I just recently finished reading Eunsun Kim's autobiography A Thousand Miles To Freedom. I was first introduced to this book through this National Geographic article and was compelled to read the entire book myself. Overall, I found it to be an incredibly eye-opening read that introduced me to a topic that I didn't know a lot about.
A Thousand Miles To Freedom tells the story of how author Eunsun Kim, at the young age of 11, escaped the country of North Korea with her older sister and mother. More than simply an escape, Kim's harrowing journey takes her across China and Mongolia, through many hardships and perils, and takes many years to complete.
Now getting into my review, I want to start with what I didn't like as much about this book. The two main points that I want to make is first that parts of the book I personally didn't find overly interesting to read. The story detailing Kim's escape from North Korea was quite riveting, but the occasional flash forwards detailing her recent pursuits and current life in South Korea I thought were slightly dull. The second negative about A Thousand Miles To Freedom is that some parts of it are written with little substance. By this, I simply mean that sometimes certain sentences are short, and simple descriptive words are used. I actually feel bad critiquing this part of the book because I understand that the author is not a native English speaker, and so the English writing is not going to be on a level of brilliance.
Now onto the positives, because overall A Thousand Miles To Freedom was a really good book that I actually feel bad critiquing! The biggest thing going for this book is that it tells a stunning story of a young girl's journey, a story that few have told or written about before. It provides a window into the lives of people living in North Korea, and what the people who choose to escape this country go through. In addition to the story, I also enjoyed the voice of the author. She is relatable and doesn't at all evoke a tone of superiority through her writing. You may expect someone who has endured so much hardship and survived, and gone on to write a book to be a bit cocky, but on the contrary Kim comes of as being very humble and gracious in the pages of her book.
All in all, A Thousand Miles To Freedom was a good read and told of a world completely unknown to me. Although it may not be the best book I have read, I would certainly recommend it if you enjoy nonfictional stories about people and their lives. It will certainly give you a new outlook on life, and hopefully it will help inspire all of us to make this world a better and more peaceful place.
Author: Eunsun Kim
Genre: Autobiography/memoir
A Thousand Miles To Freedom tells the story of how author Eunsun Kim, at the young age of 11, escaped the country of North Korea with her older sister and mother. More than simply an escape, Kim's harrowing journey takes her across China and Mongolia, through many hardships and perils, and takes many years to complete.
Now getting into my review, I want to start with what I didn't like as much about this book. The two main points that I want to make is first that parts of the book I personally didn't find overly interesting to read. The story detailing Kim's escape from North Korea was quite riveting, but the occasional flash forwards detailing her recent pursuits and current life in South Korea I thought were slightly dull. The second negative about A Thousand Miles To Freedom is that some parts of it are written with little substance. By this, I simply mean that sometimes certain sentences are short, and simple descriptive words are used. I actually feel bad critiquing this part of the book because I understand that the author is not a native English speaker, and so the English writing is not going to be on a level of brilliance.
Now onto the positives, because overall A Thousand Miles To Freedom was a really good book that I actually feel bad critiquing! The biggest thing going for this book is that it tells a stunning story of a young girl's journey, a story that few have told or written about before. It provides a window into the lives of people living in North Korea, and what the people who choose to escape this country go through. In addition to the story, I also enjoyed the voice of the author. She is relatable and doesn't at all evoke a tone of superiority through her writing. You may expect someone who has endured so much hardship and survived, and gone on to write a book to be a bit cocky, but on the contrary Kim comes of as being very humble and gracious in the pages of her book.
All in all, A Thousand Miles To Freedom was a good read and told of a world completely unknown to me. Although it may not be the best book I have read, I would certainly recommend it if you enjoy nonfictional stories about people and their lives. It will certainly give you a new outlook on life, and hopefully it will help inspire all of us to make this world a better and more peaceful place.
Author: Eunsun Kim
Genre: Autobiography/memoir
Pages: 228
Year Published: 2015
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
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