Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

by Sungju Lee, Susan Elizabeth McClelland

Every Falling Star , the first book to portray contemporary North Korea to a young audience, is the intense memoir of a North Korean boy named Sungju who is forced at age twelve to live on the streets and fend for himself. To survive, Sungju creates a gang and lives by thieving, fighting, begging, and stealing rides on cargo trains. Sungju richly re-creates his scabrous story, depicting what it was like for a boy alone to create a new family with his gang, his “brothers”; to be hungry and to fear arrest, imprisonment, and even execution. This riveting memoir allows young readers to learn about other cultures where freedoms they take for granted do not exist.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, History, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Asia

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2016

Reviews

[Sungju Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear friends,

if I summarize my book, Every Falling Star, there are three words for me to share with you.

HOPE, COURAGE, LOVE.

You will figure out how these values made me strong on the street while you are reading it.

Hope is never lost.

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

North Korea is indeed a Hermit Kingdon: a true-to-life dystopian nation.
It's against this backdrop that my story takes place.

This book really made me want to learn.

Before reading, I knew some things about North Korea. I had a vague understanding of how the North and South were split and how the communist North is one of the most restrictive countries in the world. I sort of knew something about the godlike worship of the Supreme Leader - Kim Jong-un. And that's... basically it.

This memoir, however, was fascinating. Both as a starting point for learning about what it's really like to grow up in North Korea, and as a way of fostering further learning. As soon as I finished, I found myself reading articles about North Korea. I read the travel warnings on the U.S. and British government websites. Which made me curious about whether it was even possible to visit North Korea - it is, and certain companies organize guided tours. I then went on to read articles from those who had visited. I don't think I'd ever dare, but it was very interesting to get their perspective.

Of course, the most fascinating thing about North Korea and this memoir is the way the cult of personality works. The deeply-ingrained notion that Kim Jong-un is an almost magical being, someone to be revered, a perfect specimen of humanity leading the best country on Earth. It is actually illegal to mishandle any images of the Supreme Leader, never mind speak out against the regime.

Sungju Lee recounts his childhood through the 1990s famine. He begins in Pyongyang, a naive child with blind faith in his leader. This later changes as his family is forced to move to a poorer area of the country where the locals are starving and executions are a regular occurrence. We see the complete lack of awareness that is characteristic of the more fortunate North Koreans, especially children - their belief that everyone is provided for and no one goes hungry.

It reads like one of those American cult novels - where an isolated town in the midwest is seduced into a way of thinking by a charismatic leader - but it's completely real and on a much larger scale.

Eye-opening and terrifying.

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[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly insightful, heartbreaking and fascinating read. As someone who's not as educated on North Korea and it's history as they'd like, I found this to be such a brilliantly educational and page turning read. I loved the way it was somewhat simply written, meaning it was very easy to follow and understand, yet at moments it read almost like fiction and I had to keep reminding myself that, in fact, this is very much true life. I'd highly recommend this to any one who, like me, are looking for something to help begin their education on North Korea and it's history. SungjuLee shares his heartbreaking, incredible and brave story, one I'm very glad to have read.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: Parental abandonment?? I guess?? Death of a friend, sexual abuse.

I was really really intrigued by this book after reading Yeonmi Park's In Order to Live last year. Both books tell the story of teenagers struggling to survive in North Korea and ultimately escaping. Both stories are autobiographies. Both stories are incredibly harrowing and full of horrifying events.

The difference is that this one? Yeah, this one is aimed at young adults.

So I was interested to read it and see if it felt like it had been sanitised in any way to make it suitable for young readers.

It really hasn't. Lee's story is VERY different to Park's. The majority of her autobiography deals with escaping North Korea and what happened after she escaped. In contrast, Lee's is really almost exclusively about life *IN* North Korea.

At the age of ten, his family is sent away from Pyongyang after his father - a high ranking military officer - does something that angers the powers that be. And their lives change forever. They go from extreme wealth to seeing how the rest of North Korea really lives. They go from luxury to eating squirrel meat to survive. Lee goes from having his future all planned out to having both his parents leave him, both insisting they'll be back in a week, never to return. He finds himself on the streets at the age of 11, and the book follows him until he leaves North Korea unexpectedly at the age of 16.

