Brainstorm 268: Surviving North Korea

For today’s Brainstorm I have some survival stories both true and imagined, set in North Korea. Most of these aren’t necessarily easy or fun reads, but they are eye opening and address important issues. Click on the titles to see my full reviews for each book and any content notes/trigger warnings (which most of these have to some extent).

Brother’s Keeper by Julie Lee

Sora and her family are tired of the restrictions of the Communists in their North Korean village. As the beginnings of the Korean War rumble, her father decides it is time to escape the religious and ideological persecution and get to South Korea. Her mother has a brother in Busan, and the family decides to head there. But as they sneak out at night with what they can carry, Sora and her 8 year old brother are separated from their parents and baby brother. Can Sora get the two of them to Busan in winter across a war zone safely?

The author says in the back of the book that this story is largely inspired by her own mother's escape from North Korea to Busan during the start of the Korean War with one brother.

Target Readers:

Historical Fiction Fans, Korean War Story Fans, Korean Setting Fans, Survival Story Fans, Bittersweet Story Fans, Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers

 

Escape from North Korea: the Untold Story of Asia’s Underground Railroad by Melanie Kirkpatrick

Kirkpatrick explores what is going on inside North Korea, what various refugees do to escape, and how different groups and individuals are working to get those refugees to freedom despite numerous difficulties. 

Incredibly well researched and written.

Target Readers:

Nonfiction Fans, Those Interested in Modern Human Rights Issues, Those Interested in International Relations, Freedom Fighters, North Korean Setting Fans, Incredible True Story Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to Young Adults)

 

Every Falling Star: the True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea by Sungju Lee with Susan Elizabeth McClelland

Sungju Lee had a cushy childhood in Pyongyang. His father was in the military. The family had a nice flat, a grand piano, a coveted dog, went to the amusement park, revered Kim Il-sung, and were enjoying the good life. Sungju dreamed of one day being a military leader for Joseon (what N. Koreans call N. Korea). And then out of the blue when he was about ten, Sungju's parents told him they were going on an extended vacation up north. In reality, his father had fallen out of favor with the regime and they were forced to leave. For a while, their wealth helped them continue to live fairly well in a more primitive setting. Their new house had no running water or electricity, but with saved money they ate well. Eventually the money ran out, and first his father and then his mother left on temporary trips to go find more food. Neither of them returned in the time promised and Sungju found himself on the streets left to fend for himself. He soon made his own gang with other street boys and together they found ways to survive. Street life was harrowing and made Sungju an angry and hardened teen, until one day a man standing in a train station recognized him and Sungju's life started to change for the better. Eventually, Sungju receives word that his father wants him to sneak out to China, and he begins a strange and terrifying trip to what he hopes will be a reunion.

An eye-opening autobiography!

Target Readers:

Autobiography Fans, North Korean Setting Fans, Incredible True Story Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Young Adult Readers (though of interest to Adults too)

 

Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh

When racial slurs get painted on the school's walls, it really shakes up Junie Kim and her multiethnic group of friends. Some of them want to take action of some kind, but Junie is afraid it will just make the bullying she faces on the bus and in the halls each day worse. It really upsets the balance of her precarious mental state and she slides into serious depression. When her parents finally notice how serious her condition is, she begins to hang out more with her grandparents after school. She starts to open up a little to her grandfather about what is going on and in return he starts sharing with her his experiences as the son of a doctor during the Korean War and immigrating to the United States in the early 70s. Junie starts recording the stories, and eventually gets her grandmother to also share her story of what she experienced during the Korean War.

The book really feels like 3 separate stories. There's the first part where Junie's school issues and mental health issues are introduced and come to a crisis point. Then there's her Grandpa's story of his Korean war experiences that is related at length. And then there's her Grandma's story of her Korean war experiences that is related at length. 

Target Readers:

Contemporary Fiction Fans, Mental Health Story Fans, Historical Fiction Fans, Grandparent/Grandchild Story Fans, Korean War Story Fans, Survival Story Fans, Korean American Character Fans, Korean Setting Fans, Upper Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers

 

In the Shadow of the Sun by Anne Sibley O’Brien

Mia and Simon are accompanying their father on one of his aid-relief trips to North Korea. Mia is a little excited since she was adopted from South Korea and this is the closest she's gotten to the land of her birth. Simon is grumpy and reclusive. He's several years older than his sister and has been going through stuff recently. Mia feels like they hardly talk any more. But when their father is arrested and Mia just discovered some illegal photos on the phone North Koreans gave her in a welcome package, the two siblings have to take off on their own and try to escape to freedom for fear of being locked up who knows how long by the North Korean government. Can they make it to the Chinese border without being caught? And can they learn to work together after this rift has grown between them?

The author grew up in South Korea and did extensive interviews with North Korean escapees for this book. She also has an adopted daughter from Korea, so the things that Mia is mulling over about being Korean but living with a white American family also comes from a highly-informed position.

Target Readers:

Thriller Fans, Survival Story Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Adventure Fans, Sibling Story Fans, North Korean Setting Fans, Upper Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers