Jana answers “Hello, does anyone know how accurate this...”

Katie asked this question about The Orphan Master's Son:

Hello, does anyone know how accurate this book is considered to be in its depiction of North Korea? I'm always curious when someone writes about life in a country that they're not from, but all the more so when it's a country that few have really visited or spent time in.

Jana I read some interviews with the author who addressed this question. His depiction of N Korea is based on interviews with defectors and a personal visi…moreI read some interviews with the author who addressed this question. His depiction of N Korea is based on interviews with defectors and a personal visit to the DPRK. He admits that accurate information is extremely hard to come by because it's only as good as the witness giving it, which we all know is subjective. As for what he observed on his visit to DPRK, his visit was tightly controlled and completely orchestrated by his hosts to show what they wanted to show. Johnson was unable to speak to anyone who had not been coached & trained on how to speak to Americans. Some of the propaganda included in the novel was straight out of newspapers from DPRK. He also said that people from Pyongyang never talk to outsiders and do not defect so very little is known about their lives. Consequently, most of the details of the life of the interrogator were made up. With that character, Johnson wanted to explore what secrecy and paranoia can do to family relationships. The work details were something Johnson witnessed on his visit, but he also said that Pyongyang is filled with the nation's elite and they lead largely normal lives. He saw families out having picnics and people socializing in the city. If you do an internet search for interviews with Adam Johnson, you can read more about the subject. He is very forthcoming about what is fact & fiction.(less)

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Moses I met Johnson the other day at an event where he was discussing the book and by the end I was quite convinced that he had done his research in writing ...more
Oct 09, 2015 06:11PM · flag

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The Orphan Master's Son

by Adam Johnson

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