This is Paradise! is a shocking and moving portrayal of scenes of every day life in North Korea, a secretive and brutal nation. Hyok Kang wr...
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Oct 26, 2011
Nicoette
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Despite a far from low number of North Korean refugees currently living in South Korea (or other places where they can reveal their identity without worrying about being repatriated), I've only been able to find two autobiographies of such refugees, and this was one of them.
Overall, it gave me exactly what I was looking for: a glimpse into what daily life of an average North Korean citizen is like. It paints a somewhat surreal picture of a modern dystopia. There were many times when More...
Overall, it gave me exactly what I was looking for: a glimpse into what daily life of an average North Korean citizen is like. It paints a somewhat surreal picture of a modern dystopia. There were many times when More...
May 30, 2011
Steve
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In common with other accounts of life in North Korea, this book paints a pretty bleak and often harrowing narrative about starvation, corruption, executions, prisons and people who have to do anything and everything in order to survive the horrors of the regime in the 1990s. Hyok Kang is not a particularly nice person, his father even less so, but the nice people are dying on the platforms of the train stations. To survive, eventually they leave for the South, via China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Th
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Jan 09, 2011
Harry
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Or to give it its full, bookshop-friendly title: This is Paradise! My North Korean Childhood, written by Hyok Kang with the French journalist Philippe Grangereau, and translated by Shaun Whiteside.
When I was looking for books from North Korea for the Read The World challenge, I was quite surprised I could only find two actually by North Koreans. The DPRK is such a bizarre Cold War relic that you might think there would be more interest in it. I guess reading about North Korea just does More...
When I was looking for books from North Korea for the Read The World challenge, I was quite surprised I could only find two actually by North Koreans. The DPRK is such a bizarre Cold War relic that you might think there would be more interest in it. I guess reading about North Korea just does More...
Dec 28, 2010
Laura
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Rating: 4.5 stars
This was the selection for our second book group meeting, which is now called The Granite Literary Society (because Aberdeen is made of granite and because I was so amused by the horrible punny subtitle my friend came up with--"where we don't take books for granite!").
Before reading this, I, like many others in the world, knew very little of Noth Korea, other than that they had nothing while Kim Jong-Il owns every film every made, and that it's very More...
This was the selection for our second book group meeting, which is now called The Granite Literary Society (because Aberdeen is made of granite and because I was so amused by the horrible punny subtitle my friend came up with--"where we don't take books for granite!").
Before reading this, I, like many others in the world, knew very little of Noth Korea, other than that they had nothing while Kim Jong-Il owns every film every made, and that it's very More...
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May 05, 2010
Jen
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Wow - this was a huge eye opener for me and when my girls get old enough this will be on my list of books that I want them to read. I think everyone should read this to learn what life is really like in North Korea. We have no idea what goes on there, the suffering, brainwashing... it is a completely different world. Kim Jong Il has got to be one of the most evil men in the world the way he controls his people through threats of death and the way brainwashes them to the point that they worship h
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Jan 02, 2011
Sara
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Mar 19, 2011
Donnie
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Clearly life in North Korea is terrible beyond imagination. This book attempts to give us a personal account of the realities of living under the North Korean regime, and I guess it accomplishes its task well, but as book, it just didn't do it for me. I found the translation to be annoying and somewhat trite. Also, it stayed entirely on the surface. It was hard to identify with the story, as the narrator seemed to race through his account of his life, speeding through subjects like famine, i
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Oct 24, 2009
Kim
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Wow, this book is amazing. It's a true story and chronicles the life of a young boy who grew up in North Korea and eventually escaped. For someone who (shamefully) knew very little about the living conditions in North Korea... just that things are bad... this was truly eye opening. I think it's important for who's concerned about human rights abuses to take the time to read this.
The book is actually extremely readable -- written at an elementary school level. It's just the words and p More...
The book is actually extremely readable -- written at an elementary school level. It's just the words and p More...
Oct 08, 2010
Nick
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This is a simply written book (by a then 21 year old author) which also simply details the shocking realities of growing up in North Korea. First hand accounts of life in North Korea are very scarce, and this heartfelt yet sober book will fill you in on what you've been missing. When I was finished, I was very proud of the author and very, very glad I didn't grow up in North Korea. I mean the Canadian capitalist reality is wrong, shameful, unnatural, and a form of slavery, but life in North Kore
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Jan 10, 2012
Esmeralda
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Definitely a must read for people interested in personal stories from North Korea. I personally enjoyed Nothing To Envy; Ordianry Lives in North Korea quite a bit more, but that was written by a WRITER, retelling the stories she extracted verbally from refugees, and not written as a firsthand account by a refugee in their own words. It's a different experience- a good one though.
