Rebel a kráľovstvo

by Bradley Hope

Na prelome tisícročí bol Adrian Hong tichým študentom Yalovej univerzity, ktorý hľadal svoje miesto vo svete. Po tom, čo si prečítal desivú správu o živote v Severnej Kórei, uvedomil si, že našiel zmysel existencie, ktorý sa ohlasoval tak naliehavo, že bol rozhodnutý venovať mu aj svoj život.

To, čo sa začalo ako bezpečná cesta po vychodených chodníčkoch, sa čoskoro zmenilo na niečo nebezpečnejšie. Hong odcestoval do Číny, kde oklamal bezpečnostné služby a pomáhal Severokórejčanom žiadajúcim o azyl prejsť cez hranice. Medzitým Hongova tajná organizácia s názvom Čcheollimská občianska obrana začala sledovať aktivity severokórejskej vlády a jej nestabilného vládcu tretej generácie Kim Čong-una. Pri príprave plánov na exilovú vládu sa organizácia zamerala na severokórejských diplomatov, ktorí by sa dali presvedčiť, aby zbehli. Po šokujúcej vražde diktátorovho staršieho brata Kim Čong-nama za bieleho dňa v roku 2017 pomohol Hong spolu s veteránom americkej námornej pechoty Christopherom Ahnom dopraviť rodinu Kim Čong-nama do bezpečia. Hongova séria akcií vyvrcholila ozbrojenou raziou na severokórejskom veľvyslanectve v Madride – činom, ktorý dostal Ahna za mreže a z Honga spravil utečenca.

Kniha Rebel a kráľovstvo je vzrušujúcim rozprávaním o mužovi, ktorý sa obrátil chrbtom k bezpečiu, aby mohol žiť odvážne a podľa svojich zásad. Uznávaný novinár a spisovateľ Bradley Hope, ktorý v denníku Wall Street Journal odhalil množstvo podrobností o Hongových operáciách, prináša pozoruhodný príbeh o idealizme a šialenstve, arogancii a hrdinstve, v ktorom sa odohráva tajná bitka o budúcnosť najzáhadnejšieho a najznepokojujúcejšieho národa na svete.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Biography, Asia, Reportage, Journalism

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2022

About the author

Bradley Hope, based in London, is the New York Times bestselling co-author of Billion Dollar Whale and Blood and Oil. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Gerald Loeb Award winner. Formerly a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and a correspondent in the Middle East, Hope is co-founder of Project Brazen, a journalism studio and production company.

Reviews

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book about one young man of Korean ancestry who is so offended by the human rights abuses in North Korea that he tries to take it upon himself to effect regime change in North Korea. Good intentions lead to trying to help individuals escape to China and from there to US Consulate. Frustrated by most of his efforts he eventually tries to take over the North Korean Embassy in Spain. Sounds pretty good? Sounds better than it reads. Rather tedious recital of failed hopes and efforts. After a while it was obvious that this young man really had no idea of how diplomacy and US legislation differs from what he wanted to happen. About the midpoint of the book I had no more interest in the story, despite good research from author.

[Made by Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrian Hoàng was in American Korean, a student at Yale and a rebel without a cause. That is until he started hearing about the atrocities visited on the North Koreans. He Who would start a group for like-minded people and although he started this with the best intentions it would all in with him on the run from the US marshals. This book was so interesting I couldn’t put it down and when it was over I took to Google to find out more as much as I could. In the book one of his friends said people would ask in a criticizing tone why would you want to help people you don’t know and all I could think is why wouldn’t you want to help? It always breaks my heart to hear about the people living in North Korea in this book I learned about the class system in North Korea in about those living a slaves in prison camps and it’s all just so heartbreaking. I thought those who were kidnapped and held in North Korea against their will headed bed but I have yet to hear about anyone who’s had it worse than those who have to dig out coal all day long and eat corn mash for dinner, But this review isn’t about my opinions on North Korea is about my opinions on this book and I think everyone should read it it’s sad, inspiring, heartbreaking and riveting and so much more. I totally recommend this book and think the author did an awesome job telling Adrian story. I was given this book by Nat Gally and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily. Please forgive any mistakes because I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are my own.

