Nothing to Envy

I have been interested in North Korea since Rachel moved to Seoul some years ago. Jill and I visited her there and took a side trip to the DMZ. We learned some of the politics and history of the country and through Rachel we began to understand the nature of the relationship between the people of the 2 Koreas. I read some books, saw some videos and learned more about North and South Korea. We enjoyed Seoul, -an immaculately clean city, one of the biggest in the world with so much to offer for visitors and locals. Certainly Seoul is one of the great cities of the world. Why then, is North Korea so messed up, and is it really or is that just the western view? Barbara Demick is an American journalist and a good writer. She does not sway into a 'report speak' type documentation as some journalists do, but her writing manages to flow nicely and is worth reading at length, although after about 3/4 of the book I found that the the story had been told. I enjoyed it. She interviews North Koreans living in South Korea and focusses on a few of the more interesting stories. It seems that there are people in NK who are not satisfied with the regime, and even see its limitations and its inequities. They plan to escape, make their way to China, and then sometimes to SK. Their new lives are compared to their old ones and it makes for an interesting read, far more thoughtful than "Camp 14" but to be fair, Camp 14 is not meant to be a wholistic view on life in NK, not that "Nothing to Envy' aspires to that, but it does more to explain the conundrum that is North Korea.

Camp 14

This book is the shocking account of a man who was born into a concentration camp in North Korea, his life there from birth, his escape, and his new life in South Korea and the USA. It is a difficult story to continue to read because of the oppression people had to endure in the camp, -the devasting lack of compassion for others as perpetuated by the regime, and the culture of the North Koreans in general. What a horrible country. The people know little of what's going on is other countries, that they are the joke of the world for believing in their leaders, and even if they know the truth, that North Korea has nothing and will continue to be impoverished for no other reason than they are forced into oppression by misguided leaders, there is nothing they can do about it but follow the cult so as not to be osteracized or imprisoned for their thoughts or actions. The thing is that the leaders are not much better off. They are living better than the people, but it is all based on an ideal that never was. I am a socialist, and often wrestle with my ideals in a capitalist society that I benefit greatly from. North Korea cliams to be communist but nothing is given back to the people. I find it extremely difficult to see any redeeming factors in the way that the government treats its people. They starve, they hurt for medical treatment, they have nothing for entertainment or diversions, and many of them don't get paid even though they are working hard, because the companies they work for are broke. Government policy ensures this. There is no reason for it to be this way and no matter what your beliefs are politically none of it makes sense on any level. Camp 14 is an easy book to read as far the writing style and content goes, -dialogue not too tough, and the concepts are easy to understand, which is to say -painful. I am not sure what the outcome is except to make westerners aware if they are not already, that North Korea is indeed a hermit kingdom, a cult of personality, and all fucked up even worse than what we knew. The sensational aspect and the compelling story of human triumph are enough to recommend this book. It also serves as a warning against absolute belief in anything.

Seeker

Seeker (2005) is the first book in the Noble Warriors trilogy, written by William Nicholson. I read it in 2011. I did not read this set farther than the first book, -I thought it was not going to get better, not that it was bad, just not very compelling. There is some weird plot about the sun and sacrifices and a kid saving a bunch of people, his rise to glory etc. I don't recall a lot but I liked it fine.

Carrie Mac, Unity

Carrie Mac lives on the Sunshine Coast, and Mary bought her truck, with the pink 'unity' sticker on the back, from her. She is a wonderful author. The trilogy called the Droughtlanders is a very good read. As with the Foon set, I read them quickly and couldn't wait to get the next book since we only had the first one in the library until I bought them all. I recommend them to all the students. Again, it is set in a post-apocalyptal land, -the 'droughtland' where water is like gold. The Keylanders have all the stuff and continuously screw over the have-nots using violence to keep the water for themselves. It is the story of a Keyland kid who has a meany for a brother and a creep for a dad. The boy learns that his mom is secretly a Droughtlander infiltrator and soon he follows her out into the badlands where he learns the truth. He finds out he has a sister and more adventure and intrigue ensues. I deeply enjoyed this set, and advertise it to the students as a fun read.

More Foon

Having read and enjoyed "Scud" by Dennis Foon, I thought I'd give the Longlight Legacy a try, starting with "The Dirteaters." I read through all 3 books quickly and with vigor as they are great adventures. Similar to Tales of the Otori, a kid is orphaned by a group of bad asses, and has to make his own way in the world. I think it is true that there are only 7 plots in fiction. Anyway, this is far more interesting than much of the YA I have read; Foon conjures up a fantasy world unlike anything I have read so far. Yes, there is the haves and the have-nots with an evil empire, the City, but there is more here than elsewhere as far as character development, plot, setting, theme and mood. The author cleverly guides his readers through a series of quests and adventures, all different and even surprising. The lead kid is a thoughtful action figure, not as cliche as some but still the whole thing where he has to save the future and whatnot. The Dirt Eaters, Freewalker, and The Keeper's Shadow are all recommended by me to all ages, starting at about 13. The books also have a powerful message of stewardship. Longlight is lovely, but surrounding areas are so polluted and toxic that they cannot be lived in.

Tales of the Otori

Tales of the Otori, by Lian Hearn consists of 3 books, (don't they all!) titled: Grass for his pillow Across the nightinggale floor Billiance of the moon I read them all and liked them for their action. The characters were just okay, not bad but not tremendous endearing. The settings were great though and the story was nice. Takeo, a boy orphaned by some bad guys quests to find fame fortune truth and whatnot. Aimed at grades 5-9 I think, set in a ficticious feudal era Japan, it is a saga of the hero's rise to power, but sadly it has very old fashioned ideals on relationships, certainly not as bad as feudal times but Hearn could have done better considering he wrote the series in the 2000's, hopefully a time when authors refute outdated sentiments of gender inequality, and don't perpetuate them. He is however, creative and talented.

House of Scorpion

Nancy Farmer's "House of Scorpion" is a very interesting book. It is an adventure, and a warning about cloning and drug trafficking. The novel chronicles the early life of Mateo, a boy who finds out he is a clone of El Patron, who he refers to as his grandfather, a man who uses body parts of his clones to replace his own as they wear out; he lives to 148 or so. El Patron is also a drug lord in a land on the Mexican-American border called Opium, which he secured by promising to control the cross border drug flow. Genetic manipulation and some type of operational or chemical lobotomies are performed on Mexicans who get caught trying to reach a better existence in America. They are turned into slave workers for the Cartel. The kid escapes and finds out what is really going on in the outside world, but it may not be any better than the fake but idyllic world of his childhood. He realizes he will be harvested as soon as his parts are ripe for El Patron. Farmer is a clever and creative writer, and I have recently acquired more of her work for our school library.