The book is written fairly well. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it's not simple or clunky. The stor More...
The book is written fairly well. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it's not simple or clunky. The stor More...
Nov 13, 2010
Leslie
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Wow. I really didn't know how to rate this, as it is just a very plain, open and honest recounting of what it is like to grow up in North Korea. How does one rate these life experiences? But I think the author was able to convey the stark realities of indoctrination, suffering and poverty very effectively without being sensational. He just told it like it was and that was sufficient.
There are many things in this book that I wish I had been aware of long before now, and I will d More...
There are many things in this book that I wish I had been aware of long before now, and I will d More...
Oct 24, 2010
Jacob
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A very plain (open and honest) account of a young man who grew up in suburban/rural North Korea and escaped as a teenager. The book is basically a collection of stories he told a journalist about his life, loosely organized by topic or timeline and with some effective commentary from the young man interpreting some of his experience. It's quite readable and not long (~160 pages), and worth learning about the tactics used by a totalitarian and socialist regime. In my opinion, one of the bigges
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May 01, 2010
Hyok Kang, as the author of this book, has beautifully told the tale of his struggles in North Korea. As a young child, he learned that in the world that he existed in, he must fight for himself. In North Korea, citizens are forced to work in labor camps and any source of media other than documents of the Great Leader are banned. North Koreans are forced to forever be loyal to Kim Jung Il II, the godly figure of their world. The childhood that Hyok Kang describes is one of the significant a
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May 01, 2010
Manshui
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Set in a time period and state where constant brainwash, spies, growing famine, and incaceration for labour and re-education camps takes place comes the autobiography teller of this book, Hyok Kang, who barely survived as a North Korean and a refugee in the most secretive state of the world, known as North Korea. North Korea has led no easy roads as socialism, communism, dictatorship, and Kim Il-Sung's ideology of the juche or self-suffiency continuously flourished. Kang tells a tale of his brut
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May 23, 2008
La Petite Américaine
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Despite the hilarity of "Do you have any idea how fuckin' busy I am, Mr. Hans Blix?" there is no one I'd rather see hanging from a rope than Kim Jong-il ... and I'm against the death penalty!
I admit, I have a strange fascination with North Korea, and I love reading the autobiographies of those who lived there. It's fascinating material, an Orwellian nightmare in existence today. Consider:
--Some 23,301,725 people believe that the USA started the Korean War and t More...
I admit, I have a strange fascination with North Korea, and I love reading the autobiographies of those who lived there. It's fascinating material, an Orwellian nightmare in existence today. Consider:
--Some 23,301,725 people believe that the USA started the Korean War and t More...
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May 01, 2010
Jim
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There were three things that were particularly surprising about this book.
The most startling thing was just how perfectly the North Korean government's brainwashing worked. I knew it would work, but not to the extent that it actually does. By cutting off all outside media and suppressing all dissent, they got these starving people that were boiling bark and dying of hunger left and right to believe that, although things were bad, they lived in the most prosperous country in the world More...
The most startling thing was just how perfectly the North Korean government's brainwashing worked. I knew it would work, but not to the extent that it actually does. By cutting off all outside media and suppressing all dissent, they got these starving people that were boiling bark and dying of hunger left and right to believe that, although things were bad, they lived in the most prosperous country in the world More...
May 01, 2010
Jennie
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Kang grew up in the last 80s and 90s in North Korea. Originally, his family was relatively well off because they had chosen to stay in North Korea instead of being repatriated to Japan. In addition to receiving funds from Japanese relatives, they were favored by the North Korean leadership for their patriotism in staying.
The book starts covering general day to day life. By Western standards, the rich Kang family is poor. Kang talks about day to day life-- how he often slept at his gr More...
The book starts covering general day to day life. By Western standards, the rich Kang family is poor. Kang talks about day to day life-- how he often slept at his gr More...
Nov 19, 2010
Coqueline
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A surprisingly quick read. I decided to start reading it just 3 hours ago and finished it right through.