[Weronika · Rating 4 out of 5]

To była bardzo chaotycznie napisana książka, autor za bardzo przeskakiwał w tematach i „akcjach”, do tego stopnia, że nie wiedziałam już o czym czytam. Sama postać Adriana Honga jest szalenie ciekawa, tajemnicza i pełna pasji (tak wynika z opowieści autora). Czytając tę książkę czułam taki dreszczyk szpiegowski, te misję, próby odbicia uciekinierów, ucieczki, i ukrywanie się. Trochę żałuję, że autor nie skupił się bardziej na działalności organizacji stworzonych przez Honga, ale i tak uważam, że jest to książka warta przeczytania, chociażby żeby zapoznać się z tematem Korei Północnej z innej perspektywy.

[Sandra || Tabibito no hon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trochę chaosu, mało przystępny styl, ale treść ciekawa i warta poznania. Zawsze jak czytam co się dzieje w Korei Północnej to to przeżywam i nie mogę uwierzyć.

[Tony Dúbravec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ak vas zaujima tema Severnej Korei, tato kniha vas nesklame i ked o tom zivote hovori z ineho uhla pohladu. Hlavna postava, Adrian Hong je povodom z Juznej Korei, narodil sa v Mexiku a zil v San Diegu. Tento chaos bol urcite jednym z dovodov, preco sa trapil pri hladani vlastnej identity. Nakoniec si vytvoril personu s jemnym mesiasskym komplexom, ktorej cielom bolo narusit stabilitu vladneho systemu v Severnej Korei. Kedze Kim Cong Un je stale neohrozenym lidrom krajiny, vieme, ze sa to Adrianovi nepodarilo. Napriek tomu to niekolkokrat skusil. Prave o zivote a cinnosti Adriana Honga a jemu blizkych spolupracovnikov je cela kniha Rebel a kralovstvo. Ak si chcete precitat o KLDR nieco faktograficke, odporucam sa poobzerat niekde inde. Ak chcete zaujimavy a obcas dramaticky pribeh, toto moze byt pre vas.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was a fascinating retelling of Adrian Hong's attempts to relocate North Korean refugees to safe places to start their lives over.

I have read several books written by former North Koreans but I hadn't read any about the people who were trying to help free them. Hong's history was a fascinating read. I found myself rooting for him throughout most of the book, despite knowing the end results of his last public mission. Hong was a compelling mix of boldness mixed with innocence and naivety. He truly believed in his cause but it seemed that his optimism had no basis in reality. If dreams could be willed into existence, he would have achieved them long ago.

It was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that an ivy league graduate who could have achieved material success beyond his greatest imaginings could believe in North Korea's imminent demise. It was equally amazing that his charisma and beliefs inspired so many others to embrace his beliefs. I have to admit how angry I was to read about how he roped his followers into following him without knowing his whole plan, jeopardizing their freedom and futures for potential extradition and jail time while he has disappeared into the ether and doesn't have to account for being the mastermind of the whole plan. I find that unforgivable.

[Lori Tatar · Rating 4 out of 5]

With naïveté, bravery and maybe a little insanity, this would be unbelievable if it weren’t true. A disillusioned, globetrotting university student squeaks through his graduation as he risks everything to literally change the world. He fights and recruits others to help eliminate one of the most cruel regimes in human history. Using unorthodox tactics and risking everything, Adrian Hong is a man who will not soon be forgotten.

[Li Ya 🪷 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo dobra lektura, przedstawiająca historię naprawdę niezwykłego mężczyzny.

[Emilythenightelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I was expecting a little more from this book, but I feel like I didn’t come out knowing more about the North Korean regime than when I started. It was extremely surface level.

Second it was extremely repetitive constantly and really wasn’t moving forward very fast. Yes Adrian was smart and passionate about North Korea but he goes on with this through out every chapter like a filler throughout the book. It just felt like Adrian was this passionate kid who didn’t care about who got in trouble for his pursuit to help people. He was reckless, which is emphasize constantly by the writer.

