~1984~ Imagine a land where everyone has been brainwashed into believing that there's no better place to live, no place where the leader loves his people more or looks after them better. Imagine growing up with a sense that your land is beleaguered by hostile neighbours and evil enemy influences, all of them jealous of you because your land is so clearly the best place on earth for any lucky person to live. Imagine a land where there are no shops because there's no need to buy anything because the benevolent state will supply all your needs - but also make sure that you know nothing of the possessions and services open to people in other countries. If you can afford ...  Read the complete review

North Korea is a country that everyone has heard of but yet very few are familiar with. The reason for this is that very little is revealed to the outside world and even less of the outside world is allowed to be seen in North Korea. This is the reason for the title of the book: Nothing to Envy. This is a phrase used within the country to suggest that lifestyle is as good as anywhere else and with the closed borders and propaganda heavy media the general population may never have reason to dispute this. Barbara Demmick was a journalist for the Los Angeles Times whose limited time in North Korea consisted of typically state orchestrated trips. Foreigners ...  Read the complete review

"Nothing to Envy" by Barbara Demick is a collection of personal true life stories about lives in North Korea. Before reading this book, I knew little about the nation, apart from the fact it was ruled by a dictator. This book really opened my eyes to things going on in this forbidding nation. The harsh economical realities of being a nation relying on external support are explored in this book with personal accounts from North Koreans. --The stories-- The stories are a collection of personal accounts from people the author has encountered in her research on the country. These tell stories of lives in North Korea including very ...  Read the complete review

Before reading this book, i had, rather embarrassingly, no real knowledge on the topic of Korea. I work in a bookstore and as soon as i saw this title i knew that it would be well worth a read. Never before had i seen an attempt to delve into the world of North Korea with first class, solid journalism at its heart. From the onset i became hooked and after completely devouring this book, i can honestly say that it is an outstanding, masterfully written text that deserves to be read by many. American journalist Barbara Demick takes us on a journey of North Korea, using six citizens and their stories to unfold the sinister and alarming goings on within this ...  Read the complete review

This book follows several North Korean defector's physical and emotional journey. Nothing To Envy covers more than 15 years of each defector's lives. 15 years is a long time, ad in these years, the North Koreans saw their Great Leader, Kim Il-sung die, his son Kim Jong-il take his place, and a famine that wiped out around 1/5th of the population. This book is probably one of the best ones I've read so far, and I think it is because of the way the author captured the voice of each person. There are many themes in this book, the most profound one being realization. In this book, each North Korean have at some point realized that their country was dirt poor, and that ...  Read the complete review