Amanda Roberts's Blog, page 5

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

An eye-opening account of life inside North Korea—a closed world of increasing global importance—hailed as a “tour de force of meticulous reporting” (The New York Review of Books), with a new afterword that revisits these stories—and North Korea more broadly—in 2022, in the wake of the pandemic.

In this landmark addition to the literature of totalitarianism, award-winning journalist Barbara Demick follows the lives of six North Korean citizens over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il (the father of Kim Jong-un), and a devastating famine that killed one-fifth of the population.

Demick brings to life what it means to be living under the most repressive regime today—an Orwellian world that is by choice not connected to the Internet, where displays of affection are punished, informants are rewarded, and an offhand remark can send a person to the gulag for life. She takes us deep inside the country, beyond the reach of government censors, and through meticulous and sensitive reporting we see her subjects fall in love, raise families, nurture ambitions, and struggle for survival. One by one, we witness their profound, life-altering disillusionment with the government and their realization that, rather than providing them with lives of abundance, their country has betrayed them.

My Review

In Nothing to Envy, Barbara Demick masterfully weaves together the true stories of six North Korean defectors, offering a rare and intimate look at life inside one of the world’s most isolated and secretive nations. Through years of careful interviews and meticulous research, Demick brings to life the everyday struggles, hopes, and heartbreaks of ordinary people living under extraordinary oppression.

What makes Nothing to Envy so powerful is its focus on the personal rather than the political. Demick does not present statistics or broad theories; instead, she shows how history unfolds in the kitchens, classrooms, and crowded apartments of real families. Her subjects are teachers, students, lovers, parents — people who once believed in their government but gradually awoke to the reality of its betrayals.

Demick’s writing is clear, compassionate, and deeply humanizing. She captures not only the horrors of famine and repression but also the small acts of courage, the dreams quietly nurtured, and the strength it takes to endure. Through these stories, the reader gains a profound understanding of what it means to live without freedom — and what it costs to leave everything behind in search of it.

Nothing to Envy is as heartbreaking as it is illuminating. It challenges readers to look beyond headlines and propaganda, to see North Koreans not as faceless victims, but as individuals whose lives, loves, and losses matter.

Barbara Demick’s work is a powerful act of bearing witness. It is a reminder that even in the darkest places, human dignity and the longing for a better life persist. This is an essential, unforgettable book that lingers long after the final page is turned.

The post Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.

A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim

Eunsun Kim was born in North Korea, one of the most secretive and oppressive countries in the modern world.

As a child Eunsun loved her country…despite her school field trips to public executions, daily self-criticism sessions, and the increasing gnaw of hunger as the country-wide famine escalated.

By the time she was eleven years old, Eunsun’s father and grandparents had died of starvation, and Eunsun was in danger of the same. Finally, her mother decided to escape North Korea with Eunsun and her sister, not knowing that they were embarking on a journey that would take them nine long years to complete. Before finally reaching South Korea and freedom, Eunsun and her family would live homeless, fall into the hands of Chinese human traffickers, survive a North Korean labor camp, and cross the deserts of Mongolia on foot.

Now, Eunsun is sharing her remarkable story to give voice to the tens of millions of North Koreans still suffering in silence. Told with grace and courage, her memoir is a riveting exposé of North Korea’s totalitarian regime and, ultimately, a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit.

My Review

In A Thousand Miles to Freedom, Eunsun Kim shares a deeply moving story of survival, resilience, and hope. Fleeing from a life of famine, oppression, and despair, Kim’s journey from North Korea to South Korea is harrowing — and all the more remarkable because she was only a child when it began.

Kim’s voice is clear and sincere, offering readers a personal glimpse into the everyday horrors that North Koreans face. Her descriptions of starvation, loss, and constant fear are vivid and heartbreaking, yet she never loses her sense of humanity. What makes Kim’s memoir so powerful is her quiet strength; even at her most vulnerable moments, her determination to live a better life never fades.

Unlike many escape narratives, A Thousand Miles to Freedom is also a story about the toll that survival takes. Kim’s journey is long, dangerous, and filled with uncertainty — not just during her escape across China and the Gobi Desert, but also in the years of hiding and struggle that followed. Her story reminds readers that freedom is not simply the act of crossing a border, but an ongoing battle to heal and rebuild.

Told with honesty and courage, A Thousand Miles to Freedom shines a light on the silent suffering of countless others still trapped in North Korea. It is a sobering, inspiring reminder of what so many are willing to risk for even the smallest chance at a better life.

Eunsun Kim’s story stays with you long after the final page — a testament to the enduring power of hope, even in the darkest of times.