[Kony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I knew Adrian in college and was curious to see how this journalist made sense of his journey. I also wanted to learn more about the origins of LiNK (which he founded on campus 2 years after I graduated) and how Adrian's approach evolved over the years from grassroots activism, to lobbying, to underground organizing. And of course, having read about the 2019 Madrid incident in the media, I knew there must be more to the story than the press was reporting, and hoped to find additional nuance here.

This is by no means a perfect book, but it provided answers to my questions and kept me engaged. It gave me insight into Adrian's background and underscored the things he had in common with me and other target recruits to his cause. It also prompted me to reflect on why I chose to keep some distance from his projects even when I felt drawn to the cause -- there was a righteous, moralistic certainty in his tone that somehow didn't resonate with me.

More broadly, this book got me thinking about how much power so many of us have to make changes in our world. To support people in need. To shine a light on injustice. To say the unspoken things and foment cultural change. And there are so many reasons why people choose not to. Although Adrian did sometimes wax judgmental, he had clarity about this choice.

In the end, this book leaves me sad and reflective -- about the price paid by Adrian, Chris, and Sam for their efforts; about the state of North Korea; and about the untapped power we each have to move the needle towards reducing human suffering.

[Lesley Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book in that it is a true account of a young man of Korean ancestry who tries to help individuals escape from North Korea to China and from there to the US Consulate. He also attempts to take over the North Korean Embassy in Spain. Being rather naive the young activist failed in most of his efforts. Well researched by the author Bradly Hope this book fails to really capture one's interest.

[anchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - kinda interesting but not as good as expected, I feel some stories have been occurred repeatedly

[Klara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking read and definitely makes me want to understand more about history in the Koreas.

[Malena · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/3

[Ciaran Gowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read about a 3.6
Goodreads please let me use half stars you frauds 🙏

[Jeffrey Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well written book, small gripe with the title, I feel it would suffice to title the book 'The Rebel And The Kingdom' as it's stretching to call what went on 'The true story of the secret mission to overthrow the North Korean regime'. I also fail to understand why someone who graduated from Yale University was at one point called a 'College Dropout'?
There is no new information on North Korea for people well read on the subject, but it offers great detail on the events and circumstance that lead up to, and infiltration of, the North Korean Embassy in Madrid, Spain.

[Gabriela Ujma · Rating 4 out of 5]

długo się rozkręca, ale warto poznać tę historię , pomimo tego, jaka momentami jest szczegółowa i wnikliwa (coś dla fanów geopolityki;))

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a massive problem with books that fail to deliver on their title. In my opinion, the title of this book is the equivalent of clickbait headline.

Let's be very clear -- what happened at the embassy was not an overthrow attempt. It was a failed attempt to rescue a diplomat that involved staging a kidnapping to protect the family members of some of the diplomatic staff in Madrid. That's it.

That is not a "Secret Mission to Overthrow the North Korean Regime" any more than operations by groups that send USB drives over the North Korean border via balloons, smugglers who bring in copies of banned media, or the black markets that have been popping up throughout the country selling goods outside of the eye of the regime -- all of which, in my opinion, have a greater impact on challenging Juche and chipping away at the power of the regime.

This book makes the argument that if you can prove the infallibility of the North Korean regime, then that is a way of overthrowing the regime, because it highlights that they are capable of making mistakes (Juche ideology states that the Kims' are incapable of making mistakes).

While this book reads fine and gives a good overview of the people involved and the Cheollima Civil Defense, but, in my opinion, you can get just as much information reading the Wikipedia page about the incident.

If you want to read something about North Korea, check out The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future or A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea instead, or watch The Mole: Undercover in North Korea, which was a far more compelling case of regular people going against the regime.

Note: I edit this review on January 10, 2024 for periodic re-review of previously read books in 2023.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of Andrian Hong, a Korean Mexican young man who became aware of the plight of North Koreans during his university years at Yale and started looking for ways he could help the refugees. The book then chronicles how he moved from activism and helping refugees to looking for ways to help top people in the North Korean government defect and plotting ways for the common people in North Korea to be able to rise up and overthrow their oppressors.

