Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, by Barbara Demick, is a poignant, disturbing account of North Koreans who survived Kim Il Sung, Kim Jung Il, the famine of the 90s & managed to escape the regime. Demick compiled interviews from former North Korean citizens who resided in city of Chongjin. These first-hand accounts are the basis for main characters of the book. The irony is this "ordinary" life is anything but & shocking to "outsiders" because of a faminine which killed millions of "ordinary" North Korean citizens. Without revealing too much, what is forever embedded in my memory is the recount of one's time as a school teacher during this period. This is a regime who, without a doubt, would rather allocate funds to the military than feed starving citizens & use propaganda for justification purposes. Very good read. Highly recommend. Demick was thorough & did a fantastic job of capturing everyday life for North Koreans during this time. Now, before we, as Americans, get on our "high horse" about how much "better" we are its about time to re-evaluate this false notion. What propaganda is the "ordinary" American being assaulted with but is also buying into? The condition of the book is in vguc to euc (cover on back won't sit flat as it was read a few times)👌 No highlighting, all pages intact.