So yes, it's about the horrors of life in North Korea. But it's also about the friendships that he made, about how extensively he travelled to survive, about how while he and his friends were forced to steal and fight in order to survive, it was still a thousand times better than being in a government facility.

It doesn't sugar coat things for teenagers, and it's pretty stinking great for an autobiography that's aimed at young adults.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This book was enlightening. I already familiar with the situation in North Korea, its relation with South Korea and the world. But. I didn’t know how people are loving there. Sadly, a lot of the content was something we’d read about in dystopia or alternative universe. A must read for anyone who want to learn more about Notth Korea.

[Kris Mauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"At twelve years old, I now had to look after myself. I had no one to rely on to guide me to make the best decisions for my life. I had no one to come home to who would hold me and make me feel the world was safe."

This is the most powerful book I have read this year.
It's full of hope, bravery, courage, and some brutal truth of how lucky we all are.
It's such a special story that I recommend this book to EVERYONE.. Even if you don't usually read memoirs, I promise you will enjoy this because it's targeted towards a young audience.. In which it's told in a flowing story that you are sure to appreciate.

READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE


*Quotes listed above are subject to change.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandfather told me that love burns brighter than any star, so bright that love can be seen and felt from one end to the other. One day, when those children on other planets see our dead earth, it will be your light they see, not Kim Il-sung's or Kim Jong-il's. But the light of people like you

I'm writing this review with tears streaming down my cheeks. This is the first book about North Korea that I've read. Sungju Lee's voice is so raw and emotionally charged as he relates the story of his adolescent years in North Korea during the 1990's. It is also about a young man's awakening from naive child who believes his country is perfectly fine to realizing that not all people are treated equally.

As a teacher, I'm eager to have this book in my English Language Arts or Contemporary World classes because of its youth friendly layout. A glossary is included and an introduction of Korean history also helps students become somewhat oriented to the story.

I know some people are wary of 5 star ratings, but I know this book will linger in my memory for a long time.Check it out when it hits bookstores in September.

Thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is written through the eyes of a boy and a teenager. And it is too hard for me to describe the hardships of suffering from starvation, let alone the states of mind this 10 or 11 or 15 year old experienced. You'd have to read his voice yourself. Seeing friends die. Going to executions at lunch period during 3rd or 4th grade.

Starvation for people who have such "faith" or belief per se in the goodness of the leader? It's so hard for me to imagine their total knowledge or context mindset. But this does it.

I thought it only lost a star in the manner of boy eyes told. Not that this is a bad thing at all. But it has limits to the larger picture observances. I'm sure of it. He can't explain the lacks or the gangs in other matters but the only kind he can hold cognition for existing.

I understand leaving a child in these dire conditions to seek any access to anything eatable. But I doubt I could do it.

Only the toughest and the fittest survive.

All Americans should read this. Or people who eat. Daily. North Korea and China in various times has played this out repeatedly. For idealist "sharing"? Or is it just power mongering brutal.

[Paris (parismaereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Quick Takes:
- 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️‍🔥 none
- Content 🤔 real world experience with brutality, fighting, poverty, off page inferences to rape and prostitution

Every Falling Star follows the true events of the author, Sungju’s, life from age 9-16. It is an eye opening account of life in North Korea and stark reality and contrasts between the elite and “accepted” and the impoverished rest of the nation. It brings up thought provoking themes including propaganda, racism, and political corruption.

Some of my favorite books my mom read to me and my siblings growing up were memoirs. Every Falling Star would make a great read aloud (or read along) for parents and teens. Younger teens would benefit from parental guidance with the heavier themes throughout the book.

Every Falling Star is a powerful testament to human hope, resilience, and formative relationships. Would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about North Korea.

[Laubythesea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corea del Norte es un país opaco (por decirlo suavemente), las noticias de lo que ocurre en el interior de sus fronteras llegan a cuenta gotas y filtradas y/o censuradas por la estricta mirada del régimen, quienes visitan el país, normalmente periodistas ofrecen una pequeña ventana a lo que les dejan ver que, honestamente, poco tiene que ver con la realidad del país.
 