It's a very thoughtful read. The humanist in me wept for it, of all kinds of abuses neglect is always the most heart breaking, and these people have been neglected. The strategist in me keeps wondering how come a regime think they can rule over people who they have turned into not trusting one another?
What caused madness of this scale?
It's a very thoughtful read. The humanist in me wept for it, of all kinds of abuses neglect is always the most heart breaking, and these people have been neglected. The strategist in me keeps wondering how come a regime think they can rule over people who they have turned into not trusting one another?
What caused madness of this scale?
Jan 04, 2011
Tie
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It's stories such as these that leave me questioning whether I'm doing enough with the opportunities granted to me in my own life. The hardships that Hyok and his family endure is a haunting reminder of how ruthless life can be when the day-to-day privileges that we take for granted (e.g. individual freedom) have been stripped away.
There is an apropos description of North Korea in the book: A world of anxiety, suspicion, and fear, from which charity is absent.
There is an apropos description of North Korea in the book: A world of anxiety, suspicion, and fear, from which charity is absent.
Mar 01, 2010
Catherine
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The text of the book is a result of conversations with Kang and a French journalist, which was then translated into this English version.
Kang is still a young man but he provides an in-depth account of growing up in North Korea. At times the writing was a bit stilted but overall the book sheds light and interesting details into the lives of North Korean citizens.
Kang is still a young man but he provides an in-depth account of growing up in North Korea. At times the writing was a bit stilted but overall the book sheds light and interesting details into the lives of North Korean citizens.
Jan 16, 2011
Agustinus
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This book is somehow similar to Nothing to Envy, but written in first person point-of-view. Hyok is a North Korean boy overwhelmed by the delussion of propaganda in his country, but then escaped to china with his family and eventually went to south korea. It's a well-researched piece of writing, but unfortunately contains many typos in Korean names.
Sep 16, 2011
Scott
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Reminder notes:
Centered on the author´s childhood years growing up in N. Korea. Describes life growing up before and during the famine. Author´s father was detained in work camp, describes this experience. Describes escape via China and SE Asia. Comments on N. Korean defector difficulties on integration into S. Korean society.
Centered on the author´s childhood years growing up in N. Korea. Describes life growing up before and during the famine. Author´s father was detained in work camp, describes this experience. Describes escape via China and SE Asia. Comments on N. Korean defector difficulties on integration into S. Korean society.
Jul 04, 2011
Emily
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This was a great book. Easy read for a fairly difficult topic - daily life and culture in North Korea. Sheds light on an area of the world I didn't know much about - written from the perspective of a child/young adult, so very straightforward and simple. Would definitely recommend.
Feb 03, 2012
Graeme
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A decent read and interesting to hear about North Korea from the point of view of somebody who grew up in the DPRK.
For a meatier and more informative read try Barbara Demick's 'Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea'. It's got a much more thorough treatment of North Korea's history and politics.
For a meatier and more informative read try Barbara Demick's 'Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea'. It's got a much more thorough treatment of North Korea's history and politics.
Oct 14, 2010
Annie
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Unbelievable. In the beginning of the book, I kept thinking that I was reading some sort of Hunger Games rip-off because the North Korean rules are so fucked up, but no - it really IS illegal to draw a picture of the Great Leader or Dear Leader. The faminine stuff is horrifying as is the idea of having to meet with your schoolmates/workmates weekly to "talk" about what you felt others did poorly that week.
Jan 31, 2012
Aethersphere
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Can you say this is a good book? Probably not. Can you say it's an important book? I think so. It's probably the most disturbing book I've read on this topic, mostly because it's from the eyes of a child in North Korea. Definitely worth a read.
Jan 02, 2012
Craftersapprentice
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A fascinating, if a little short, account of a child's life in North Korea and his subsequent escape to South Korea. The book tells of life during the famines of the 1990s and daily life under the regime
Jul 28, 2011
UNBELIEVABLE portrayal of life in North Korea. I am now so burdened for the dear people living there. This is a grim book but there is a silver lining. A MUST read for anyone interested in oppressed people.
Jun 18, 2011
Angel
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Such a heart-breaking first hand narrative of a young boys life in North Korea. To imagine that complete deprivation and starvation exists at the hands of the State in our modern age is truly an atrocity.
