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Under the Same Sky: From Starvation in North Korea to Salvation in America
A searing story of starvation and survival in North Korea, followed by a dramatic escape, rescue by activists and Christian missionaries, and success in the United States thanks to newfound faith and courage
Inside the hidden and mysterious world of North Korea, Joseph Kim lived a young boy’s normal life until he was five. Then disaster struck: the first wave of the Great Famine, a long, terrible ordeal that killed millions, including his father, and sent others, like his mother and only sister, on desperate escape routes into China. Alone on the streets, Joseph learned to beg and steal. He had nothing but a street-hardened survival instinct. Finally, in desperation, he too crossed a frozen river to escape to China.
There a kindly Christian woman took him in, kept him hidden from the authorities, and gave him hope. Soon, through an underground network of activists, he was spirited to the American consulate, and became one of just a handful of North Koreans to be brought to the U.S. as refugees. Joseph knew no English and had never been a good student. Yet the kindness of his foster family changed his life. He turned a new leaf, became a dedicated student, mastered English, and made it to college, where he is now thriving thanks to his faith and inner strength. Under the Same Sky is an unforgettable story of suffering and redemption.
Inside the hidden and mysterious world of North Korea, Joseph Kim lived a young boy’s normal life until he was five. Then disaster struck: the first wave of the Great Famine, a long, terrible ordeal that killed millions, including his father, and sent others, like his mother and only sister, on desperate escape routes into China. Alone on the streets, Joseph learned to beg and steal. He had nothing but a street-hardened survival instinct. Finally, in desperation, he too crossed a frozen river to escape to China.
There a kindly Christian woman took him in, kept him hidden from the authorities, and gave him hope. Soon, through an underground network of activists, he was spirited to the American consulate, and became one of just a handful of North Koreans to be brought to the U.S. as refugees. Joseph knew no English and had never been a good student. Yet the kindness of his foster family changed his life. He turned a new leaf, became a dedicated student, mastered English, and made it to college, where he is now thriving thanks to his faith and inner strength. Under the Same Sky is an unforgettable story of suffering and redemption.
288 pages, Unknown Binding
First published May 5, 2015
168 people are currently reading
4728 people want to read
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June 28, 2015
Anytime you finish a book the same afternoon that you pick it up, it's usually a good sign that it's compelling. I am deeply impressed with the selection of North Korea memoirs that are on offer and how each one paints a different picture of a different life, a different person, but yet manages to share the same hopes for a better future.
In particular, Joseph Kim's book is unique in a few regards; it continually struck me that he is my peer in age (only four years younger than myself) and so I reflected constantly on where I was and what I was doing with my own life during his various ordeals. That created a powerful reminder that these accounts are really happening, happen to real people, and continue to happen. It's a powerful thought.
Finally, the epilogue was particularly compelling. Many defector accounts end with "and then I made it to America and everything was okay." But the adjustment period is difficult and I enjoyed getting a glimpse of it.
In particular, Joseph Kim's book is unique in a few regards; it continually struck me that he is my peer in age (only four years younger than myself) and so I reflected constantly on where I was and what I was doing with my own life during his various ordeals. That created a powerful reminder that these accounts are really happening, happen to real people, and continue to happen. It's a powerful thought.
Finally, the epilogue was particularly compelling. Many defector accounts end with "and then I made it to America and everything was okay." But the adjustment period is difficult and I enjoyed getting a glimpse of it.
June 6, 2019
This book is hard.
This book is gritty at times.
But, this book tells the actual life story of a North Korean deflector who God had His hand on the entire time.
~*~*~
After watching numerous TED Talks and researching about the organization Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), I quickly placed an order for this book after hearing Joseph Kim's story. [YouTube link to his TED Talk]
I'm truly not a non-fiction reader. With the type of content reviews I do, it's easy to feel like I'm nit-picking someone's life and their experiences. The truth of the matter is that real like isn't pretty. I'm sharing the main content from "Under the Same Sky" below for those to see if they can handle the content featured and discussed in this novel.
