Nothing to Envy
Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Random House Publishing Group · Print & ebook · September 21, 2010
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • 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) FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD WINNER OF WINNERS AWARD • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY 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.
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- Who it’s for
- readers interested in contemporary North Korean history and society
- Themes
- totalitarianism, survival, disillusionment
- Pacing
- Reflective
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Start with this bookAbout this book
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • 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) FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD WINNER OF WINNERS AWARD • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY 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.
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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.
Who it’s for
- readers interested in contemporary North Korean history and society
- readers seeking detailed nonfiction accounts of life under totalitarian regimes
Where it sits
| Korean History | 56% |
|---|---|
| Fascism & Totalitarianism | 45% |
| Asian & Asian American Lives | 38% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Social History
- Fascism & Totalitarianism
- Asian American Studies
- Authors
- Barbara Demick
- Publisher
- Random House Publishing Group
- Published
- September 21, 2010
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- totalitarianism · survival · disillusionment
- Reading lane
- Social History