Welcome to Litsy!

This is nothing shy of a roller coaster. A story Westerners should know.
Another book after which I can only say: all borders are murder, and refusing refugees asylum is a moral atrocity. F-ck fascism. Etc.
There is so much about this world I do not know.
If you don‘t have time to read the book, watch the TED talk, it is well-revered.

I listened to this book about a woman who defected from North Korea. It's not a story that's been told often. It's important and interesting, but it could have been better written and more engaging.

Growing up under a regime that held quick public executions for people denounced by their neighbors, and let people starve in the streets, Lee felt the need to experience the outside world before she became an adult at 18. She slipped over to China. She never went back. Overall it‘s a dramatic journey well worth a read! 💜#audiobook

I was surprised by this memoir. Hyeonseo Lee‘s decision to leave North Korea was more about teenage exploration than ideological conviction. So many of her decisions could have ended up so much worse. And her poor family!

I thought her story was well-balanced and well-told - a fascinating read.

This was #somethingwithtravel for #nonfiction2019

My husband and I just finished listening to this audiobook together. I had read the physical book about 3 years ago and loved it just as much the second time around. What an amazing story. Both times, I felt like I was reading 1984 for the first half and a thriller for the second half. It still astounds me. I learned so much from her story.

Hyeonseo grew up in North Korea, #soclose to the Chinese border that her brother would play in the river with boys from the other side. Her decision to cross the river was almost accidental, little more than a teenage prank, a young person quite literally pushing at boundaries and wanting to explore their world. But it had a lifetime of consequences for her and her family.

#maymoviemagic

Starting tagged book on my train journey home from the hols. Only a few pages in so far, but I feel I‘m in safe hands - she‘s a good storyteller! And I‘ve brought the weather back with me 🌞

I hated this book. I thought she was selfish and unlikeable.

Follow this 17-year-old girl through her escape from North Korea which lasted over a decade. A captivating autobiography!!!

About her first time outside North Korea.

Just in case anyone‘s interested, ShelterBox (UK) have started a book club. A book from round the world, every 6 weeks. Haven‘t seen this as a charity ‘thing‘ before: https://www.shelterbox.org/book-club

Wow—this memoir of the author‘s escape from North Korea is fascinating, heartbreaking, and compelling. I can‘t wait to watch her TED talk.

My book club chose this book and my first thought was, "Maybe I'll skip this one." I'm glad I didn't. Living in a free country is something that I take for granted. The bravery and tenacity of Hyeonseo Lee is unbelievable. My horizons have been broadened.

I wasn't super enthusiastic when my book club chose this book, but I started it today and am really enjoying it.
Henry has no comment just yet 😺

Powerful. Sad. Encouraging. Marvelous. I could go on forever. I have read many a books about North Korea, but I think this one is my fave. It is like reading a thriller. Unfortunately this story is true. What a remarkable woman! I have no clue how she managed to do it all. I encourage everyone to read this story of how she defected to South Korea, and went back to the Chinese-N. Korean border to get her family to defect as well.

#readingtheworld #readtheworld #northkorea

Some of the 26 books I plan on reading in December!

Visiting my mom almost always involves a book exchange and this Thanksgiving was no different. She sent me home with four books which, she told me, fall into the so-so (but nonetheless interesting) to “I really liked it” categories. Looking forward to some good reading.

What an incredible life this woman has led! Her story adds humanity to all the news headlines about N. Korea.

Just as touching as the first time I read it.
Forever one of my favourites

Guys.....I read this awhile ago and forgot to review what with moving and summer and everything else. BUT....so good. Read it, just read it. True story of a refugee struggling to find freedom and unravel a lifetime of N Korea‘s propoganda.

Amazing courage, determination, and intelligence to make her way out of North Korea. A very intense read. This pic is from the author‘s 2013 TED Talk. I watched it on YouTube. I highly recommend the book. 4/5⭐️s

1. Technically yes since I have iBooks on my phone. But I hate reading on such a small screen
2. Always! I love my local library!
3. Yes, I go back and forth between print and e-books
#TuesdayTidbits

At my favorite book store The Tattered Cover to pick up some new stationery to write to my pen pal. I‘m so excited!! Thank you to TheReadingMermaid for organizing the matches!

