"[A] page-turner--fast-paced, suspenseful and novelistic. . . Searing." --Wall Street Journal "Vital to our understanding of life in North Korea." --Washington Post "There's something riveting about his honesty; he portrays the bleak conditions, dwindling resources, eternal uncertainty, and loss of dignity with an unashamed matter-of-factness almost at odds with the desperate circumstances...Kim's tale is a vital insight into a little-understood country and a modern day tragedy." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "This short, brutish book--with chapter-ending cliffhangers presaging the next hard twist--will enlighten readers as to the devastating hardships facing those living in North Korea during the 'great famine.'" --Booklist "Told with poise and dignity, Kim's story...provides vivid documentation of a remarkable life. It also offers an important account of atrocities committed within North Korea that have been hidden from the West--and indeed, most of the rest of the world. A courageous and inspiring memoir." --Kirkus Reviews --