Well that was one crazy true story. You can't help but admire Adrian's heart for suffering people, even if you don't agree with his methods all the time. The way this was written I thought maybe Adrian Hong didn't survive the adventures he created for himself but he's currently a fugitive hiding off the grid. The story outlines how sometimes the best meaning people can mess up others' operations if they jump into a situation without doing their homework and/or with too much tunnel vision (i.e. the situation he created in China for those who had already established underground escape routes for refugees). Adrian's biggest fault seems to be he has a tendency to jump in with a lot of enthusiasm without doing all the research or thinking through the ramifications fully. Having just read The Girl with Seven Names I couldn't believe Adrian thought the North Korean people were ready to revolt if only they had more communication abilities...that's not the picture you get from people like Hyeonseo Lee. It was interesting to read this after having just read that North Korean refugee's autobiography. They create an interesting contrast between the views of a fervent outsider activist and a former citizen. I read Melanie Kirkpatrick's Escape from North Korea years ago, which is now about a decade old, so it was interesting to read how things have remained the same or changed for the North Korean underground railroad since the publication of that book. I did find it astounding how much of the underground work is run by Christian organizations. It was also interesting to think about how the UN & US's focus on nuclear disarmament precludes discussions of human rights issues with North Korea it seems. Overall, this was an interesting book. I can see how they hope publication of this story will help Adrian and some of his fellow activists gain some justice in what seems like a bad misunderstanding with the Spanish government from a botched defect attempt. Recommended for those who like to read crazy biographies, modern human rights issues, and true crime (Adrian has been labeled a criminal but whether he is or not is up to the reader to decide).

Notes on content: 2 strong swears in a quote. Other than that I don't remember much of anything else language-wise. No sexual content. (It is mentioned that some North Korean refugees can be caught in bad circumstances and taken advantage of, but no details.) Deaths and suffering in North Korean prison camps are mentioned but aren't really described much at all. Deaths from starvation are mentioned, and disappearances (presumed deaths) of those who cross the North Korean government are mentioned. One person is arrested for joining Adrian in an attempt to help someone defect and his prison experiences are mentioned (the food situation is what is talked about most).

[Richard MacIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating true story about a young Korean-American from California who while in college at Yale reads about the horrors of North Korean prisoners. Determined to do something to help the thousands of prisoners in North Korean gulags, he involves other friends, many at Yale and elsewhere, mostly Korean Americans who have only lived in the States, in efforts to help rescue and alleviate the challenges of escapees from North Korea.
During these efforts, he and others determine they must try to destroy the North Korean regime, and develop high-technical means of trying to disrupt the country.
Ultimately, several friends and he seek out North Korean diplomates worldwide with whom they secretly communicate about possible defection. They actually do aid a few in defection, and go on a mission to Madrid, Spain, to help one escape.
In that effort, a problem arises, and his team of secret personally connected young men, all Korean Americans seeking to change North Korea (plus one young escapee from a terrible life in North Korea) become fugitives in the US.
To this day (as of April, 2022, when the book was published), at least three of them are still facing a threat of deportation back to Spain and possible jail sentences there or even risk of death by North Korean agents.
Part of the intrigue is that they shared all of their information with ‘friendly’ CIA agents in the US who subsequently shared all their information with the judiciary in Spain. As a result, Spain has reason to believe they were undercover CIA agents who entered the North Korean embassy to free the ambassador there.
This book was rated as the best read of the year in an interview on “North Korea Watch,” and I found it compelling and hard to put down. The most intriguing tale I’ve read in a long time! And I’ve read a lot about North Korea after visiting there with a non-profit organization over a dozen years ago.
The details are well documented by the young author, Bradley Hope. Another Korean-American author, Yeonmi Park, writes, “Hope tells this inconceivable and heart-wrenching tale with compassion, humanity, and integrity.”

[Palwai]

Completed reading
"The Rebel and The Kingdom"
by #BradleyHope

It's a gripping work of investigative journalism that reads like a spy thriller while uncovering the extraordinary true story of #AdrianHong, a quiet yet determined activist who became central to an underground movement against the #NorthKorea's Kim regime. The book blends political intrigue, personal sacrifice, and the moral ambiguities of activism, painting a portrait of one man’s quest to dismantle one of the world’s most secretive dictatorships.