“As many discover, freedom - real freedom, in which your life is what you make of it and the choices are your own - can be terrifying.” #bookquotes #life

Enjoying a little late night reading! I‘m determined to finish this book by tomorrow!! #nightowlreading #currentlyreading

“I had one private realm I could escape to: in books.” Most readers can resonate with this statement💛🧡#loveforreading # currentlyreading

Reading about the life and what children go through being brought up in North Korea is very eye-opening. From public hangings to “life purification time,” I couldn‘t imagine having to live like this!

“Dictatorships may seem strong and unified, but they are always weaker than they appear. They are governed by the whim of one man, who can‘t draw upon a wealth of discussion and debate, as democracies can, because he rules through terror and the only truth permitted is his own.” - #HyeonseoLee #TheGirlWithSevenNames #TBR

Day 10: #NumberInTitle (seven) - #AprilBookishMadness

Another like from Hyeonseo Lee

Hyeonseo Lee liked my photo!
Aaaahhhh

//⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️// This was an eye-opening book. Hyeonseo Lee expanded my perspective on North Korea with the knowledge of how deeply the propaganda within this country has been indoctrinated into their citizens. Their societal perspective is vastly different than the one I know.

Through Lee‘s narrative, which read like a well written novel, I have gained a brief understanding of North Korea and have gained a newer perspective.

Read: 1/14/18

I love memoirs and this one did not disappoint. It is heart wrenching. I liked learning about North Korea as well.

Paperback of one of my favourite non-fiction books. Re-reading this year for sure

What an inspiring and heart-wrenching story. This is the best book I've read of 2018 so far. I learned a lot about life in North Korea, and I'm inspired to do more for the promotion of human rights worldwide.

As the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I have always been drawn to stories of those who need to run, hide, and start over. Part of me always takes notes for if I ever have to run...
I heard the author‘s TED talk a number of years ago and was eager to read the details of her story. As Ambassador Power wrote in her blurb, “Against all odds she escaped, survived and had the courage to speak out.”

“An extraordinary insight into life under one of the world‘s most ruthless and secretive dictatorships – and the story of one woman‘s terrifying struggle to avoid capture/repatriation and guide her family to freedom.” -Amazon #TBR #ForeignReads - #ReadingResolutions

This memoir by a North Korean defector is fascinating and quite timely with the Seoul olympics starting today. The tyranny of the Kim regime is difficult to fathom, Nazi Germany‘s evil in existence right now. I learned so much about Asian cultures,too. Highly recommend this one.

I didn‘t know much about North Korea so I found this story of a defector really interesting. Even after finishing I can not believe that this regime still exists and people are having to live in this way. A very brave young lady and this book should be read to raise awareness of what‘s still going on in this country. Highly recommend.

These three were my holiday reads. The best one was definitely the Girl with seven names. Others were good as well. Such a nice reading vacation full of good books! I'm ready for work tomorrow. 😊

I loved this! It's been awhile since I've read non-fiction like this and I don't know why. This was such a touching and intense story that it was impossible to put down. One of the best stories about North Korean refugees that I have read!

The short version of the same story is told in this TED-talk by the author:
https://www.ted.com/talks/hyeonseo_lee_my_escape_from_north_korea/up-next

It's been awhile since I have read anything about North Korea. I had forgotten how intense and captivating the stories of North Korean refugees can be. This is the sort of book that is impossible to put down.

This one next. It felt like a perfect time for some non-fiction. 😊

Thanks for the tag @MinDea 😊 and @britt_brooke 🤗

J - Jessica Knoll‘s Luckiest Girl Alive -had to get creative 😜
E - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - by Gail Honeyman
S - Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
S - Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
I - I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
C - Confessions of A Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan
A - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

To all those I have tagged: What are yours? #FirstNameFavs

Just started this heartrending story of a child born in North Korea. The indoctrination begins in kindergarten where students must tell the class of a sin another student committed against the Great Leader. We‘ve all read about unspeakable human suffering in many dictatorships, but I think this regime is particularly brutal.

This true story left my heart racing. Although Hyeonseo Lee tells about her journey, it is still hard to come close to imagining everything this young woman experienced to escape North Korea. An amazing memoir/autobiography.

Oh look at that I searched 7 in the library catalogue and instantly added to my tbr. This sounds like a must-read for me. I read In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park, also a memoir of a young girl defecting from North Korea, a couple years ago and found it an important read.
#novemberbythenumbers

Just returned from vacation to open my wonderful book exchange gift from @bookmark.your.escape -- can't wait to read these great books, and use these awesome magnetic book clips! Thank you so much!!