It's a hard read, but it's one that should be read.
"As American Christians, we can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening worldwide to our brothers and sisters" -Dede Laugesen
Content:
Fighting, hitting, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); 1 ‘b*tch’, 1 ‘hell’, 2 ‘what the hell’s, 2 ‘damn’s, 4 ‘bastard’s, Many mentions of pain, fighting, beatings, blood/bleeding, & killings (including a husband beating his wife, up to semi-detailed on all); Mentions of graves, dead people, & bodies (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of executions, public executions, & firing squads; Mentions of the propaganda of anti-America that North Koreans are taught & killing (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of rumors of eating humans & children during a famine; Mentions of rumors about killing & selling children; Mentions of stealing & thieves; Mentions of gambling; Mentions of drinking, alcohol, & alcoholics (Joseph does drink a bit a few times); Mentions of cigarettes & smoking (Joseph, like most North Korean teens, smoked); Mentions of eating dogs, rats, & frogs during a famine; Mentions of superstitions, ghosts, & shamans; A few mentions of using the bathroom; A mention of suicide.
Sexual Content:
Mentions of girls being sold as “bride slaves” (sex slaves) or to brothels as prostitutes and raped repeatedly; Mentions of rapes & girls being sexually abused (it’s mentioned that he never heard of a boy being sexually abused); A mention of women selling their bodies to get food; A mention of not getting married or having sex after a loved one’s death; A mention of kicking someone in the privates; A mention of girls’ figures being full.
This book is gritty at times.
But, this book tells the actual life story of a North Korean deflector who God had His hand on the entire time.
~*~*~
After watching numerous TED Talks and researching about the organization Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), I quickly placed an order for this book after hearing Joseph Kim's story. [YouTube link to his TED Talk]
I'm truly not a non-fiction reader. With the type of content reviews I do, it's easy to feel like I'm nit-picking someone's life and their experiences. The truth of the matter is that real like isn't pretty. I'm sharing the main content from "Under the Same Sky" below for those to see if they can handle the content featured and discussed in this novel.
It's a hard read, but it's one that should be read.
"As American Christians, we can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening worldwide to our brothers and sisters" -Dede Laugesen
Content:
Fighting, hitting, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); 1 ‘b*tch’, 1 ‘hell’, 2 ‘what the hell’s, 2 ‘damn’s, 4 ‘bastard’s, Many mentions of pain, fighting, beatings, blood/bleeding, & killings (including a husband beating his wife, up to semi-detailed on all); Mentions of graves, dead people, & bodies (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of executions, public executions, & firing squads; Mentions of the propaganda of anti-America that North Koreans are taught & killing (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of rumors of eating humans & children during a famine; Mentions of rumors about killing & selling children; Mentions of stealing & thieves; Mentions of gambling; Mentions of drinking, alcohol, & alcoholics (Joseph does drink a bit a few times); Mentions of cigarettes & smoking (Joseph, like most North Korean teens, smoked); Mentions of eating dogs, rats, & frogs during a famine; Mentions of superstitions, ghosts, & shamans; A few mentions of using the bathroom; A mention of suicide.
Sexual Content:
Mentions of girls being sold as “bride slaves” (sex slaves) or to brothels as prostitutes and raped repeatedly; Mentions of rapes & girls being sexually abused (it’s mentioned that he never heard of a boy being sexually abused); A mention of women selling their bodies to get food; A mention of not getting married or having sex after a loved one’s death; A mention of kicking someone in the privates; A mention of girls’ figures being full.
July 29, 2015
The writing skill is not 4 star, but much slack is given for that aspect as he has had English for few years, and still struggles. It has only been 6 or 7 years since the change of emigrating from North Korea thru China has occurred for this very young man. Much of the book is year by year, no- month by month of his life from the time he was 5 years old.
So many fiction or non-fiction reads upon 1st World problems have readers reporting weeping and flushing emotively in their reviews. Of course hardship or grief has no solid boundary for emotional reaction. BUT- to me, majority of these people problems pale in comparison to Joseph Kim's story.
