Picture 1 of 1

This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang (Paperback, 2007)

4.01 product rating

Rarewaves Outlet (1132505)
98.2% positive Feedback

Price:

AU $28.46

Free postage

Estimated delivery Thu, 16 May - Tue, 28 May

Returns:

No returns, but backed by eBay Money Back GuaranteeeBay Money Back Guarantee.

Condition:

Brand new

Author: Hyok Kang. Hyok Kang was eighteen when he escaped from North Korea, a country locked away from the outside world. All this is normal. Hyok Kang's childhood and courageous escape through China Vietnam and Cambodia to South Korea is a remarkable story that goes to the heart of a nation living under a disturbing delusion of 'paradise'.

About this product

Product Information

Now in B Format. A fascinating account and expose of the hardships suffered in North Korea under the regime of Kim Jong-il. Hyok Kang was eighteen when he escaped from North Korea, a country locked away from the outside world. This personal, illustrated account of school days in a rigidly communist institution and everyday life with his family and community provides a rare glimpse of this secretive nation.His shocking and moving portrayal bears witness to this spirited young boy's resilience and survival in a society forced to operate under the shadow of labour camps, public executions and the deception of UN representatives by Korean officials. When the famine comes so too does death by starvation of friends and close ones, and Hyok Kang watches as his classmates drop out of school one by one, too weak to attend. All this is normal. After all, the propaganda North Koreans are fed by their government insists that compared to the rest of the world, this is paradise! Hyok Kang's childhood and courageous escape through China Vietnam and Cambodia to South Korea is a remarkable story that goes to the heart of a nation living under a disturbing delusion of 'paradise'.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Little, Brown Book Group
ISBN-13
9780349118659
eBay Product ID (ePID)
96837166

Product Key Features

Book Title
This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood
Author
Hyok Kang
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Publication Year
2007
Genre
Biographies & True Stories
Number of Pages
224 Pages

Dimensions

Item Height
196mm
Item Width
128mm
Item Weight
200 g

Additional Product Features

Title_Author
Hyok Kang
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom

All listings for this product

item 1 This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Child..., Kang, Hyok
AU $13.62
Free postage
item 2 NEW This Is Paradise! By Hyok Kang
AU $8.00
+AU $9.50 postage
item 3 Hyok Kang This Is Paradise! (Paperback)
AU $28.46
Free postage
item 4 This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang
AU $31.28
Free postage
item 5 This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang
AU $31.28
Free postage

See all 5

4.0

4.0 out of 5 stars based on 1 product rating

1 product rating

0 users rated this 5 out of 5 stars
1 users rated this 4 out of 5 stars
0 users rated this 3 out of 5 stars
0 users rated this 2 out of 5 stars
0 users rated this 1 out of 5 stars

