a nutshell: this gripping memoir by a North Korean defector/activist tells the story of how she escaped and later guided her family out on a 2,000-mile trip through China & Laos
a line: “I grew up singing a song called ‘Nothing to Envy’. I felt very proud. I thought my life in North Korea was normal, even though when I was seven years old, I saw my first public execution”
an image: Hyeonseo Lee portrays a world in which the law was upside-down; by forcing North Koreans to be good citizens, she says the state made accusers & informers of everyone – and while drug-dealing is seen as a serious crime in most countries, in this world it’s a risk, like unauthorised parking
a thought: this is a mesmerising memoir with some devastating scenes; the author is brilliant at capturing the sad, the shocking, and … the humourous – describing how she got sick of noodles and needed the English word for bab (rice), she writes of the back-and-forth as she keeps saying: “Got it. Lice.”
a fact: after reading, take a look at this heart-warming reunion with a kind stranger who supported the family to escape
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