His spirit and honesty for his own hard held perceptions, committed acts he admits he did to stay alive but morally questions, and his just plain integrity for his own declared faults are exceptional. Exceptional not just for an immigrant or a refugee or an orphan adventurer- any category his example may encompass- but exceptional for a human being. Highly exceptional.
He was poor at school, he took his sister's sacrifices for granted and he enjoyed an only son status in a patriarchal system that gave that position highest perks. And yet, this governmental and societal system dehumanizes every position but the ruler's to such an extent- that even that perk mattered zero in the end.
This is about starvation. Pure decades long group dying. One year there is food and yet again no food for two. This is watching others leave or the conversations held as loved ones encourage you to eat weeds. Or dig for tiny snails and try to dig out the speck.
But the story is told in such a way that the hunger is always accompanied by the integrity of the person who is suffering it. And what happens to humans who are dying and yet trying to live under these limited choices is not told gratuitously but in heroic, and usually positive looking honesty.
Empathy doesn't alter horrific situations, it just makes us "aware" that they exist and we can sympathize with the sufferers. As if the awareness changes a system so far away from us or the current particulars, as this N. Korean horror? Nope, it doesn't. Actions do.
In this particular situation individual actions made the entire difference for Joseph. And in several cases there was no "empathy" taken or expressed by those individuals for large proportions of the process either. And a few people on the way held rejection with the information to escape. What mattered was the action that followed.
Oliver Twist or David Copperfield experienced day trips to the urban zoo in comparison to Joseph's tale.
The hair on my arms was raised when he wrote of being more terrified upon the anarchy than demoralized by the physical suffering. That feeling when you see people acting in groups of mobs where there is absolutely no one or entity in control over long periods of time. That he can speak of it so bluntly was awe inspiring to me. It's similar to being in war zones? Maybe worse, because there is no "side" or compatriot. Anything could happen. Afraid to sleep. Not just for a day or a week, but for months on end.
He was smuggled through by a Christian church pathway. He sees things in Brooklyn now that he still cannot parse or have "normal" reactions to/with the surrounding population. This I very much understand. He still feels such deep sorrow over his losing knowledge of what has happened to his older sister. She was sold as a "China" bride and lost to him and he prays he can find her someday. If she is still alive.
This book relates much about the North Korean culture, especially in marriage and funeral, or child to ancestor obligation and honor particulars.
Joseph made me laugh out loud more than a few times. I do not think I know any male of any teen age or above age that loses their pants with a 27 inch waistband because they are too big. Nor an adult male who is trying to get all the way up to 30 inch waist size pants. The smile on the back cover is priceless. Watch out NY girls!
So many fiction or non-fiction reads upon 1st World problems have readers reporting weeping and flushing emotively in their reviews. Of course hardship or grief has no solid boundary for emotional reaction. BUT- to me, majority of these people problems pale in comparison to Joseph Kim's story.
His spirit and honesty for his own hard held perceptions, committed acts he admits he did to stay alive but morally questions, and his just plain integrity for his own declared faults are exceptional. Exceptional not just for an immigrant or a refugee or an orphan adventurer- any category his example may encompass- but exceptional for a human being. Highly exceptional.
He was poor at school, he took his sister's sacrifices for granted and he enjoyed an only son status in a patriarchal system that gave that position highest perks. And yet, this governmental and societal system dehumanizes every position but the ruler's to such an extent- that even that perk mattered zero in the end.
This is about starvation. Pure decades long group dying. One year there is food and yet again no food for two. This is watching others leave or the conversations held as loved ones encourage you to eat weeds. Or dig for tiny snails and try to dig out the speck.
But the story is told in such a way that the hunger is always accompanied by the integrity of the person who is suffering it. And what happens to humans who are dying and yet trying to live under these limited choices is not told gratuitously but in heroic, and usually positive looking honesty.
Empathy doesn't alter horrific situations, it just makes us "aware" that they exist and we can sympathize with the sufferers. As if the awareness changes a system so far away from us or the current particulars, as this N. Korean horror? Nope, it doesn't. Actions do.
