Nothing To Envy
Real Lives In North Korea
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4.3 • 93 Ratings
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- £9.99
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE BBC SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2010
A spectacularly revealing and harrowing portrait of ordinary lives in the world's least ordinary country, North Korea
North Korea is Orwell's 1984 made reality: it is the only country in the world not connected to the internet; Gone with the Wind is a dangerous, banned book; during political rallies, spies study your expression to check your sincerity. After the death of the country's great leader Kim Il Sung in 1994, famine descended, and Nothing to Envy - winner of the 2010 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction - weaves together the stories of adversity and resilience of six residents of Chongin, North Korea's third-largest city. From extensive interviews and with tenacious investigative work, Barbara Demick has recreated the concerns, culture and lifestyles of North Korean citizens in a gripping narrative, and vividly reconstructed the inner workings of this extraordinary and secretive country.
Customer Reviews
Really enjoyed
Great book, excellent insight to the mad way North Korea was run!
I am so impressed
I am so impressed at the way Barbara Demick has told the story of North Korea through the real lives of the people she met. By avoiding the hothouse of Pyongyang and focusing on a “normal” city and its citizens we see what life was really like for them. The human interest of the people she follows make the book a very gripping read. Wholeheartedly recommended.
Great read
Such an eye opening book and extremely informative; couldn’t put it down. Felt very moved by the stories told and it gave such vivid and heart wrenching insights into the experiences of North Koreans.