Most relevant reviews

4 out of 5 stars
by mtukqduoqus@del...08 Jun, 2009
If you have read "Aquariums in Pyongyang" . . .
"This Is Paradise!" is the riveting account of Hyok Kang's childhood in North Korea and his escape to China and , eventually, South Korea. What makes this book unique is that it provides a glimpse into the North Korea of the 1990s from a child's perspective. Moreover, Kang is quite an artist, and his sketches of select scenes from his North Korean childhood and his escape add considerably to this book. Hyok Kang's "This Is Paradise!" comes following the success of Kang Chul Hwan's best-seller, "The Aquariums of Pyongyang", the first book written by a North Korean refugee about life in North Korea and escape from the communist country. Hyok Kang's account is shorter than Kang Chul Hwan's, and it does not provide the same detailed historical background of North Korea or the opinionated analysis found in "The Aquariums of Pyongyang." This is understandable considering that Kang Chul Hwan is significantly older than Hyok Kang (who was only born in 1986). Kang Chul Hwan had also spent significantly more time in South Korea before writing his book, giving him more of a chance to learn about communism worldwide and the recent history on the Korean peninsula. While there are many parallels between this book and "Aquariums of Pyongyang," Hyok Kang's situation was notably different from that of Kang Chul Hwan. Whereas Kang Chul Hwan living in North Korea during the 1970s and 80s, when Kim Il Sung was president, Hyok Kang experienced North Korea under the rule of Kim Jong Il in the 1990s, when there was a severe shortage of food and a reported 3 million people died of starvation. While Kang Chul Hwan came from a privileged family living in Pyongyang, Hyok Kang hails from the Northeastern city of Onsong, far removed from the capital. Unlike Kang Chul Hwan, Hyok Kang never spent time in a North Korean gulag, although the harshness of the circumstances he lived through was reminiscent of Kang Chul Hwan's experience. Their escapes from North Korea also differed considerably. Whereas Kang Chul Hwan escaped along with a friend, Hyok Kang escaped together with his family. While Kang Chul Hwan was able to go directly from China to South Korea, Hyok Kang and his family reached South Korea via a circuitous route through Southeast Asia. Hyok Kang has an amazing story to tell, and his impressive illustrations allow the reader to visualize life in North Korea. While Hyok Kang's tale corroborates with Kang Chul Hwan's account, his experience differs significantly enough to make this book another essential reading for anyone interested in the human rights situation in North Korea. In fact, "This Is Paradise!" is such a remarkable story that it can be read and appreciated by anyone.Read full review

Best Selling in Books

See all

Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Books

The Concise 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene (Paperback, 2002)
4.5 out of 5 stars based on 21 product ratings
AU $20.39 New
---- Used
Atomic Habits: the life-changing million-copy #1 bestseller by James Clear (Paperback, 2018)
4.8 out of 5 stars based on 25 product ratings
AU $19.44 New
AU $17.50 Used
First Day by Andrew Daddo (Paperback, 2014)
No ratings or reviews yet.
AU $10.00 New
AU $6.29 Used
Conversations with Phantoms: Exclusive Interviews About the 1978 TV Movie, Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park by Ron Albanese (Paperback, 2020)
No ratings or reviews yet.
AU $21.99 New
AU $9.99 Used

Save on Books

Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Books

Frank Herbert'S Dune Saga 3-Book Boxed Set: Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of
AU $43.95
Trending at AU $47.93
The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor Lavey (English) Mass Market Paperback Book
AU $18.97
Trending at AU $19.12
A Gentleman in Moscow: The worldwide bestseller by Amor Towles (Paperback, 2017)
AU $14.00
Trending at AU $17.25
F*ck Off! This is MY Coloring Book: The Very F*cking Best of John T | Swear word
AU $13.49
Trending at AU $15.93

Shop by category

Picture 1 of 1

This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang (Paperback, 2007)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

All listings for this product

item 1 This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Child..., Kang, Hyok

item 2 NEW This Is Paradise! By Hyok Kang

item 3 Hyok Kang This Is Paradise! (Paperback)

item 4 This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang

item 5 This Is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang

Ratings and reviews

Most relevant reviews

If you have read "Aquariums in Pyongyang" . . .

Best Selling in Books

The Concise 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene (Paperback, 2002)

Atomic Habits: the life-changing million-copy #1 bestseller by James Clear (Paperback, 2018)

First Day by Andrew Daddo (Paperback, 2014)

Conversations with Phantoms: Exclusive Interviews About the 1978 TV Movie, Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park by Ron Albanese (Paperback, 2020)

Save on Books

Frank Herbert'S Dune Saga 3-Book Boxed Set: Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of

The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor Lavey (English) Mass Market Paperback Book

A Gentleman in Moscow: The worldwide bestseller by Amor Towles (Paperback, 2017)

Fck Off! This is MY Coloring Book: The Very Fcking Best of John T | Swear word

You may also like

Paperbacks Books in Korean

Atlas Paperback Maps & Atlases in Korean

Paperback Non-Fiction Books in Korean

Paperback Dictionaries & Reference Books in Korean

Paperback Books, Comics & Magazines in Korean

Magazines in Korean