Winter Book Swap: DL

[ShannonRockallMalin]

I read a lot of non fiction and have always been fascinated by how people survive under the North Korean regime. I found this book absolutely gripping, very bittersweet in many ways.

There has been a lot of focus on the DPRK since Trump started getting involved and I think it’s easy to believe that things are getting better for ordinary people, but I think that this books shows just how bad life there has been and probably continues to be.

Would love to know what the rest of you made of it.

I found this to be a really fascinating book. It coincided with the programme about North Korea with Micahel Palin being re-shown so I felt I was getting quite an insight to the country and, whilst he did point out that he was only able to show what he had permission to show, the book kind of gave me an extra insight.
It is really interesting how much time/money/people's lives the Kim family seem to spend on knowingly creating propaganda to keep the people of North Korea under their spell.
It is hard to imagine how the people of NK believe what they are told but it seems they have very limited access to the outside world and, the lower down the pecking order you are, then the less likely you are to have the energy to consider anything other than survival.
The fact that this is a book written by one of The Admitted makes it all the more interesting as he was one of the insiders; his job was writing the propaganda.
Well chosen!

Glad you enjoyed it! I was a bit disappointed with the Michael Palin series, as you say he was obviously limited in what he could say and do, but I think it gave a sense of optimism about North Korea’s future that I’m not sure is realistic.