The post A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.

A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

The harrowing true story of one man’s life in—and subsequent escape from—North Korea, one of the world’s most brutal totalitarian regimes.

Half-Korean, half-Japanese, Masaji Ishikawa has spent his whole life feeling like a man without a country. This feeling only deepened when his family moved from Japan to North Korea when Ishikawa was just thirteen years old, and unwittingly became members of the lowest social caste. His father, himself a Korean national, was lured to the new Communist country by promises of abundant work, education for his children, and a higher station in society. But the reality of their new life was far from utopian.

In this memoir translated from the original Japanese, Ishikawa candidly recounts his tumultuous upbringing and the brutal thirty-six years he spent living under a crushing totalitarian regime, as well as the challenges he faced repatriating to Japan after barely escaping North Korea with his life. A River in Darkness is not only a shocking portrait of life inside the country but a testament to the dignity—and indomitable nature—of the human spirit.

My Review

In A River in Darkness, Masaji Ishikawa recounts a life marked by betrayal, brutality, and relentless hardship under the North Korean regime. His memoir is stark, unflinching, and deeply personal, offering readers a rare glimpse into the suffering endured by ordinary people trapped in a system built on lies and fear.

Born to a Korean father and Japanese mother, Ishikawa moved to North Korea as a child, lured by promises of prosperity and equality. Instead, he and his family were thrust into a life of unimaginable poverty, discrimination, and despair. Ishikawa’s writing is raw and straightforward, allowing the weight of his experiences to come through with devastating clarity. There are no embellishments, no melodrama — just the aching, honest account of a man who survived because he had no other choice.

What sets A River in Darkness apart is Ishikawa’s emotional restraint. His story is not filled with grand declarations of hope or redemption. Instead, it presents survival as a brutal, often joyless necessity. Yet in the quiet perseverance of Ishikawa’s journey — especially his daring, solitary escape back to Japan — there is a profound testament to the human will to live.

Beyond its personal narrative, Ishikawa’s memoir also serves as an indictment of systems that exploit and destroy the vulnerable. His story reminds readers of the cost of political betrayal and the devastating impact it can have across generations.

River in Darkness is a sobering, essential read. It demands attention not through spectacle, but through its unwavering commitment to truth. Ishikawa’s voice — steady, scarred, and unbroken — lingers long after the final page.

The post A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.

Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden

The heartwrenching New York Times bestseller about the only known person born inside a North Korean prison camp to have escaped

North Korea’s political prison camps have existed twice as long as Stalin’s Soviet gulags and twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. No one born and raised in these camps is known to have escaped. No one, that is, except Shin Dong-hyuk.
In Escape From Camp 14, Blaine Harden unlocks the secrets of the world’s most repressive totalitarian state through the story of Shin’s shocking imprisonment and his astounding getaway. Shin knew nothing of civilized existence—he saw his mother as a competitor for food, guards raised him to be a snitch, and he witnessed the execution of his mother and brother.
The late “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il was recognized throughout the world, but his country remains sealed as his third son and chosen heir, Kim Jong Eun, consolidates power. Few foreigners are allowed in, and few North Koreans are able to leave. North Korea is hungry, bankrupt, and armed with nuclear weapons. It is also a human rights catastrophe. Between 150,000 and 200,000 people work as slaves in its political prison camps. These camps are clearly visible in satellite photographs, yet North Korea’s government denies they exist.
Harden’s harrowing narrative exposes this hidden dystopia, focusing on an extraordinary young man who came of age inside the highest security prison in the highest security state. Escape from Camp 14 offers an unequalled inside account of one of the world’s darkest nations. It is a tale of endurance and courage, survival and hope.

My Review

Escape from Camp 14 tells the devastating true story of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only known person born in a North Korean political prison camp who successfully escaped. Through Blaine Harden’s careful and compassionate journalism, Shin’s story is presented with both brutal honesty and necessary sensitivity, offering readers a rare glimpse into one of the darkest corners of human existence.

Harden’s writing is precise and restrained, allowing Shin’s experiences — and the staggering inhumanity of Camp 14 — to speak for themselves. Shin’s life is almost unimaginable: born into captivity, taught to betray even his family, and subjected to cruelty from the moment of his birth. Yet what makes this memoir unforgettable is not just the horror of Shin’s early life, but his gradual and painful awakening to the possibility of a different life beyond the electrified fences.

Unlike many survival stories, Escape from Camp 14 does not offer easy redemption or tidy healing. Shin’s escape is not the end of his struggles but the beginning of a lifelong journey toward understanding freedom, trust, and humanity itself. Harden does not shy away from depicting Shin’s flaws and internal battles, making his survival feel even more real and complex.

