Not a terribly envious review

Hi,

So I just finished reading Nothing to Envy -- Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. It's the story of several refugees from North Korea who made their way to South Korea in the mid to late 90's.

It makes for some surprisingly uplifting reading.

Pretty much everyone interviewed in the book comes from the region near the city of Chongjin. This is mostly because it's far from the capital and close to China so it's easier for pepole to slip away. It also means that during the economic collapse and famine of the mid-90's, Chongjin got short shrift and so its people were more motivated to get out.

The refugees run the gamut from malcontents who never liked the system to party stalwarts. All of them managed to adapt to brutal conditions and scrounge enough calories to keep going another day. Most of them knew that their government was failing them, but just as many had difficulty accepting the idea that any place else could possibly be better.

Once in South Korea, the process of adjustment begins all over again (future shock doesn't even begin to cover it), but the qualities that helped them survive in the North help them get by in the South and most of them are doing ok.

Fair warning, after reading this book, you'll feel a bit guilty the next time you sit down to a meal.

later
Tom

Not a terribly envious review

Hi,

So I just finished reading Nothing to Envy -- Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. It's the story of several refugees from North Korea who made their way to South Korea in the mid to late 90's.

It makes for some surprisingly uplifting reading.

Pretty much everyone interviewed in the book comes from the region near the city of Chongjin. This is mostly because it's far from the capital and close to China so it's easier for pepole to slip away. It also means that during the economic collapse and famine of the mid-90's, Chongjin got short shrift and so its people were more motivated to get out.

The refugees run the gamut from malcontents who never liked the system to party stalwarts. All of them managed to adapt to brutal conditions and scrounge enough calories to keep going another day. Most of them knew that their government was failing them, but just as many had difficulty accepting the idea that any place else could possibly be better.

Once in South Korea, the process of adjustment begins all over again (future shock doesn't even begin to cover it), but the qualities that helped them survive in the North help them get by in the South and most of them are doing ok.

Fair warning, after reading this book, you'll feel a bit guilty the next time you sit down to a meal.

later
Tom