The Author traces Adrian’s transformation from an idealistic #YaleUniversity graduate into a global dissident, navigating alliances with intelligence agencies, defectors, and shadowy organizations. The narrative dives deep into the operations of #FreeJoseon, a clandestine group that staged bold missions, including a dramatic embassy raid in #Madrid, while seeking to liberate North Koreans from oppression.

What makes this book compelling is its balance: it neither glorifies nor condemns Adrian, but instead raises tough questions about the price of rebellion, the limits of democracy’s reach, and the thin line between heroism and recklessness. Hope’s fast-paced storytelling, backed by meticulous research, keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

Overall, The Rebel and The Kingdom is a fascinating, thought-provoking read for anyone interested in geopolitics, human rights, or the hidden battles waged against tyranny.

[Till Eckert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This true story is very captivating and Bradley Hope does a good job painting the characters out in his book. It revolves around the question what it takes to challenge a highly misanthropic autocracy like North Korea is. The people who took on this mission are all very smart and (businesswise) succesfull people in their own ways. Adrian Hong is the centerpiece, but i found his closest ally equally interesting—and i wish Hope would have give him even more space.

That leads me to the tiny bit of critique i have: coming from a standpoint of knowing most of the informations one can get about the NK system, the book had its lengths for me. Even if the author wrote in his foreword the book is for people familiar with NK, it became pretty technical at times. Sometimes there are pagelong or even chapterlong analysis and backround/historical facts about politics (sometimes also about the US and its relationship with NK). I get it: the author wanted to underfeed the story, but i more than once had the feeling: that wasn‘t really important for the story, wasn‘t it?

Bradley Hope is at his strongest when he writes about the human side of things, when he get‘s self referencial and writes out of an observer eye like a reporter. I can‘t wait for his next project, and also to get a hand on his older work, like Billion Dollar Whale.

[Mh Weyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story! This was coincidentally read by me just after reading another story about life in North Korea as told by escaped defectors. I had to wonder when reading this if any of the defectors had come across Adrian Hong. This tells his story of convictions that led to creating a bold but discreet organization to help fleeing North Korean defectors. Adrian knows full well the ramifications for the families left behind. This and his desire to create real, lasting change in North Korea prompts more and more daring escapes. The last of which culminated in his disappearance and the likely potential death of another organizer, as of summer 2022 still an unfinished story. Bradley Hope, journalist that he is, leaves it up to the reader to decide whether it was a case of a good guy gone vigilante or whether there was true and pure motivation. Hope knew Adrian Hong and is inclined to side with the latter. I am inclined to believe that the Christian foundation that is referred to in several places, is the curious heart behind the completely sold-out attitude and actions of Adrian Hong (rather than pure idealism). Whatever the case, I couldn’t but help pray for them as their lives and their families’ lives will never be the same because of their courage to save others. No doubt, God used them to save many. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sounds like fiction, but it's true: a Yale graduate who sets out to take down the North Korean regime. After encountering the narrative of a North Korean escapee, Adrian Hong finds a cause that will propel him from the potential promising life of a Yale student to his current status as wanted fugitive. Hong begins by setting up a campus organization dedicated to the North Korean cause. From there, his views and the organizations and connections he builds grow ever bolder and more risky. He travels campuses and conferences speaking on the North Korean cause, meets with politicians and wealthy businessmen cultivating connections, and sets up a successive series of organizations that become more radical in mission. His ambitions grow from assisting North Korean refugees to aiding defections to an eventual goal to take down the North Korean regime and help shape its future. My opinion on Hong shifted throughout the course of the book: his dedication, his naivete, his boldness, his impatience. His actions more than once end up jeopardizing his peers, the people he hopes to help and their families, other North Korean aid organizations, and even geopolitical events. Hong comes across as both fascinating and mysterious, admirable and dangerous.