In this particular situation individual actions made the entire difference for Joseph. And in several cases there was no "empathy" taken or expressed by those individuals for large proportions of the process either. And a few people on the way held rejection with the information to escape. What mattered was the action that followed.
Oliver Twist or David Copperfield experienced day trips to the urban zoo in comparison to Joseph's tale.
The hair on my arms was raised when he wrote of being more terrified upon the anarchy than demoralized by the physical suffering. That feeling when you see people acting in groups of mobs where there is absolutely no one or entity in control over long periods of time. That he can speak of it so bluntly was awe inspiring to me. It's similar to being in war zones? Maybe worse, because there is no "side" or compatriot. Anything could happen. Afraid to sleep. Not just for a day or a week, but for months on end.
He was smuggled through by a Christian church pathway. He sees things in Brooklyn now that he still cannot parse or have "normal" reactions to/with the surrounding population. This I very much understand. He still feels such deep sorrow over his losing knowledge of what has happened to his older sister. She was sold as a "China" bride and lost to him and he prays he can find her someday. If she is still alive.
This book relates much about the North Korean culture, especially in marriage and funeral, or child to ancestor obligation and honor particulars.
Joseph made me laugh out loud more than a few times. I do not think I know any male of any teen age or above age that loses their pants with a 27 inch waistband because they are too big. Nor an adult male who is trying to get all the way up to 30 inch waist size pants. The smile on the back cover is priceless. Watch out NY girls!
May 21, 2016
Though not 4 star writing, a compelling story told with great humanity.
April 16, 2015
Despite the detailed horrors of starvation, violence, loss and betrayal the author expresses in "Under the Same Sky," I never felt the story to be completely without hope or heart. There are times I felt guilty for enjoying the book, because the author, Kim, really lives through some truly dark and unbelievably awful years. His constant hunger and struggle to survive, and not only survive but connect with another human being who won't leave or betray him somehow, is written in a genuine and appealing voice. Kim also does a good job of bringing in and giving life to the good things in his life even when the threat of starvation clung to him (and everyone around him). Kim's sister, Bong-Sook, is a bright star and I really loved her (and it's plain how much Kim realizes over time how good she's been to him and that he loves her, too). Kim's father is also a positive influence on him and there are just as many other good people who help him, as there are people who refuse to help or prove to be cruel to him. It's a well-balanced book (I also like how the author tries to look at both sides of a story, to try and understand there are sometimes reasons behind bad behavior, not to excuse the bad behavior, but he does try to give people the benefit of the doubt when he can) about a boy who beats the odds and survives to become a man who's not doomed by the hardships he endured in North Korea, but is instead a man with hope, education, friends, dreams, and a future in America. Inspiring, easy to understand, and honest in a personal way that draws readers in and doesn't let them go until the last page.
August 5, 2023
#azjatyckimiesiąc z Agacią shubiektywnie
Poruszająca. Ciężko ocenia się takie książki, jednak czegoś mi tu zabrakło do 5 gwiazdek
Może przydałby się jakiś komentarz na koniec spinający opowieść narratora
Poruszająca. Ciężko ocenia się takie książki, jednak czegoś mi tu zabrakło do 5 gwiazdek
Może przydałby się jakiś komentarz na koniec spinający opowieść narratora
January 22, 2018
3.5 stars
This book is a bit difficult to review. I read "the girl with seven names" before this book and from that book I learned a lot about North Korea, so I felt like I already knew most of the information in the book. I still learned a lot especially since the authors had different lives and the author of this book was alone and had to resort to begging during the famine. However, the author of the girl with seven names faced many difficulties in China and those parts were an interesting read. I did get bored at the end of it and read the chapters quickly.
The saddest parts are when he talks about his sister, I really hoped he would find her but there was no mention of that and I could not find out if he found her later on or not.