Por eso tienen tanto valor los testimonios de personas norcoreanas, como quienes han conseguido escapar y tienen el valor y la fuerza de contar su historia, para permitirnos conocer el horror que viven muchos de los habitantes de este país. Sungju Lee, con ayuda de Susan McClelland (periodista especializada en derechos humanos), cuenta en ‘Estrella fugaz’ su infancia y adolescencia en Corea del Norte, y cómo logró salir de allí.
 
La narración se enfoca en pasado, como el recuerdo que es, para partir de como a principios de los 90s, SungJu Lee y su familia viviana holgadamente en Pyongyang, sin embargo, la caída en desgracia de su padre, quien pierde el favor del gobierno, hará que se vean obligados a mudarse a una localidad del norte, donde conocerán el hambre y la pobreza extrema. Donde, de un día para otro, el protagonista deja de ser un niño que sueña con convertirse en un gran militar para luchar día a día por su supervivencia.
 
Se narran con gran entereza los años que Sungju Lee pasó como kotgebi, chico de la calle; y vemos, como él, cientos de niños buscan sobrevivir cada día robando para comer, mendigando y durmiendo donde se pueda, bebiendo, fumando opio para evadirse... y saber que quienes logran huir como el protagonista, son una ínfima minoría es absolutamente sobrecogedor. Al mismo tiempo, consigue emocionar con como se forjan ‘nuevas familias’ a partir de las amistades entre kotgebi, quienes al menos lograr huir de la soledad.
 
Una historia de esas que se te queda dentro. El enfoque de la visión de un niño funciona de maravilla para despertar tu empatía y te ayuda a ver los ojos muy distintos a los tuyos (que ya vienen con un conocimiento previo) como las personas de Corea del Norte ven su realidad. La historia muestra muy bien, con la calma que requiere, como se van desmoronando poco a poco, las esperanzas y confianza que Sungju Lee tiene en su país, donde siempre ha oído que “los niños son los reyes”. En cualquier caso, es importante saber que Sungju Lee busca contar su historia, su vida en esos años como fue y cómo la recuerda, no se mete en otros temas y cuestiones que te surgen como lector que quiere saber sobre la vida en Corea del Norte, como la hambruna acabó con la vida de miles de personas aquellos años… aunque suficiente hace Sungju Lee también os digo.
 
Una visión cruda y real de la vida de muchas personas en Corea del Norte quienes, lejos de la “buena vida” de una minoría en la capital, solo conocen la pobreza, el hambre, los robos, las ejecuciones, la pérdida, la desaparición de familiares… y la lucha por seguir adelante. También muestra las dificultades de la reinserción, puesto que los problemas no se acaban cuando los norcoreanos logran escapar de su país.
 
¿Recomiendo leerlo? Sin ninguna duda.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how to describe this book! I don't know where to even begin!

I hate auto-biographies. I find them then extremely boring and often-times long winded. Every Falling Star is a not your regular biography. The writing style, maybe because of the target audience, made it very easy to read. I found myself wanting to skip work and read this, I looked forward to reading it every day. I believe that this will be a very informative read for older readers, maybe about the same age as the author was when he had this experience. Younger readers may find it (a) extremely scary and (b) might not be able to fully understand the gravitas of this story.

I'm not sure if this is translated, I doubt it though but if it is, it is such a fluid translation and one of the best I have ever come across. I feel truly honoured that I was given the opportunity to read this ARC.

I recommend this for fans of Between Shades of Grey and The Book Thief. Every Falling Star offers a perspective that is definitely unique not only in YA and MG literature, but in literature overall. I look forward to owning a hard copy of this book as part proceeds will go to charity. I hope schools and libraries definitely invest in this as it will add an invaluable aspect to our understanding of the world.


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for approving my request for a free digital copy in exchange for a honest review.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini Review: This memoir is undoubtedly a very important book. For me, this is only a three star read due to the simple yet somewhat sluggish writing style that made this a bit of a chore to push through. I would still recommend this, and I definitely feel like I want to learn more about North Korea now, seeing as I had virtually no knowledge of it before.

