The Great Successor

The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un

By: Anna Fifield

Narrated by: Olivia Mackenzie-Smith

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

The behind-the-scenes story of the rise and reign of the world's strangest and most elusive tyrant, Kim Jong Un, by the journalist with the best connections and insights into the bizarrely dangerous world of North Korea.

Since his birth in 1984, Kim Jong Un has been swaddled in myth and propaganda, from the plainly silly - he could supposedly drive a car at the age of three - to the grimly bloody stories of family members who perished at his command.

Anna Fifield reconstructs Kim's past and present with exclusive access to sources near him and brings her unique understanding to explain the dynastic mission of the Kim family in North Korea. The archaic notion of despotic family rule matches the almost medieval hardship the country has suffered under the Kims. Few people thought that a young, untested, unhealthy, Swiss-educated basketball fanatic could hold together a country that should have fallen apart years ago. But Kim Jong Un has not just survived, he has thrived, abetted by the approval of Donald Trump and diplomacy's weirdest bromance.

Skeptical yet insightful, Fifield creates a captivating portrait of the oddest and most secretive political regime in the world - one that is isolated yet internationally relevant, bankrupt yet in possession of nuclear weapons - and its ruler, the self-proclaimed Beloved and Respected Leader, Kim Jong Un.

©2019 Anna Fifield (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Intelligent, insightful, sometimes comic, and also worrying: Anna Fifield has written a vivid, compelling, and, above all, illuminating portrait of a rogue family's rule over the world's most reclusive nation." (General David Petraeus (US Army, ret.), director of the CIA when Kim Jong Un became leader)

"A compelling mix of biography, cultural history, and political intrigue." (Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review)

"With a journalist's eye for detail and with the gift of a storyteller, Anna Fifield has written the quintessential bible on Kim Jong Un. No one working to solve the North Korean puzzle should let The Great Successor sit on a bookshelf; it's a must-read." (Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman, former undersecretary of state for political affairs and author of Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence)

a bit short, too summarizing.

loved it.

however, over a number of years, Fifield skims through too much too important historical events.

Fascinating

This is such an interesting and well-reported book. The reader’s performance is so good that I frequently forgot she wasn’t the author.

Great book

I thought the book was great, the narrator was perfectly fine. Insightful analysis of KJU that takes him seriously as a biographical subject. Incidentally picks up right where Victor Cha’s “The Impossible State” left off, and does a great job carrying the ball. The reviewer that gave this one star is just a troll

Reasons North Korea Kim Jong Must Go

We must do everything we can to remove men like this from positions that give them the ability to kill murder torture maim starve poison wherever we find them, in whatever way presents itself. We must stop all those who do not condemn them, and give them recognition of legitimacy as world leaders. They are not. They are the devils on earth reaping hell for all who come under their power directly or through the indirect influence of those who don’t stop them when they could. Everyone should read this book.

Supremely Interesting and Immensely Enjoyable

This is one of the best pieces of nonfiction I've read. Not only is it extremely interesting, it offers a very rare expertise on the Kim family that I'm certain could come from only a very small group of people - Anna Fifield being the most prominent. I thought the audible narrator had a fantastic accent and I enjoyed listening to her pronunciations, as well. Glad I spent my audible credit on this :)

Outstanding Audio Book

The book club I belong to selected this book about North Korea and it’s leadership. I found the book to provide interesting insights about North Korea, it’s leader and the countries relationship with other nations. The book moved quickly and I highly recommend it.

Nice story

The author's Trump derangement syndrome was a turnoff but I still give it 5 stars.

Interesting and informative

Very well worth the read/listen. I knew so little about N Korea and the Kim’s

Great account of Kim's life and negotiations

I really enjoyed the details going through KJU's life and familial history. She has done an amazing amount of research and details it well.

A fascinating look behind the curtain

The Kim regime is one of the most fascinating and depressing regimes that continues to be allowed to exist. This is an interesting look behind the curtain, seeing how this regime came to power, how it hold a grasp of it's people, what it's people thinks of them and what we can come to expect from it.