Emotionally searing and morally urgent, Escape from Camp 14 challenges readers to confront the human cost of political oppression and to bear witness to stories that are too often hidden. It is a sobering reminder of resilience in the face of almost unimaginable suffering — and a call to recognize the dignity and worth of every human life.

The post Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

“I am most grateful for two things: that I was born in North Korea, and that I escaped from North Korea.” – Yeonmi Park

In In Order to Live, Yeonmi Park shines a light not just into the darkest corners of life in North Korea, describing the deprivation and deception she endured and which millions of North Korean people continue to endure to this day, but also onto her own most painful and difficult memories. She tells with bravery and dignity for the first time the story of how she and her mother were betrayed and sold into sexual slavery in China and forced to suffer terrible psychological and physical hardship before they finally made their way to Seoul, South Korea—and to freedom.

Park confronts her past with a startling resilience. In spite of everything, she has never stopped being proud of where she is from, and never stopped striving for a better life. Indeed, today she is a human rights activist working determinedly to bring attention to the oppression taking place in her home country. Park’s testimony is heartbreaking and unimaginable, but never without hope. This is the human spirit at its most indomitable.

My Review

In In Order to Live, Yeonmi Park shares a harrowing, deeply personal account of her escape from North Korea and her fight to reclaim her life and dignity. From the outset, Park’s story pulls no punches. Her vivid, courageous storytelling draws readers into a world marked by oppression, fear, and unimaginable hardship — but also by extraordinary resilience.

Park’s narrative does not shy away from the brutal realities of her journey: the constant hunger she endured in North Korea, the terrifying exploitation she faced during her escape through China, and the overwhelming challenges she encountered while trying to rebuild her life in South Korea. Yet through it all, Park’s voice remains clear, honest, and filled with a fierce determination that commands admiration.

What makes In Order to Live especially powerful is Park’s emotional honesty. She does not present herself as a perfect heroine, but as a young woman forced to make impossible choices in impossible circumstances. Her vulnerability, self-reflection, and courage to confront even the most painful parts of her past make her story not just inspiring, but profoundly human.

Beyond her personal story, Park sheds light on the broader human rights abuses that continue in North Korea and reminds readers of the countless others who remain voiceless. Her memoir is not just a call for awareness, but a plea for compassion and action.

Professional, emotional, and deeply moving, In Order to Live is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the unyielding pursuit of freedom. It is a book that challenges, humbles, and ultimately inspires its readers to see the world — and their own lives — differently.

The post In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.

The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

An extraordinary insight into life under one of the world’s most ruthless and secretive dictatorships – and the story of one woman’s terrifying struggle to avoid capture/repatriation and guide her family to freedom.

As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee was one of millions trapped by a secretive and brutal communist regime. Her home on the border with China gave her some exposure to the world beyond the confines of the Hermit Kingdom and, as the famine of the 1990s struck, she began to wonder, question and to realise that she had been brainwashed her entire life. Given the repression, poverty and starvation she witnessed surely her country could not be, as she had been told “the best on the planet”?

Aged seventeen, she decided to escape North Korea. She could not have imagined that it would be twelve years before she was reunited with her family.

My Review

In The Girl with Seven Names, Hyeonseo Lee delivers a courageous, haunting, and unforgettable memoir of survival, identity, and resilience. From the very first page, Lee’s story grips the reader — not only because of the extraordinary risks she took to escape North Korea, but because of the quiet, deeply human moments she shares along the way: the ache of separation, the constant fear of discovery, and the bittersweet taste of freedom.

Lee’s voice is clear, honest, and deeply compelling, even when recounting unthinkable hardships. Rather than sensationalizing her experiences, she invites readers to witness the slow erosion of trust and hope under an oppressive regime, and the breathtaking will it takes to reclaim one’s life and dignity. Her descriptions of life in North Korea — the casual brutalities, the carefully rationed joys, the heavy cloud of constant surveillance — are vivid and humanizing, offering a rare and necessary window into a world few outsiders truly understand.

But what makes The Girl with Seven Names so profoundly moving is not only the journey of physical escape. It is also the emotional odyssey: the years Lee spends forging a new identity, battling loneliness, guilt, and the aching longing for the family she left behind. Her eventual efforts to rescue her loved ones from North Korea are some of the most harrowing and inspiring parts of the memoir.

Professional in its craft yet deeply emotional in its impact, Lee’s memoir reminds us of the human cost of political division and the extraordinary strength it takes to defy even the darkest circumstances. The Girl with Seven Names is essential reading for anyone who believes in the power of courage, hope, and love.