[Zornitsa Grozdeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

За протокола: пиша това ревю в момент, когато в новините бе публикуван разказ на млад руснак за преживяванията му в летен лагер в Северна Корея, и стотици мои сънародници са възхитени от режима и копнеят да живеят под диктатура.
И този факт ме шокира повече от написаното в самата книга.

Откровено казано, трудно ми е да дам на подобна книга определение като "хубава", въпреки че има всички характеристики да е такава - стилът на писане, водене на разказа от първо лице и подбраните моменти, които да бъдат включени в историята, са без забележки. Фактът, че я изчетох за два дни също говори достатъчно. Но нечия борба за оцеляване просто няма как да е "хубава".

Малко са нещата, които ме карат да се радвам, че съм се родила в България и едно от тях е това, че не съм се родила в Северна Корея. За разлика от СунгДжи, който има късмета да дете на един от приближените на Вечния президент Ким Ир Сен. Семейство се радва на удобства, почести и привилегии, докато живеят в Пхенян - могат да си позволят да посещават опера, театър, увеселителен парк, уроци по тае куон до, наслаждават се на хубава храна в обилни количества, имат хубави дрехи и обувки. Сунгджи учи в елитно училище, където, разбира се, отрано на децата се вменяват две основни неща:
Първо: култът към личността на Ким Ир Сен, който бива описван подобно на Бог "превърнал пясъка в ориз, за да нахрани гладните и шишарките в гранати, за да въоръжи армията си". Всяка сутрин започва с разказ за великите му подвизи.
Второ: Япония, Южна Корея, САЩ и целия загиващ запад са врагове, които само дебнат да нападнат тоя рай неземен Чосон.

Разликата между Пхенян, наричан от хората в провинцията "Златният град", заради огромната разлика в стандарта на живот в столицата и извън нея, е истинска пропаст.
След смъртта на Великия вожд семейството на Сунгджи изпада в немилост и е изпратено в изгнание в село близо до китайската граница. За свикналото с охолен живот дете е трудно да приеме, че разказите на съучениците му за липсата на храна и дрехи са истина.

Не искам дори да си представям какво е да откриеш, че всичко, в което си бил учен да вярваш е лъжа. След напускането на столицата, книгата става доста брутална в описаните събития. Не ми се иска да вярвам, че децата от цяло училище редовно са водени да гледат екзекуции на "предатели"(които често са хора, прибегнали до кражби, за да не умрат от глад). И тук в средата на 90-те брояхме стотинките и стягахме коланите, но чак толкова зле, че деца да умират (буквално) от глад, семейства да продават дъщерите си на китайците, за да имат пари за храна, която също е кът, стотици деца да остават без дом, защото в отсъствието на родителите им - тръгнали по съседни градове в търсене на хранителни продукти, - "брокери" си присвояват къщите и ги продават на нови собственици, чак толкова зле не е било. Трудно ми е да повярвам, че това се е случва в годините между 1997-ма и 2000-та и докато аз съм се учила да карам колело, деца като СунгДжи са се учили как да крадат хляб от пазара, за да не гладуват. А деца убиват други деца за правото да плячкосват в определен град.

Книгата е отрезвяващо четиво.
Радвам се, че И Сунг Джи или както там е истинското му име, е успял да оцелее след всичко това и е събрал куража да го разкаже.

[Jaksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terribly important book about a more-than terribly important subject, the brutal conditions and treatment that much of the citizens of North Korea are forced to endure. Sungju pulls no punches, is honest about himself, his country, what happened to him and how he finally was able to escape into South Korea.

That's all I have. Four stars.

[Erin Entrada Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The things that people survive—and how they manage to turn those tragedies into something incredible—never ceases to astound me.

[Kelly]

My knowledge of life in North Korea is that it is not enviable, and Lee's memoir shed even more light on what "not enviable" meant. Having been raised in the capital city the son of a member of the military, Sungju didn't know what the rest of his country looked like. Everything had been accounted for and life seemed great. But when his father insists they "go on vacation" to another part of the country, it's anything but the life he knew before. Soon, his father disappears, then his mother disappears, and Lee is left to his own devices to survive. He joins a gang of boys, a life of violence, theft, drugs, and alcohol, and sees that life in North Korea is worse than he could have ever imaged.

