Product Description

Escaping North Korea provides a rare and unique inside look into the hidden world of ordinary North Koreans. It recounts firsthand experiences of enduring famine, women's sex trafficking experiences, and torture in the gulags, as well as inspirational stories of refugees who overcame tremendous adversity to escape the repressive regime of their homeland and make new lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36197 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780742556201
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Kim chronicles his effort to lead North Korean refugees through the 6,000-mile underground railway through China in this exposé of the astonishing day-to-day realities of famine, religious oppression, torture and sexual abuse in the most secretive and impoverished member of the axis of evil. The author, a former missionary, spent four years at the China–North Korea border building shelters and orphanages, and his access to government officials, journalists, aid workers and hundreds of North Korean refugees provide him a unique vantage point from which to synthesize current research and policy on conditions in North Korea with affecting real-life testimonials. His intrepid effort to help four North Korean teenagers avoid arrest and repatriation on the journey from northern China to the British consulate in Shanghai is riveting, as is his insider knowledge of the perilous route refugees navigate across the borders of China, Laos and Thailand. The author's compassion and astonishing ability to penetrate the Hermit Kingdom and lift its shroud of secrecy do much to ameliorate the book's chief flaws, the clunky prose and occasionally amateurish conjecture and derivative political analysis. (Aug.)
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Review
"[A] fascinating account of [Mike Kim's] efforts to smuggle North Korean defectors to freedom in the South. " --New York Review of Books

Mike's embrace of the spartan and hazardous vocation of protecting North Korean refugees in China is nothing short of exceptional. His book offers a personal and compelling account of this life-and-death rescue operation for our cousins in the North. --Tim Peters, Helping Hands Korea

The power of Escaping North Korea stems from the stories Mr. Kim tells. During his four years in China, he met hundreds of escapees from the North. He reconstructs their tales--of the privations of daily existence in North Korea, of life on the lam in China--in heartbreaking detail....There are many heroes in Mr. Kim's book, not least the author himself. --The Wall Street Journal, 8/26/08

Review
A portrait of modern North Korea by an awareness advocate who was granted special access to the country's isolationist circles shares inspirational stories by survivors of such tragedies as famine, sex-trafficking, and gulag torture. Illustrations.

Customer Reviews

A great read!
A great read if you're interested in the North Korean situation beyond what the news media reports (ie nukes). Kim does a great job of making a complex problem palpable and, in many ways, relatable to the western readers. Though he goes in depth regarding the government's role in the famine and warped culture, he doesn't demonize them nor does he make excuses for them. A very balanced and unbiased look into the hermit kingdom from an outside perspective.

Unique book!
This is a book unlike any other book I've read thus far. It gave me an insight into what refugees and defectors of North Korea face. The author offers an exciting Jason Bourne-esque feel as he assists defectors find refuge in various countries, during his four year stay in China. There is a forward by Ambassador Mark Palmer that describes the author and the book very well. North Korea is such a hot topic right now and this book informed me on important issues that can't be found in the news or in newspapers. Well worth the read!

An insightful and really easy read
The best thing about this book is that it is an easy read. Although Kim engages with North Korea, a political hotbed and at the forefront of the global stage, his stories are personal and his style easy to follow. Pick this book up if you want a real feel for what is happening on the China-North Korea border. The human element makes it a compelling, but easily flowing read. Because of both its content and its style, you will find it difficult to this book down.