It was also terrible when he lived off of stealing especially by breaking into homes, it was a difficult time for everyone and the family in the home might have gone through a lot to get the food that he stole with his association. I do understand that he was young and trying to survive but it's just a thought.
I liked the book but I was not as interested in it as the girl with seven names, it might be because I learned a lot from the first one so lost some interest in this book. I do recommend reading it. I wanted to know how life would be for someone in North Korea who was less fortunate so I read this book. I did sometimes feel like it could have been shorter.
This book is a bit difficult to review. I read "the girl with seven names" before this book and from that book I learned a lot about North Korea, so I felt like I already knew most of the information in the book. I still learned a lot especially since the authors had different lives and the author of this book was alone and had to resort to begging during the famine. However, the author of the girl with seven names faced many difficulties in China and those parts were an interesting read. I did get bored at the end of it and read the chapters quickly.
The saddest parts are when he talks about his sister, I really hoped he would find her but there was no mention of that and I could not find out if he found her later on or not.
It was also terrible when he lived off of stealing especially by breaking into homes, it was a difficult time for everyone and the family in the home might have gone through a lot to get the food that he stole with his association. I do understand that he was young and trying to survive but it's just a thought.
I liked the book but I was not as interested in it as the girl with seven names, it might be because I learned a lot from the first one so lost some interest in this book. I do recommend reading it. I wanted to know how life would be for someone in North Korea who was less fortunate so I read this book. I did sometimes feel like it could have been shorter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2015
I've read a few stories about North Korea, but Joseph Kim's is the one that certainly moved me the most so far. It's beautiful, heart breaking, and inspiring. It's a clear story with memories, and dates that I found myself identifying with. This little boy's struggle to understand a world that was collapsing around him, losing his father, and the never knowing of what has happened to his sister and mother.
There are several reasons, I loved this book. It's written by a contemporary. A person of my generation, and near my age. To think that this was happening to him thousands of miles away in North Korea while I enjoyed my merry carefree life here in America, in someways, it haunts me, but even with it's haunting story and yet, it is filled with hope.
This is a book I want to purchase for everyone on my Christmas list to read, to understand and comprehend. there is so much going on out there in the world, and North Korea is one that I feel is very much neglected and ignored.
Please read this book, get it from your library, or purchase it from where 100% of the price goes back into helping North Koreans escape and build better lives.
There are several reasons, I loved this book. It's written by a contemporary. A person of my generation, and near my age. To think that this was happening to him thousands of miles away in North Korea while I enjoyed my merry carefree life here in America, in someways, it haunts me, but even with it's haunting story and yet, it is filled with hope.
This is a book I want to purchase for everyone on my Christmas list to read, to understand and comprehend. there is so much going on out there in the world, and North Korea is one that I feel is very much neglected and ignored.
Please read this book, get it from your library, or purchase it from where 100% of the price goes back into helping North Koreans escape and build better lives.
February 18, 2021
I’m putting myself out there with giving this book five stars. Why would I give a book where someone is starving the whole time five stars?! Because:
I found myself talking on multiple occasions to people around me about it.. “Did you know this was happening? We don’t know even know hunger! Let alone starvation...!”
I was excited to sit and read it any chance I had.
The story moved at a good pace. I was pleased throughout the book with details he decided to expound or when he decided to move on.
I highly value a book that opens my eyes to an issue I had no idea was happening, a book that teaches me something. So hence the five stars.
The story of his life is disappointing, devastating and painful but that’s his reality and I think it was well depicted.
I found myself talking on multiple occasions to people around me about it.. “Did you know this was happening? We don’t know even know hunger! Let alone starvation...!”
I was excited to sit and read it any chance I had.
The story moved at a good pace. I was pleased throughout the book with details he decided to expound or when he decided to move on.
I highly value a book that opens my eyes to an issue I had no idea was happening, a book that teaches me something. So hence the five stars.
The story of his life is disappointing, devastating and painful but that’s his reality and I think it was well depicted.