This is a hard-to-read but fast-paced and engaging memoir. It was as action-packed as any survival novel, but it was made more challenging knowing this is a true story and that life like this exists today. Teen readers who pick this up will definitely be interested in learning more. It's an interesting read alongside any immigrant stories, particularly those of Mexican immigration to the US.

Interesting takeaway: I was reading this and wondering what Lee's father did that caused them to have to move so suddenly. I kept wondering if I'd missed something, but the epilogue sets it straight -- we can't know because the danger is so high, even today, even now, that Lee can't say what happened for fear of his life and the lives of his family.

[Yibbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sungju’s story is incredibly heartbreaking. The author has done an incredible job of capturing Sungju’s experiences and retelling them as through a child’s eyes. It powerfully captures his confusion, terror, pain, fear, hate, suffering, despair, loss, sorrow, loyalty, and hope. He starts his story in Pyongyang so we understand the privilege and comfort he was born into. Then with the same abruptness he experienced, that section ends and we travel along with him as he struggles to adjust to a new life of poverty. Then his life takes an even more desperate turn for the worse as he finds himself alone.
I think part of the unique power of this book is the 'not knowing'. Sungju doesn’t know why his life has changed so we, the readers, don’t either. He doesn’t know where his parents are so neither will we. He doesn’t know why there is a famine so we don’t either. He doesn’t know why his culture is the way it is so we don’t either. Obviously, we do know some of those things, but he doesn’t break the narrative to explain them to us. At the very end of the book, we do learn some of those things, but only as Sungju does.
At the very end of the book, he indicates that he may have come to know Christ. I would have loved to know more about this. There are many details about his prayers and beliefs while he was in North Korea, but only the briefest mention that he attended a church in South Korea and didn’t yet know Christ. That left me hanging.
My library has this book shelved as juvenile non-fiction. I’m not sure I agree with that classification. It is very delicately written, but it still includes mentions of his work with prostitutes and the depravity that engulfs girls on the streets. All of it is delicately spoken of, but I don’t think it is appropriate for a young audience.

[Aja: The Narcoleptic Ninja · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me a little longer to read than I thought it would. The pace was a little bit sluggish at times and it was harder for me to pick it up and want to go back to reading it. Overall, the story was fascinating and I'm glad that I read it, but I'm not sure this would be on the top of my recommendations list for people who are looking to learn more about North Korea and its people.

[Huda Fel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of survival and hope.. It tells you that "you can't jus wait for hope to come for you, you have to go out and find it".
I feel humbled, and really privileged to read this book, without being a part of it.
So much to learn, so much to feel and so much to explore.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Morality is a great song a person sings when he or she has never been hungry."

Once I watched I video about movies in North Korea, and how people designed special devices to sell illegally to Koreans for them to follow the world's movies. It was funny(in a sad way) until I read this book. People don't even have the right to watch normal movies like we do, they don't have opportunities for knowledge like we do.
Before you read this book, know that it contains abuse in any way.
I did not know North Korea's cruelty. I was aware of the basics, but this book reveals a horrible place. Sungju Lee's memoir is emotional, inspiring in so many levels, and scaring at the same time. The differences in ranks and the cities are huge; while one side is suffering terribly from hunger and cold, the other side has everything.

"I think, when we stop dreaming, we're just as good as dead."

Sungju lives in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea. He has a better life than most of other citizens but he is not aware of this since everyone in the capital has high status. He plays military games with his father, he is told how America is the devil, how Japanese are evil. He wants to work for his country, like everybody else he adores his leader. When they have to move from the capital, and he discovers the reality of his country we also experience shocking details and stories.
One part specially stood out for me, they don't know the existence of a greater source, the God or the universe. Whatever you choose to call, people don't even have this freedom. But in the book his mother and him has a special moment with the religion issue. "I think the worst thing anyone can do is make them stop believing in something higher, something good, something pure, a reason for everything -hope, maybe. God, maybe."
As a 12 year old, he has to go through so much, he endures everything, he even finds himself a family. No matter how hard the situations are, he doesn't stop hoping.
This is an easy read, the writing is not particularly embellished but I think the story covers the gaps perfectly. After all, this is a real story, and this is one of the many real stories that people live everyday.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a portrayal of Sungju Lee's life in contemporary North Korea as a teenager. Having grown up in an elite family, one day his family was expelled from Pyongyang for reasons that are not disclosed, but in exile Sungju's parents both disappeared, leaving him in the streets. The rest of the story I will not spoil for you, but it is a narration of his life so far, and it will definitely tug on your heart strings. It made me very emotional, knowing that this is reality for not only him, but many, many more people in North Korea, only that we don't know because the North Korean regime is doing such a good job of hiding everything they do and the world in general just doesn't seem to care. This book is definitely eye-opening and I definitely think everyone should read it, if only to educate themselves on what life in North Korea is like.

