Nothing to Envy

Ordinary Lives in North Korea

By: Barbara Demick

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over 15 years - a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung and the unchallenged rise to power of his son, Kim Jong-il, and the devastation of a far-ranging famine that killed one-fifth of the population.

Taking us into a landscape never before seen, Demick brings to life what it means to be an average Korean citizen, living under the most repressive totalitarian regime today - an Orwellian world in which radio and television dials are welded to the one government station, a country that is by choice not connected to the Internet, a society in which outward displays of affection are punished, and a police state that rewards informants and where an offhanded remark can send a citizen to the gulag for life. Demick's subjects - a middle-aged party loyalist and her rebellious daughter, an idealistic female doctor, an orphan, and two young lovers - all hail from the same provincial city in the farthest-flung northern reaches of the country. One by one, we witness the moments of revelation, when each realizes that they have been betrayed by the Fatherland and that their suffering is not a global condition but is uniquely theirs.

Nothing to Envy is the first book about North Korea to go deep inside the country, beyond the reach of government censors, and penetrate the mind-set of the average citizen. It is a groundbreaking and essential addition to the literature of totalitarianism.

©2010 Barbara Demick (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A fascinating and deeply personal look at the lives of six defectors from the repressive totalitarian regime of the Republic of North Korea." ( Publishers Weekly)

More riveting than fiction

I listen nearly exclusively to thrillers and mysteries because I count on my monthly Audible download to distract me from thoughts about work, my to-do list, etc. I almost never download non-fiction audiobooks, and I only downloaded this one because I'm interested in North Korea and it was on sale.

Oh, boy, am I glad I did. I think I can safely say this is the most riveting audiobook I've ever listened to since I joined Audible 6 years ago. I couldn't stop listening, and I think I annoyed most of my friends because I also couldn't stop talking about it. Demick is masterful at taking the real people she interviewed, weaving their stories together, and making you care deeply about them, like characters in the very best novels—it's incredibly moving. And Demick also has an eye for absurdity, picking out the details in each person's story that best illustrate the insanity of life in North Korea.

Fascinating Window into the Lives of North Koreans

What made the experience of listening to Nothing to Envy the most enjoyable?

The author approached this heart-rending modern tragedy from a human point of view. She traces the lives of a few of the rare escapees from the oppressive confines of self-diefied dictator's prison-state that has a physical and mental stranglehold on millions of people who have been isolated from the rest of the free world for more than 60 years.

What did you like best about this story?

This is a true story that is stranger than fiction. A 21st Century reality show that makes Orwell's 1984 seem like a historical treatise.

Which scene was your favorite?

Among my favorite moments in this book was the description of the poignant love story between two North Koreans who finally escaped in different ways and different times, completely independent of one another. Because of the risks involved, neither confided in the other about plans to escape to a better life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My heart breaks for the people of North Korea who continue to suffer needlessly under the militaristic fist of such a bizarre regime that fabricates threats from "foreign enemies" in order to maintain its control . The conditions of North Korea today are even more de-humanizing than anything that happened behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany or the the depravaity of Mao's "Cultural Revolution" in China many decades ago.

Any additional comments?

All politics aside, from the standpoint of basic human rights alone, the Korean pennisula represents one of our generation's most important history lessons. Do American's really understand what is happening? The contrast in the conditions of the people living in today's South Korea and North Korea could not be more stark. While any war is terrible beyond words, America's role in helping to fight for and preserve the freedom of South Korea has proven to be one of the greatest and most courageous humanitarian achievements in modern history. The results speak for themselves in full view of the world. Millons of South Koreas are living in a free and prosperous country, while millions more in the North are not. Especially coming so soon after the end of WWII, it is a testament to America's commitment to the cause of freedom that the US fought in Korea. South Koreans know this and are among America's most grateful and staunch allies. The Korean War is still not well understood by most Americans and is aptly referred to as "The Forgotten War." Meanwhile, the sad truth is that the South's brothers and sisters in the North continue in isloated desperation to fall further behind without access to the information and freedoms the rest of the world takes for granted.

Powerful & Shocking

Barbara Deming does a masterful job of weaving the stories of defectors from N
Korea into a vivid narrative that gives a very personal view of ordinary lives endured under the most inhuman regime on earth.

A very insightful and entertaining book.

A look into the lives of North Koreans through the eyes of half a dozen defectors with shared experiences. Feel more like objective reporting that story-telling. Leaves you wanting to know more about both the defectors and the country from which they came, and thus makes for an excellent read.

Brilliant approach!

Each storyline is perfectly crafted -- you feel like you know each of the people Demick uses in this book. Each story is so horrifying but in a very careful way. The revulsion I felt for N Korean "leadership" was so complete by the end of the book and yet there was never a moment I wanted to put the book down if that makes sense at all.

5 STARS! The Best.

The story is bleak, heart wrenching and totally captivating. There is a great mix of detail on the national and personal scale that brings this story to life. I was so engrossed that I would find myself shivering and hungry at the end of every section.

Highly recommended!

Most extraordinary book

What made the experience of listening to Nothing to Envy the most enjoyable?

Please do not stop listening to this book if you are put off by the narrator's unusual style or when listening to the "sample". What is in the book overshadows that aspect and in fact as I look back, it "fits" and compliments the realism of the story of a different culture and would have not been as powerful if it had been narrated in a more theatrical dialogue that we are used to hearing. I was amazed that during this time, we in the US had so little understanding of the magnitude of the problems in North Korea. This book gives a valuable insight into the culture of North Korea and helps understand the issues in the present day North Korea.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

As I said above, the narrative style of Karen when reading the book at first seemed a bit flat and lacking but did suit the characters, time and story. As I said, I had a hard time with it at first but this faded away and seems to fit the story.

Have you listened to any of Karen White’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No - I have not

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

There were so many. The revelations about what the world was like for North Koreans seemed as if I was transported to 200+ years earlier. Hard to fathom that this was happening at the same time where we in the US were using smartphones, WiFi and high speed internet.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend this book.

Challenging subject brilliantly presented

Vignettes reveal complexity of the situation hidden from world. A great approach. Well researched. Not my first NK book but the best. I will long remember it. Thank you.

A peak into a guarded world

Any additional comments?

A window into North Korea that is poignant, tragic, infuriating, and heartbreaking in turns. Through interviews with a handful of North Koreans who have defected and live in South Korea, along with Demick's tenure covering events in Asia for the LA Times, the book lets the reader glimpse life in North Korea, the crippled economy and chronic food shortages, the tightly controlled media and proscribed political thought, the class structure and family make-up. Demick has illuminated an area that is literally blacked out, both by lack of electricity and a locked-down media. Highly recommended.

Fascinating, Informative, & Entertaining

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The author gives an informative, entertaining, and thorough view of North Korea through the stories of real North Koreans. By using the stories of real North Koreans, the author can trace the history of modern North Korea in a way that's entertaining & human without being didactic.

Any additional comments?

The narrator was very good. Her reading was lively and felt true to the source material.