In Order to Live : A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom

by Yeonmi Park

Rating: 5 (25 votes)

Tags: Set in North Korea Female author

In Order To Live

Description:
'I am most grateful for two things: that I was born in North Korea, and that I escaped from North Korea.' Yeonmi Park was not dreaming of freedom when she escaped from North Korea. She didn't even know what it meant to be free. All she knew was that she was running for her life, that if she and her family stayed behind they would die - from starvation, or disease, or even execution. This book is the story of Park's struggle to survive in the darkest, most repressive country on earth; her harrowing escape through China's underworld of smugglers and human traffickers; and then her escape from China across the Gobi desert to Mongolia, with only the stars to guide her way, and from there to South Korea and at last to freedom; and finally her emergence as a leading human rights activist - all before her 21st birthday. 'Clear-eyed and devastating' Observer

Reviews:

Read Around The World Challenge user profile avatar for Laura Melbourne
(3 years ago)
23 Jun, 2022
I'm confused; why is this listed under Algeria?
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(3 years ago)
23 Jun, 2022
Thanks for the feedback. It was a mistake made by the person who recommended the book. This books is now properly listed under North Korea.
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(7 months ago)
23 Mar, 2025
I thought this book was excellent. Yeonmi Park tells a gripping story about her life in North Korea and her escape to South Korea. I would recommend this book to people who already have a basic knowledge of North Korea and human rights violations in general. Some simple understanding of how trauma affects people would also be beneficial. This knowledge is not necessary to understand what is presented in the book, it is well written and very comprehensible, but it will help with an overall understanding of why her words and her story are important.
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Country: North Korea flag North Korea
Language: EN
Genre: Memoir

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