Every Falling Star comes out tomorrow, September 13, 2016.

[Aimal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks so much to the publisher and the website for granting me the opportunity to read an ARC of this.

Sungju Lee’s Every Falling Star is a true story; not only that, but it is a memoir. And reviewing memoirs is always tricky- you are not afforded the luxury of judging plot and characters as if they are fictional people. You are not given the comfort of saying “this was too much to handle” because the truth is, it isn’t too much. It’s all real. I have never reviewed a memoir before, and I will try to do it with the sensitivity and poise Sungju’s story deserves.

Because despite my final rating of three stars, I maintain that his is an incredibly important, incredibly disturbing story about a world that reads more like science-fiction, dystopian than realistic fiction. It’s an incredibly moving story about one child’s perseverance, his determination to do something with everything thrown at him. A story about love, family, friendship, hope and pushing through. A story so jarring and alarming that it makes your problems in your own life seem like blessings. Because here we are, worrying about lipstick that’s too expensive, or not enough coffee in the mornings- and there Sungju was, consuming bugs, salt and water simply so he could live, burying dear friends, wondering if either of his parents were alive.

Sungju Lee had a good life in Pyongyang- he was in a good school, had a nice house, his parents were well-off and had a wonderful relationship with him. Every night, Sungju would lie next to his pet dog, talking about all the things on his mind. Until one day, something his father did got them kicked out off Pyongyang. He loses his home, his dog, his life; Sungju and his parents move north. Life up north is completely different from what our protagonist was used to – they don’t have much to eat, and the people in his school talk about violence and executions. Sungju comes to realize that the country he had grown up to worship and adore isn’t as perfect as he had once thought. One thing leads to another, and Sungju finds himself on the streets at the tender age of twelve. He falls in with a gang, pickpocketing, stealing, smoking and drinking, getting into fights merely to survive. Sungju takes his readers – step-by-step – on a harrowing journey, from his good life to a point where he might as well not be living at all, until he finally escapes North Korea and makes a life far from our very own dystopia.

Like I said before, this is an incredibly important book. North Korea is a fascinating enigma; shut off from global society, virtually impossible to get into without an organization, virtually impossible to meet someone who escaped its confines. Your only information comes from documentaries and the media- and who knows how reliable they are? This is where Sungju comes in- told with such honest simplicity, his first-hand account of everything he witnessed as a teenager and a child- it’s so important. I cannot stress that enough. He offers us tidbits of North Korean history, and unapologetically uses cultural phrases, language and folklore that breathes life and authenticity t0 his story. His portrayal of the plight of the Korean people was vivid and empathetic.

However, I feel like the writing was a little simplistic for the heaviness of the story. I know liking or disliking writing style is entirely subjective, so I’m not going to say that it was bad or good- just that I kept waiting for something more. At first, I assumed that the simplicity was complementing our protagonist’s childhood, and I had anticipated that it would transition to something less simple as the MC grew older, but that never happened. Despite being horrified and fascinated by the story, the writing didn’t pull me in like I had hoped it would. Moreover, there were so many characters- all of them with such amazing, interesting stories and personalities, but their actual character didn’t shine. This book relies heavily on dialogue, so the voices of most characters blurred together, and despite my interest in them, I didn’t feel like I knew them.

But despite my problems, I could never discourage people from reading Sungju’s story. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for him to write down, in such detail, all the tragedies that have dotted his life. I cannot imagine the things he saw, despite having just read them. It all felt like some crazy film playing before my eyes, some horrifying post-apocalyptic society where everything and everyone is falling apart. I hope Sungju is doing well, wherever he is, and I hope the people of North Korea – who are going through experiences so similar – make it out of this dystopia, safe and healthy.

