80 ratings | 70 reviews | avg rating:4.25

D.B. John’s Followers (196)

D.B.’s Bookshelves

to-read (11)
currently-reading (0)
read (81)
memoir-spirituality (1)

D.B.’s Friends (30)

I Read, Therefore I Blog

978 books | 20 friends

J M Brownbridge

220 books | 8 friends

Dag Ryland

3,116 books | 208 friends

Abir Mukherjee

10 books | 30 friends

Chevy Stevens

333 books | 2,054 friends

Chris Atkinson

534 books | 34 friends

Simon Christmas

1 book | 1 friend

Thomas Scott

5 books | 31 friends

More friends…

D.B. John

Goodreads Author

Born

The United Kingdom

Member Since

November 2015

edit data

D. B. JOHN was born in Wales. He began training as a lawyer but switched to a career in publishing, editing popular children's books on history and science. In 2009 he moved to Berlin, Germany, to write his first novel, Flight from Berlin. A visit to North Korea in 2012 inspired Star of the North. In 2015 he co-authored the New York Times bestselling memoir The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee. He lives in Angel, London.
...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask D.B. John questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
D.B. John’s books

Average rating: 4.17 · 9,325 ratings · 1,317 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee (Goodreads Author), David John, D.B. John (Goodreads Author) 4.43 avg rating — 102,530 ratings — published 2014 — 63 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Star of the North 4.20 avg rating — 8,320 ratings — published 2018 — 58 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Flight From Berlin by David John, D.B. John (Goodreads Author) 3.72 avg rating — 790 ratings — published 2012 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Red Star Down 4.63 avg rating — 269 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

0 posts
D.B. John's Blog

D.B. John hasn't written any blog posts yet.

rss
D.B.’s Recent Updates

D.B. John is now friends with Readwithri
Feb 21, 2026 05:39AM · like
D.B. John and 3 other people liked Readwithri's review of Red Star Down: "Relatively based on actual events, Red Star Down is based around the 18 months that followed Donald Trumps first tenure as President. Readers follow the POVS of three consistent characters, and the occasional side character, in this harrowing, page tu" Read more of this review »
Feb 21, 2026 01:40AM · see review
D.B. John rated a book it was amazing Hiroshima by John Hersey	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This short book is a towering feat of reportage. Ten months after the atomic bomb dropped, Hersey interviewed six survivors. He tells their stories in a plain, just-the-facts kind of way. He offers no opinion or analysis or judgement. All that is lef ...more
Feb 15, 2026 02:21AM · like · see review
D.B. John rated a book really liked it The Prosecutor: One Man's Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice by Jack Fairweather	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4.5 stars. Very good, kept me up reading late. This is history telling at its best, told in a gripping compelling narrative and with a light touch (the stodge is reserved for the footnotes at the end). As an undesirable person from the Nazi point of ...more
Feb 14, 2026 10:14AM · 1 like · like · see review
D.B. John rated a book it was amazing The Sound Of One Hand: A Buddhist Life by Satyadasa Waterston	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Fantastic read. Well written, thoughtful, and very funny. It's so good I did wonder why it was published by such a small publisher, although that may have been the author's choice. This book deserves a wide readership. One man's long journey to Buddh ...more
Feb 14, 2026 08:34AM · 1 like · like · see review
D.B. John rated a book it was amazing Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, in Music Lessons by Jeremy Denk	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A delightful, funny, enlightening book written by someone so personable and self-deprecating that I feel as if I know him well. It is also superbly written. This is the memoir of Jeremy Denk, an American boy from an ordinary, non-musical family who, ...more
Jan 26, 2026 06:49AM · 1 like · like · see review
D.B. John liked Francis Kennedy's review of The Master of Ballantrae: "Great dramatic story about the lifelong enmity and conflict between two Scottish brothers after the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. James, the elder brother, is heir to the Durrisdeer estate and birthright Master of Ballantrae. However to preserve the es" Read more of this review »
Jan 17, 2026 09:46AM · see review
D.B. John is currently reading Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, in Music Lessons by Jeremy Denk	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 11, 2026 02:50PM · 1 like · like
D.B. John rated a book it was amazing Land of Mist and Magic: The Myths and Legends that shaped Britain by Philip Parker	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 23, 2025 06:08AM · like
D.B. John liked Francis Kennedy's review of Red Star Down: "I loved this exciting global spy thriller set in 2017-18. The plot is brilliant and cleverly interwoven into real events, yet at the same time fast-moving, twisting and unexpected, with some great scenes. It’s a story that accelerates. The characters" Read more of this review »
Oct 02, 2025 03:42AM · see review

More of D.B.'s books…

Quotes by D.B. John (?)

“His hair was fine and white, and cropped very short, like a lawn after an early frost.”
― D.B. John, Star of the North

2 likes

“No matter what someone’s race, age, gender, background, or creed, all humans know what it means to feel love, bereavement, guilt, regret, and so on—the experiences that shape character.”
― D.B. John, Star of the North

0 likes

“It shows”
― D.B. John, Star of the North

0 likes

See all D.B. John's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Lost Challenges: March Monthly: In the Crock Pot - Irish Stew	68	76	Apr 03, 2018 04:24AM
The Lost Challenges: Colors of the Month - Yellow	54	48	Apr 29, 2018 04:21AM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	2991	413	Aug 31, 2018 09:00PM
My Vampire Book O...: Clean up Your Coffin: September 16th to October 15th	56	39	Oct 30, 2018 06:06AM
The Lost Challenges: October Scattergories	45	51	Nov 02, 2018 07:43AM
The Lost Challenges: October Monthly- Dazed and Confused 25th Anniversary	78	78	Dec 01, 2018 04:32PM