July 23, 2015
Kim's story is horrifying. It's different from many of the other stories of DPRK defectors I've read in that Kim was pretty much a child when he escaped North Korea and was motivated to leave first and foremost by starvation. The epilogue was heart-wrenching and the acknowledgements even more so. Kim's perspective is that of a child fighting to live homeless, starving, and without family in the DPRK; there are more comprehensive accounts of life in North Korea, but this personal, sad story of a young boy's struggle to stay alive is definitely worth a read.
April 20, 2021
I've read several North Korea memoirs and I just find them all so eye-opening. Absolutely appalling things are happening in this country. Unacceptable things that we accept (because I guess we have to).
Joseph Kim lived starving and poor as a child in North Korea. His family was torn apart eventually, all trying to get out of a situation that would eventually kill them. They had no food, ate things like bark, etc., and his father died of liver cirrhosis caused by starvation. Heartbreakingly, his sister was probably sold into sex slavery in China, and the worst part is she's still there and he's never been able to find her. This fact has just wormed its way into my brain and has taken hold, bothering me at a low level pretty much all the time. He wrote poignantly about saying goodbye to her the last time he saw her, but casually, because he didn't know it was the last time he'd ever see her.
Amazingly, Kim now lives in New York and has gone to college, and seems to be quite a success. Having done that as an American who grew up privileged is one thing, but he basically went from almost dead and starving and sleeping in a field, to speaking English and living in Brooklyn and going to college in not very many years. I can't even imagine the shift in worldview. Each of these memoirs I have read communicates deeply the almost unimaginable mindshift this entails. It's like going from living on Mars to living on Earth.
Joseph Kim lived starving and poor as a child in North Korea. His family was torn apart eventually, all trying to get out of a situation that would eventually kill them. They had no food, ate things like bark, etc., and his father died of liver cirrhosis caused by starvation. Heartbreakingly, his sister was probably sold into sex slavery in China, and the worst part is she's still there and he's never been able to find her. This fact has just wormed its way into my brain and has taken hold, bothering me at a low level pretty much all the time. He wrote poignantly about saying goodbye to her the last time he saw her, but casually, because he didn't know it was the last time he'd ever see her.
Amazingly, Kim now lives in New York and has gone to college, and seems to be quite a success. Having done that as an American who grew up privileged is one thing, but he basically went from almost dead and starving and sleeping in a field, to speaking English and living in Brooklyn and going to college in not very many years. I can't even imagine the shift in worldview. Each of these memoirs I have read communicates deeply the almost unimaginable mindshift this entails. It's like going from living on Mars to living on Earth.
May 28, 2018
This North Korean refugee memoir ends on a much more hopeful note than the first one I read, so for that reason alone, I would recommend this one for anyone interested in the topic. Be warned, though, that the hope is a long time coming. I could only read a couple chapters at a time in certain portions of the book. It's heavy reading.
Also be warned: after reading this book, you might go straight to your computer to look up North Korea relief agencies to find out ways you can help!
Also be warned: after reading this book, you might go straight to your computer to look up North Korea relief agencies to find out ways you can help!
August 25, 2015
Dang. It’s not an enjoyable read as the subject matter is just too grim, but it’s important and moving. The story of a North Korean refugee who survived the famine, he doesn’t hold anything back, and it’s deeply depressing. When the population of an entire country lives on the edge of survival, they’re barely human. Any sense of loyalty, morality - humanity - goes out the window and all that’s left is survival. So sad.
It has particular resonance for (South) Koreans because those are our people, our siblings, our cousins. There’s a train of thought out there that seems to think that people around the world basically get what they deserve, and that their outcome in life mostly reflects their just rewards. I don’t know how any Korean can read this and feel that way. We’re exactly the same people, arbitrarily divided, and the only thing that separates our comfortable lives from their misery is luck, providence, circumstances beyond our control.
It has particular resonance for (South) Koreans because those are our people, our siblings, our cousins. There’s a train of thought out there that seems to think that people around the world basically get what they deserve, and that their outcome in life mostly reflects their just rewards. I don’t know how any Korean can read this and feel that way. We’re exactly the same people, arbitrarily divided, and the only thing that separates our comfortable lives from their misery is luck, providence, circumstances beyond our control.