[Brittany E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so incredibly well researched and well written. I was hooked from the first page. The book tells the story of Adrian Hong Chang, a man intent on stopping the human rights atrocities that are happening in North Korea. It follows his start as a young college student and activist all the way to his current situation as an international fugitive. Throughout the book you also learn about North Korea, their history as well as their current conditions. I learned so much about what a lot of great people are doing to try to help North Korean citizens and how much more should be being done. I can't even tell you how many times I had to stop what I was doing to tell my husband or best friend about something I had just read. I feel like I learned something new on every page. I flew through it and it is one of the situations where truth is stranger than fiction. The entire thing read like a political spy thriller. Bradley Hope did such a great job telling this story and I think that it is a story that should be heard. I absolutely recommend this book!





I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Abhishek Dafria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thrill of a good book is unmatched! After reading the earlier two books of Bradley Hope (the previous ones were co-authored), I knew his latest work could not be any less exciting and I was spot on. The Rebel and the Kingdom is the story of a rather common but driven man who had this dramatic bold idea of uprooting the North Korean leadership. And the way he goes about is nothing less than a Tom Cruise thriller - or at least that is how Hope’s book reads. It is a very interesting and humanising story that deserves to be more well known around the world which is one objective that the book fulfils. It is also a tale of how determined men can change the course of human history, make a substantial difference, inspire many along with them. The key protagonist here is no Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King but nonetheless, his lofty ideas and his grit and resolve are worthy traits to admire, and who knows what the future lies… maybe here is someone who will indeed bring about a meaningful and positive change in human history. In the meantime, Bradley Hope - keep finding such stories and writing them!

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a revealing look inside North Korea's regime-"the only communist country run by a dynasty"-of now 3 generations-who totally repress the people by total thought control & propaganda of the ruling Kim family as divine & unimpeachable, starvation, many concentration camps where up to 200,000 people are confined at any one time, with a life expectancy of 6-7 years, and total obstinacy in relations with foreign powers through the medium of its nuclear arsenal & long range missiles, built against foreign futile opposition. The rebel is Adrian Hong Chang (a Korean-Mexican citizen who has lived most of his life in the US) & had committed himself to helping NK escapees & later still to forcing regime change in NK through several organizations he ran, financed, through a cellular structure of which he was the keystone. He has now gone underground to protect himself against possible arrest for his latest catastrophic attempt at exfiltrating the N.Korean ambassador to Spain-& possible assassination by Kim agents. His associate Christopher Ahn was arrested & is out on bail, fighting extradition for trial in Spain, so far successfully.

[Lance Hillsinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rebel and the Kingdom is the second book by Bradley Hope I have reviewed. I gave Billion Dollar Whale a very favorable review. Rebel and the Kingdom, while not as good, still merits four stars.
Like so many authors these days, presumably to increase sales, the author begins having a dramatic first chapter (technically a prologue) – a first chapter that is chronologically out of order. An out-of-sequence chapter robs the reader of suspense. A biography of Lincoln would not start with Ford’s theater, so Hope’s book should not have begun with the most dramatic scene in the narrative.
The storyline is compelling, and Hope provides relevant but not excessive historical context. There are several relevant photographs and a map to help tell the story. However, the subtitle “The True Story of the Secret Mission to Overthrow North Korea” overstates the narrative. A more accurate subtitle would be “Amateurs take on North Korea.”
Even with an overstated subtitle and out-of-sequence first chapter, The Rebel and the Kingdom deserves more than three stars, but certainly not five.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to write out all of my thoughts but it would be too long of an essay so I'll try to keep it short. Although I don't know much about him personally, I have a ton of respect for Adian Hong's work in helping North Korean defectors. His goal of overthrowing the NK government is extremely ambitious, but I find his passion relatable and the fact that he has been able to make an impact is impressive. I loved that this book gave me more insight into Adrian Hong, LiNK, Free Joseon, and the people surrounding the organizations. I'm especially fond of Christopher Ahn now and I'll be following his case closely.

I appreciated the political and historical overviews of NK and, of course, the details about the Madrid embassy raid that I hadn't heard anywhere else. I also learned a lot about the assassination of Kim Jong Nam that I find terrifying and fascinating. I'd honestly recommend this to anyone regardless of their level of obsession with North Korea. I find it inspirational that one man's obsession can have such an effect (whether good or bad) on politics and people's lives.