Book 12: Nothing to Envy

I actually finished this book between midnight and bedtime several days ago.



This is the best book I have read in a long, long time. It recounts the experiences of six people who defected from North Korea. I found the details of their lives fascinating. In particular, the story of the famine of 1994 was heartbreaking, but I couldn't stop reading. Also very interesting was the ambivalence many South Koreans feel about the prospect of reunification and why. I didn't want the book to end and I talked to Courtney about it endlessly.

I have a bit of an obsession with North Korea, second only to my obsession with China. When I was in China in late winter and early spring of 2004, I was determined to visit the North Korean border. We ultimately visited Dandong, a Chinese city across the Yalu River from North Korea. The contrast between the Chinese side and the North Korean side of the river is stark; the Chinese city was bustling and there were cranes building new buildings. What we could see of the North Korean side (from a boat in the river--my friend commented that it felt voyeuristic) was a rusty ferris wheel and an even rustier ship in a shipyard.