July 24, 2023
Wonderful book. Under the Same Sky tells a story that everyone should know. Joseph is such an inspirational and humble man. His strength and perseverance is incredible. The book makes me want to do everything in my power to help the North Korean people.
September 17, 2024
3.5 stars rounded down. In Under the Same Sky, Joseph (Kwang Jin) Kim (b. ~1990) recounts his North Korean childhood, starvation, the tragic implosion of his family, and his homelessness before managing to escape to China as a teenager in 2006, where he found respite with Christian missionaries and immigrated to the US through the nonprofit LiNK (Liberty in North Korea) organization. This memoir, cowritten by Stephan Talty, is a tough, dark read - lots of childhood trauma, depictions of very challenging events, and cruelty -- the worst event being . It's told largely in a child's voice, similar to Javier Zamora's memoir Solito about his traumatic border crossing, with occasional adult perspectives thrown in. The vast majority of the book focuses on Kim's childhood and early teen years pre-escape -- I would have enjoyed learning more about his acclimation and experiences in the US.
Further reading:
The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
My statistics:
Book 210 for 2024
Book 1813 cumulatively
Further reading:
The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
My statistics:
Book 210 for 2024
Book 1813 cumulatively
September 1, 2019
Any book detailing the unimaginable horrors of living through the famines in North Korea of the 1990s and into the 2000s is going to be compelling and wrenching - Kim's tale adds to the body of work written by people who have managed to escape North Korea to tell their tales. No little boy should have to watch his father starve to death, knowing his father's biggest fear is that his children will starve without him. No matter how many times you read about people resorting to eating thistles and weeds off the mountainside, and watching grandparents sacrifice their lives in hopes of preserving enough food for their grandchildren, it never becomes something I can truly wrap my head around as I sit in my home with a cabinet and fridge filled with food nearby.
With that said, if you are going to only read one book about North Korea I would recommend A River in Darkness instead, or maybe even Nothing to Envy or A Thousand Miles to Freedom -all sadly books about the same subject matter but better written. That feels bitchy to say about a book about someone who has gone through so much. .. Tragic as this is, it becomes a little plodding at times.
With that said, if you are going to only read one book about North Korea I would recommend A River in Darkness instead, or maybe even Nothing to Envy or A Thousand Miles to Freedom -all sadly books about the same subject matter but better written. That feels bitchy to say about a book about someone who has gone through so much. .. Tragic as this is, it becomes a little plodding at times.
June 7, 2025
I’ve read several memoirs by North Korean escapees, but Under the Same Sky was, by far, one of the hardest for me to get through—not because of the writing, but because of the rawness of the journey. From the first page to the last, Joseph Kim’s story is filled with heartache, survival, and a quiet resilience that stays with you long after you finish.
What makes this book stand out is the author’s openness. He doesn’t shy away from the darkest parts of his past—hunger, homelessness, and moral compromises made out of desperation. There’s a striking honesty in how he shares both his failures and his hope, and that makes this memoir feel deeply human and relatable, even when the context is worlds apart from most of our experiences.
This isn’t an easy read emotionally, but it’s a necessary one. If you’re looking for a true story that reminds you of both the depths of human suffering and the strength of the human spirit, Under the Same Sky is worth your time. It’s sobering, humbling, and makes you pause to reflect on your own life and perspective.
There are so many quiet lessons here. Then again, I probably won’t skip many books written about North Korea. Each story matters.
What makes this book stand out is the author’s openness. He doesn’t shy away from the darkest parts of his past—hunger, homelessness, and moral compromises made out of desperation. There’s a striking honesty in how he shares both his failures and his hope, and that makes this memoir feel deeply human and relatable, even when the context is worlds apart from most of our experiences.
This isn’t an easy read emotionally, but it’s a necessary one. If you’re looking for a true story that reminds you of both the depths of human suffering and the strength of the human spirit, Under the Same Sky is worth your time. It’s sobering, humbling, and makes you pause to reflect on your own life and perspective.