The post first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.

Obligatory Why We Left China Post

I know it has been a long, long time since I posted, but it has also been a really long three years. While most of the world moved into a state of “living with COVID” by 2021, China refused. It was as if we were stuck in the worst months of 2020 for three years. We stayed in China throughout most of their COVID measures for two reasons: 1, we didn’t want to leave China before vaccines were available. And 2, we didn’t want to leave China without our second daughter. Unfortunately, long after vaccines became available, China still refused to move on, and that included not reopening their adoption program, which was abruptly closed as quickly as everything else in Feb. 2020. But life goes on, and the daughter we already had at home was getting older, We could no longer keep her life on hold, waiting for Chinese authorities to see sense, so we had to leave China with the plan to go back and get our other daughter if and when China reopened adoptions.

The problem with moving to Florida is the skunkapes

As I have written before, our daughter has special needs. Because of this, finding a school for her had become impossible. She attended a fantastic kindergarten in Yangshuo, but as she moved into primary school age, we were unable to find a school for her. We even moved to Guangzhou, a first-tier city with supposedly some of the best schools in the country, and we still could not find a place for her. We also could not find affordable medical care. Medications that cost us $10 in the United States were costing us over $300. The daily strain of not being in school, not being able to access medical care, and the constant fear of COVID lockdowns became too much for my little family to handle. So as difficult as it was, we had to make the decision to return to the United States.

She will be home one day…

We have now been in the United States for nearly six months. I’m sorry I was not able to write this post before now, but moving back has not been as easy as we hoped. Navigating schools, getting healthcare, and trying to get my career back on track have all been far more difficult than I anticipated. However, things are slowly getting better. I have a new release coming out in March. China has abruptly abandoned its COVID policies. And while this is creating massive problems in the country for now, at least there is hope that the country is on its way to getting back to normal, including, hopefully, reopening its adoption program. We still don’t know when we will be able to go and get our little girl, but we have not given up hope that she will eventually be home and in our arms.

This far from the last time you will hear from me, though. As I said, I have a new release coming out very soon! I have more time for reading, connecting with other authors, and reaching out to fans. If you want to know more about my time in China or what is coming next for me and my family, feel free to reach out to me or even leave a comment below. I can’t wait to start reaching out to everyone on a more regular basis again. Be sure to subscribe to my mailing list, so you never miss the latest news!

Empress in Danger: Empress in Disguise Book 3

She thought that fate was finished with her. But it was only beginning…

After being banished to a remote abbey, Daiyu thinks the machinations of the inner court can no longer hurt her. But she is wrong. A ghost from the past emerges and threatens everything Daiyu has worked so hard to build for herself.

From the opulence of the inner court and the right hand of the emperor, Daiyu finds herself back at the beginning, back outside the imposing red walls of the Forbidden City. Daiyu discovers that she has the power to choose her future, but both futures carry a risk she is not sure she has the strength to face. But underneath it all is a love so powerful, Daiyu cannot walk away.

The future of a dynasty rests with her…

 

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Empress in Hiding: Empress in Disguise Book 2

She thought that the favor of the emperor would keep her safe. She was wrong.

At the center of power and privilege, Daiyu is now in more danger than she ever imagined. No longer able to hide among the countless palace ladies, as empress, Daiyu cannot escape the jealousy and scheming of the other women who would do anything to take her place.

But that is not the only danger Daiyu faces.

Foreign enemies besiege Peking, sacking the city and forcing the imperial family to flee for their lives. War changes everything.

With enemies lurking in every corner, Daiyu, the girl from the streets, must step into a role she was never born to play.

All of China depends on it.

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Empress in Disguise: Empress in Disguise Book 1

To save her family, one girl will sacrifice her very identity.

Living in poverty in the shadow of the Forbidden City, Daiyu never imagined that the life of the emperor would impact her own.

But a chance meeting with a girl who looks exactly like her changes everything.

Daiyu’s family is offered enough money to support them for life if she only agrees to take the stranger’s place at the emperor’s selection for new consorts. In order to pull off the ruse, Daiyu must abandon everything she ever knew and become a completely different person, a person she despises. And if she fails, if she is discovered, she will be guilty of treason and put to death.

Daiyu cannot allow her family to suffer if it is within her power to save them, so she strikes the deadly bargain. But living within the Forbidden City is even more dangerous than she imagined…

In this incredible retelling of The Princess and the Pauper, based on true events, authors Zoey Gong and Amanda Roberts bring to life the opulent and dangerous world of imperial consorts trapped within the great red walls of the Forbidden City.

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