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[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeeeesss thank you Abrams and Amulet Books! Copy provided by publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, other memoirs or accounts of people who have escaped North Korea read very academically. They describe the gulags, the bleakness of the places perfectly, but it all seems clinical. There is nothing wrong with this, and this does not diminish their ordeal in any way, just that for me as a reader, I tend to feel detached, and it’s like I see theories and numbers rather than people.


Every Falling Star, in comparison, feels much more personal, and is more striking because this is from the perspective of a kid that has gone from one end of the socio-economic ladder to another. The loss of innocence for me is hard to read and digest, because I can’t imagine just one day having everything you know taken away from you (that part where they took away his dog though, I’m just-) because of a dissenting opinion that was expressed.

This book is detailed, from how Sungju feels to his surroundings, and you feel like you’re with the narrator as they hop on and off a train or steal foods from marketplaces. I loved it best when it came to relating the friendship and brotherhood of their gang. It was like a little ray of hope in the book.

If you want to start reading North Korean accounts, Every Falling Star is a good book to start with. While I wouldn’t exactly say this is suitable for a young audience, this is a book geared towards a younger audience than say, Nothing to Envy. If I’m going to compare this to a genre, I’d say this is dystopian – all-powerful, sanitizing government, contrary opinions silenced – but with no hero or heroine in sight.

There aren’t any numbers here – just a kid who wants to tell his story now that he’s able to, and hopes that by doing so it’ll help shed light onto what’s happening everyday in a country largely isolated from outsiders. It’s also a view into a country that keeps a tight leash on information released not only to the world, but also to its own citizens.

It’s an amazing feat to make a topic like this accessible to younger audiences, but Every Falling Star manages it well. This presents the problems and issues in a way they can understand and put into perspective.

I’ll be looking out for this in local bookstores! I’m really looking forward to the release in a few weeks.

[Zohal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking.

[Gabi Leoncini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the greatest books I have ever read- I have never been so affected by a story as I was by this one. Not only was the writing gripping and there was never a dull moment; but Sungju's life literally brought me to tears. I cannot say how many times I started crying and I cannot say how many times I felt sick to my stomach. I also cannot say how many times I laughed nor how many times I felt ridiculously giddy- but I do know that these emotions were all as frequent as each other. This story breaks my heart and I can only pray that Sungju will one day see his brothers and mother again. My respect for this man is beyond words. An outstanding memoir that NEEDS to be read- I honest to God cannot recommend this one enough- one of the greatest books I have read in my entire life.

UPDATE: This is my second time reading this book and though it took me a little longer due to other events, the last part of the book saddened me more than it did the first time. I genuinely sobbed for the last 60 pages of Every Falling Star- honestly. Every time I read this I am truly struck by how unfair the world can be. Everything that was said in my first review still stands... I hope Sungju sees his brothers and mother again. I hope that more and more people read this.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A powerful and moving story, one I'm very glad I read, even given the occasionally sluggish writing style and pacing.

[Cav · Rating 5 out of 5]

"North Korea is indeed a Hermit Kingdom: a true-to-life dystopian nation.
It’s against this backdrop that my story takes place..."

Wow, what a story! It's not often for me that a book absolutely knocks my socks off, and leaves me wanting more, but Every Falling Star did just that. It is an incredible story of a wild real-life saga.

Author Sungju Lee speaks across Europe, Asia, and North America about his experiences and about North Korean political social issues. He lives in South Korea.

Sungju Lee:


The author has a great writing style, and the tone and pace of the book are akin to a Hollywood thriller.

Born in the ironically named "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," or "DPRK," the author lived a relatively good childhood in the capital city of Pyongyang. After Kim Il-Sung's death in 1994, their family was forced out of Pyongyang to live in the north-western town of Gyeong-Seong, where they moved into a tiny, unheated house.

To cover too much more of the story would be giving away the plot, so I'll keep it tight to avoid spoiling the book.