There are so many quiet lessons here. Then again, I probably won’t skip many books written about North Korea. Each story matters.
October 20, 2023
I've read other memoirs about North Korea, but usually they're all about political prisoners who defected. This was my first time reading about the life of the average person living (and starving) in a world that is rapidly falling apart around him. Kim's memoir was heartbreaking, raw, and very vulnerable. It was hard to read, but absolutely fascinating and I could not put it down. What struck me throughout the reading, too, was how devoted he was to family, even though family constantly let him down, abandoned him, and rejected him. I think that God has a very special plan for him.
March 1, 2022
The injustice of it all!! Tears of joy that Joseph made it out of North Korea. But tears of sorrow for all those who continue to suffer and die unnecessarily. Thank you for sharing your story, Mr Kim.
November 4, 2018
Rounding up from 3.5 stars, because it’s an important subject we know little about - life in North Korea. Perhaps I struggled some to get thru it because it was so depressing, and difficult to understand such hunger & desperation during a famine. (Own)
June 18, 2019
totally didn't read this in just an hour
July 12, 2023
One of the best books I’ve read on life in North Korea!
Read
February 9, 2025(no rating because i don’t like giving ratings to memoirs)
very interesting, but also depressing read and provides a good insight into life in North Korea
very interesting, but also depressing read and provides a good insight into life in North Korea
November 2, 2025
Strasznie trudno jest ocenić czyjeś życie i historię
December 9, 2021
Simplistic writing style, true story of how one man survived famine and hardship in North Korea before fleeing for freedom. A story sadly however, representative of millions who suffered and died
May 15, 2022
poruszający opis głodu, cierpienia
January 5, 2020
Well it was a bit slow in the beginning but it got way better in the end.
February 23, 2022
A surprisingly powerful story of life in North Korea and eventual escape from hardship and starvation.
August 7, 2015
Joseph (Kwang Jin) Kim's recounting of his early life in North Korea is a poignant reminder not to forget those in need. It is not a light read, as young Kim faced numerous brutal events and chronic starvation from the years of famine. But this is a story that every caring person should know about. It is also a good read for Americans because it will provide insight into how North Korean refugees may view them and their culture. Overall, it was a beautifully written and emotionally moving biography that I will be pleased to add to my shelf!
Note: These kinds of biographies cannot easily be verified by documentation, as the refugee would have left important papers behind in their country of origin (or in Kim's case, have been too young to have any in his possession anyway). However, it does seem to relate to behavior and North Korean society seen in Shin In Geun's book, Escape From Camp 14, which is also unverifiable. The author may choose to omit, alter, or fictionalize parts of their story and still publish it as non-fiction, most of the events, places, and people are true but perhaps happened in different order, etc. Bearing that in mind, I do recommend this book!
Note: These kinds of biographies cannot easily be verified by documentation, as the refugee would have left important papers behind in their country of origin (or in Kim's case, have been too young to have any in his possession anyway). However, it does seem to relate to behavior and North Korean society seen in Shin In Geun's book, Escape From Camp 14, which is also unverifiable. The author may choose to omit, alter, or fictionalize parts of their story and still publish it as non-fiction, most of the events, places, and people are true but perhaps happened in different order, etc. Bearing that in mind, I do recommend this book!
March 8, 2017
A personal look at what it was like to live and grow up in North Korea during extreme famine. Heart-breaking yet hopeful narrative. I would like to know more about his journey after he arrived in America. I was disappointed that he didn't describe more of his spiritual journey. It seemed like the Christian church reached out to him when he was at his lowest point. He embraces his understanding of scripture, he accepts salvation, but once he makes it to America he doesn't again mention the Church, the Bible, or his spiritual journey. Perhaps it ended when he no longer "needs" God and when his new goal is to get into an Ivy-league college. Still an amazing story that is worth reading for Americans like me who did not have an awareness of the living conditions of many North Korean people who were struggling to survive in the early 2000's.
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