Nothing to Envy: Summary and book reviews of Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick, plus links to an excerpt from Nothing to Envy and a biography of Barbara Demick.
Nothing to Envy Ordinary Lives in North Korea
by Barbara Demick
Hardcover: Dec 2009,
336 pages.
Paperback: Sep 2010,
336 pages.
Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the devastation of a far-ranging famine that killed one-fifth of the population.
Taking us into a landscape most of us have never before seen, award-winning journalist Barbara Demick brings to life what it means to be living under the most repressive totalitarian regime today—an Orwellian world that is by choice not connected to the Internet, in which radio and television dials are welded to the one government station, and where displays of affection are punished; a police state where informants are rewarded and where an offhand remark can send a person to the gulag for life.
Demick takes us deep inside the country, beyond the reach of government censors. Through meticulous and sensitive reporting, we see her six subjects—average North Korean citizens—fall in love, raise families, nurture ambitions, and struggle for survival. One by one, we experience the moments when they realize that their government has betrayed them.
Nothing to Envy is a groundbreaking addition to the literature of totalitarianism and an eye-opening look at a closed world that is of increasing global importance.
BOOK REVIEWS
BookBrowse
This book, a product of years of Demick's travel and research, gives six former North Koreans the rare opportunity to speak for themselves, to tell their uncensored stories to a world hungry for a better understanding of the Korea above the 38th parallel... Many times Demick is successful in drawing her reader into the forbidden world of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but some tales are so jarring that one has to fight against disbelief and shock to stay connected to the characters. This is the kind of book that is riveting one moment and revolting the next: a fitting description, perhaps, for the country it explores. (Reviewed by Stacey Rae Brownlie). Full Review (1021 words).
Media Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Meticulous reporting reveals life in a country that tries hard to keep its citizens walled in and the rest of the world out.
Library Journal
Recommended for readers interested in North Korea who want to supplement their political studies or simply enjoy the personal approach.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. A fascinating and deeply personal look at the lives of six defectors from the repressive totalitarian regime of the Republic of North Korea...
Los Angeles Times
A piercing account of the daily ordeals faced by ordinary North Koreans.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
There's a simple way to determine how well a journalist has reported a story, internalized the details, seized control of the narrative and produced good work. When you read the result, you forget the journalist is there. Barbara Demick, the Los Angeles Times' Beijing bureau chief, has aced that test.
San Francisco Chronicle
A delightful, easy-to-read work of literary nonfiction, it humanizes a downtrodden, long-suffering people whose individual lives, hopes and dreams are so little known abroad...
Los Angeles Times, Art Winslow
Demick has woven together life stories of half a dozen defectors that credibly suggest a human rights tragedy of enormous proportion is taking place relatively out of Western public view, while the news headlines (for good reason) focus on North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
San Francisco Chronicle, Bradley K. Martin
Barbara Demick's excellent book is one of only a few that have made full use of the testimony of North Korean refugees and defectors. A delightful, easy-to-read work of literary nonfiction, it humanizes a downtrodden, long-suffering people whose individual lives, hopes and dreams are so little known abroad that North Koreans are often compared to robots.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by chetyarbrough.com Delusion & Deception Everything to hide, everything to lose, and “Nothing to Envy” summarizes Barbara Demick’s book about North Korea. Demick peels back the edge of a curtain that hides North Korea from the rest of the world. Mrs. Song, Oak-hee, Mi-ran, and Jun-sang... Read More
Rated of 5
by Book W A Must Read! This is a "must read" for everyone no matter the age, origin, gender or geographical location. You can't help coming away feeling humble - on so many planes and for so many reasons. I am in awe, witnessing the human spirit through... Read More
An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master's Son follows a young man's journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world's most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea.
War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
A beguiling, imaginative, inspiring story about the bigness of being alive as an individual, as a member of a tribe, and as a participant in history, exploring how we use storytelling to survive and shape our own truths.
Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.
Vivid, daring, and unforgettable, The Printmaker's Daughter shines fresh light on art, loyalty, and the tender and indelible bond between a father and daughter.
After hearing the interview on NPR with the author, Ayad Akhtar, I was intrigued.
This is a timely, contemporary novel concerning topics of...
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(1021 words).
Kirkus Reviews
of 5
by chetyarbrough.com
of 5
by Book W
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