Defiance and Hope in the World's Most Repressive Country

based on a lot of stories told to the author - not author's first-hand knowledge; informative; quick read ( )

This is not a brilliantly written book, but the story that it tells is rich in anecdotes from the lives of real North Koreans. In this book we learn of the hellish choices that North Koreans must make within their state just to survive, and the almost as difficult choices they are confronted with as resourceless refugees in China. For these stories it is well worth reading. Mike Kim spent several years in China helping North Korean escapees, as a missionary . I'm generally very opposed to anyone operating in the name of Christian mission - the cultural imperialism of Christianity is often offensive to me, and is epitomized by organized efforts to change the beliefs of others. But, in this case, I have to say that North Koreans have so little that this is one place where Christian missionary work probably doesn't hurt very much relative to the good that is being attempted. Every culture has a unique value that does not deserve to be disrupted by missionary imperialism, but in the case of North Korea it truly appears that we have a destroyed culture, a nation hollowed out of human values and a genocidal regime. In that context, whatever Kim's agenda may have been, and however offensive I would find it in other contexts, it could probably do little harm here. When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose. He obviously was dedicated to doing considerable good by helping people rebuild their lives in China, and in some cases helping them to voluntarily return to North Korea or to flee China. It is possible to read this and believe that he may have accomplished some good. If North Korea is your thing, this is a good window on the reality of the place and people based on one man's multi-year adventure on the Chinese border.

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Mike Kim started an organization that worked to help refugees escaping from North Korea into China. What makes this book interesting is that much of it is first person accounts of life in North Korea and the harrowing experiences tied to the escape, including forced repatriation. Refugees are commonly forced into sweat shop labor and the sex trade. A depressing book, yet at the same time uplifting because of the work of Mike Kim and others to improve the lives of the refugees. ( )