★★★★☆
“Kind people who put others before themselves would be the first to die. It was the ruthless and the selfish who would survive.”
Hyeonseo Lee, The Girl with Seven Names
I was introduced to this book through my book club, which primarily reads books written by women authors and/or with strong female lead characters. I went into this book knowing very little beyond surface-level headlines about what life is like in North Korea. This memoir gives insight into what it was like to be a young woman born and raised in North Korea and the challenges she faced after impulsively crossing the border into China as a teenager.
We get a rare glimpse into North Korean culture and daily life under one of the world’s cruelest dictatorships. Lee details attending public executions because it was customary for people who knew the victim to attend, similar to the way Americans attend a funeral. She also tells of home inspections to ensure Kim Jong-Il’s photo was properly displayed and of neighbors who risked their lives to retrieve these photos from a burning home.
I didn’t fully understand the author’s decisions as she moved around different parts of China to South Korea and eventually to the United States. At times, her decisions seemed to put others around her at risk. However, she certainly endured things I haven’t even come close to experiencing and was determined, resourceful, and successful in her escape. It was also clear that she loved her mother and brother.
Stories like hers that expose me to life experiences, cultures, and backgrounds that are so different from mine are one reason I read as much as I do. Reading the book reminded me of all I have to be grateful for, especially my freedom, and put my “problems” in perspective. I respect the incredible amount of courage it took for Lee to share her story, and I am glad I read it.