Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In my last review I talked about not getting a glimpse into life of an ordinary North Korean, well I should have picked this one up first. It gives a glimpse into the life of about 6 North Koreans. It was very engaging and is one of the best nonfiction books I've read.

But as much as the North Korean regime was willing to accept foreign food, it rejected the foreigners who came along with it. Aid agencies trying to help were initially restricted to Pyongyang and other carefully groomed locations. When they were allowed out of their offices and hotels, shabbily dressed people were ordered off the streets: during visits to schools and orphanages only the best-dressed and best-fed could be seen. The government was asking for more aid and at same time concealing the most in need.

That same day I read that paragraph I was watching a documentary about North Korea (Inside North Korea's Dynasty on Hulu, episode 3) and it showed a jaundiced little girl wearing rouge to make her appear healthier. That image haunted me.



Winner Shannon's Choice Awards 2018:
Best Nonfiction

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A River in Darkness: One Man'es Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A few years ago I heard about the book Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West and gobbled it up. I was horrified at what I read. I then became fascinated with learning about North Korea and watched as many documentaries as I could. Masaji may not have had it as bad as Shin Dong-Hyuk, but its still far removed than anything most other people have experienced.

Between all the media I've consumed I've never gotten a feel for what daily living is like in North Korea. (The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea comes close, but its fiction.) Masaji does an excellent at giving us a snapshot at what life is like.

Winner Shannon's Choice Awards 2018:
Best Memoir/Autobiography

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The Sister Wife by Diane Noble

The Sister Wife by Diane Noble
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first half almost read like Mormon lit but there were 2 differences. Mormon lit would have made the story about their conversion, not their romance and would have given Brigham Young a bigger part.

Being exmormon I've read stories about polygamy before but this is the first one that was about a romance, not the polygamy. The last third of the book actually started reading like a romance set in the 19th century.

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