I talk about this book in my November reading wrap-up video.

Don't worry about my rating for this book. How do you rate a story like this, a book like this? I don't know. I don't know at all. What I do know is that I was unable to put down Yeonmi's story once I picked it up. It at once gave me a glimpse into a life in a place I knew nothing about, had never really thought about, could never imagine even if I tried. Yeonmi's story is incredible and it's the kind of story that makes you think, that puts things into perspective and that makes you want every single person to read it, even if it's only to be exposed to a life outside of their purview.

I mentioned this in my video and they aren't complaints, but just two observations to keep in mind as you go into the story: 1- It's told in quite plain language. All of the emotional complexity comes from the events, as the way Yeonmi tells the story is straight forward and 2- detached. This, especially in the beginning, can have a sense of detachment. You can almost feel the way she has had to compartmentalize in order to tell this story. The story is no less touching for the way it leaves a little bit of space between the reader and the tragedy, but that space, to me, did exist.

I'm not typically a huge non-fiction reader, but for anyone who wants to dip a toe into the genre, here is an important yet accessible read.