The writing here drives home the unfathomable harsh reality of everyday life in the Communist Utopian social experiment that is the DPRK. Long known as "The Hermit Kingdom" for its secrecy, the government of the DPRK has committed (and still commits) human rights violations on a wholesale level. Every young, mindless useful idiot who simps for socialism should be made to live for a year in the DPRK, to see what life in a communist country looks like in practice.

Sungju Lee talks about the local markets he frequented, and how commonplace death was:

"Death was all around us. We’d enter the market in the mornings to find women wailing and rocking in their arms children who had died during the night. As we plunged deep into the merchants’ stalls, we found the corpses of old men and women, mouths still agape as if, in their final moments, they wanted to say something, their eyes staring out, pleading with us to hear them. I always thought the place after death was peaceful. It was how my eomeoni had described it. But what I saw on the faces of the dead was anything but. It was as if they had got stuck looking at and feeling all their grief and pain..."

I am going to include a brief summary of the incredible events of this book here, mostly for my own future reference. I'll cover it with a spoiler to avoid giving anything away. This article from The BBC also gives a decent summary:

* The family did not receive food rations in Gyeong-Seong, so the father left for China. He doesn't return.
* Shortly after, his mother leaves to visit his aunt in search for food. He is left on his own when his mother doesn't return.
* Starving, he goes to visit his schoolmate, Young-bum, who is living with a sick and dying grandmother. Young-bum's grandmother dies of starvation and tuberculosis.
* He becomes a "kotjebi," and forms a gang with 6 other young boys.
* They travel around to many different markets and have to fight other kotjebi for the right to steal from the market.
* After a vicious fight, one of their gang is killed.
* They travel to the collective farms to steal food. Young-bum is caught by the guards and beaten to death.
* They decide to travel back to Gyeong-Seong to see if their families had returned.
* He finds his grandfather at the train station selling medicines.
* He lives with his grandfather and grandmother tending to their crops and livestock.
* One day a man comes with a note from his father from China, asking him to go see his father.
* The man is a human smuggler, who takes him by plane, with a forged passport to South Korea.


******************

Every Falling Star was an incredibly well-done book. The entire presentation was top-tier.
I would definitely recommend this one to anyone interested.
5 stars, and a spot on my "favorites" shelf.

[Joshua Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Heart-wrenching and tragic, the bulk of this book was about the author abandoned as a child and having to live many years on the streets of various town in North Korea. He does eventually escape North Korea, and ends the story with a lot of hope, but this was a tough story to read at times.

[Carrot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars :)

RTC

[Mad · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Thank you to Amulet Books and ABRAMS Kids for providing me an ARC of this novel via NetGalley for the purposes of review**

4.5/5*

“If [spoiler] were still alive, he might say, Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked in his boots.”

If I hadn’t been aware that this book was, indeed, a true story of one boy’s experiences in North Korea, I might have told you this was a dystopian novel. It reads just like one, and that these instances are true, that the people — despite name-changes — lived and existed on this same Earth as I do is simply incredible.

I think for people such as myself, modern-day North Korea is this kind of mystery. A black hole of general information populated only by the ghosts of my own imagination. Inevitably, this includes tall concrete walls and barbed wire fences — something akin to the Berlin Wall of the late 20th century more than anything else. Bringing it back to the people inside, the trees within the forest that might find themselves with their roots chained to the ground as opposed to flourishing.

The pitch of this book is that it allows “young readers to learn about other cultures where freedoms they take for granted do not exist,” and Every Falling Star does just that. I may not be the target “young reader” audience for this novel, but I am an audience who was deeply affected by Sungju Lee’s story. It’s gripping and horrifying and electric and wild and anything you’d expect from fiction…and it’s all true.

“You see, my father was in the military. He and his story are known by the regime. Disclosing the reason would identify him and put the few relatives of my family still in North Korea at risk. I will say that if he had done what he did in a free country, such as as the United States, his actions would be viewed as merely part of the democratic process. But in Pyongyang, they resulted in my family’s explosion from the capital city and eventual separation.”

In our own American capital, Washington D.C., there are words carved into the Korean War monument that read: “FREEDOM ISN'T FREE.” And if you don’t realise that’s one of the best lessons of this memoir, then you haven’t been paying attention. This is a book of immense tragedy and triumph, and I encourage everyone to read it.