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Published Jul 2015
240 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
Eunsun Kim was born in North Korea, one of the most secretive and oppressive countries in the modern world. As a child Eunsun loved her country...despite her school field trips to public executions, daily self-criticism sessions, and the increasing gnaw of hunger as the country-wide famine escalated.
By the time she was eleven years old, Eunsun's father and grandparents had died of starvation, and Eunsun was in danger of the same. Finally, her mother decided to escape North Korea with Eunsun and her sister, not knowing that they were embarking on a journey that would take them nine long years to complete. Before finally reaching South Korea and freedom, Eunsun and her family would live homeless, fall into the hands of Chinese human traffickers, survive a North Korean labor camp, and cross the deserts of Mongolia on foot.
Now, Eunsun is sharing her remarkable story to give voice to the tens of millions of North Koreans still suffering in silence. Told with grace and courage, her memoir is a riveting exposé of North Korea's totalitarian regime and, ultimately, a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
"[Puts] a human face to an often misunderstood country and will appeal to a wide range of readers." - Library Journal
"An urgent cry for compassion for the author's fellow North Koreans, trapped and strangled of liberty and life." - Kirkus
"Gripping." - Elle Magazine
"This incredible tale is all the more powerful because it's true." - All You Magazine
"In A Thousand Miles to Freedom, an exceptionally bright young girl grabs your hand and leads you down into the darkness of North Korea. When she lets go of your hand, she is in her twenties and joyously free - and you have felt the texture of life in the world's last totalitarian state." - Blaine Harden, New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Camp 14
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Eunsun Kim grew up in North Korea. At age 11, she fled the country and began the harrowing 9-year journey that led her to freedom. Today, she lives with her husband in South Korea, where she's pursuing her master's degree and working for an NGO promoting human rights in North Korea.
Sébastien Falletti has been the Korea correspondent for the French newspaper Le Figaro since 2009. He covers political and business news across Asia. Born in Paris, Sébastien is now based in Seoul and Shanghai.
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