and famine, and giving insight into what their daily lives are like. I'm not usually a big non-fiction reader but this really sucked me in and reminded me of a dystopian novel. One of the characters even mentions that his favorite book is 1984 because it reminds him of his childhood(!!). I had to keep reminding myself that what I was reading was real because it felt so much like a different world.

I loved this book even though it was very hard to read at times and highly recommend it! I am also looking for other book suggestions about North Korea if anyone has any.

ThisModernLove · March 2014

What a great recommendation! I'll definitely add it.

brie&drew · March 2014

Glad to hear it was a good read. It's been on my TBR list for a while. Might have to get to it sooner.

julie37619 · March 2014

I've had this on my TBR for a while - your recommendation makes me want to push it to the top!

jaynebee · March 2014

I loved that book. Another book on N Korea that was an easy read is Escape from Camp 14.

kpow · March 2014

Lisa Ling has a National Geographic documentary from 2005-06 that's really interesting if you liked that book. It is streaming on Netflix.

Passanie · March 2014

I've heard very good things about this book.

sweetrhythms · March 2014

Adding this to my TBR. Sounds really interesting.

I was also going to suggest Escape from Camp 14. It's on my TBR though so I can't speak to how good of a read it is.

SusieBW · March 2014

I'm adding both of these to my TBR. Thanks for the recs!

sweetc129 · March 2014

I have this on hold at the library, it should be my next read.

MrsC7 · March 2014

@jjr1214 Have you read The Orphan Master's Son? Also set in N. Korea, I think it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

MrsC7 · March 2014

kpow said:
Lisa Ling has a National Geographic documentary from 2005-06 that's really interesting if you liked that book. It is streaming on Netflix.

@kpow Is this the documentary for which she was detained in N. Korea?

julie37619 · March 2014

I watched a documentary recently called Kimjongilia that was great. There's also one on Netflix that tells the story of Camp 14.

kpow · March 2014

No, that was actually her sister. This was several years before.

MrsC7 said:

Lisa Ling has a National Geographic documentary from 2005-06 that's really interesting if you liked that book. It is streaming on Netflix.
@kpow Is this the documentary for which she was detained in N. Korea?

jjr1214 · March 2014

I

MrsC7 said:
@jjr1214 Have you read The Orphan Master's Son? Also set in N. Korea, I think it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

i started reading it but couldn't really get into it at the time. I would like to try again sometime. Have you read it?

WIJFR: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

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