The Valorous Girl Who Escaped A Living Hell

Review by: Melva Gijo

Book: In Order to Live; A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom

After reading this book, it felt like getting out of a roller-coaster

ride. In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom is
an eloquent autobiography of Yeonmi’s experience of the harsh
brutality of the totalitarian government in North Korea and her
heart- wrenching experiences in China. The horrifying days spent in
China are put to an end when she finally gets to taste freedom in
South Korea. Yeonmi proudly states, “I am most grateful for two
thing: that I was born in North Korea and that I escaped from North
Korea.”
Yeonmi Park, now 26, is a human rights activist and a strong voice
to the oppressed people around the world. The Independent Institute
states, “Her perilous escape from North Korea has given the world a
window into the lives of its people, and due to her bravery, strength,
and story, the BBC has named her one of their “Top 100 Global
Women” (1). This is the only book she has written, although her 2014 article about North
Korea’s “Black Market Generation” in the Washington Post has created a sensation worldwide.

This book delves into such core themes of being optimistic and creating a positive vibe in every
situation. It also teaches us that the path to freedom is harrowing, and that a fire of hope and self-
confidence should burn in every individual. Yeonmi was adamant to learn English and surpass
the rigid South Korean educational system despite her principal’s confirmation at school that it
was nearly impossible. She was hopeful and confident that it was a possible one to surpass.

Yeonmi does a phenomenal job in giving detailed description about each important character and
there is always something significant to learn from them. Another strong style of her writing is
her voice and tone. The strongest part of her voice is that she always has a tone of hope and
optimism even when she is explaining the rigidity of her experiences. Even though the book
starts off slow in the beginning with many detailed descriptions given about her family
background, later on it gets really captivating. The author inbuilds a strong base of knowledge of
her family into the readers as she takes almost the first four chapters to describe systems in North
Korea and her family background. Later on, we understand that this technique was used to help
us put ourselves in the characters’ shoes.
In Order to Live is closely related to the book Escape from Camp 14 which is the story of
courageous and valiant Shin Dong-hyuk who made a harrowing escape from the grim Camp 14,
a living hell inside the hell of North Korea. It is a political prison camp in the mountains of North
Korea where people are forced to work almost fifteen hours a day doing hard labor jobs until
they are executed. Shin is the only person to escape this brutal place on earth. The book In Order
to Live mentions about political prisons as Yeonmi’s father was sent to prison for smuggling in
the black market. Her dad becomes extremely skinny and malnutrition that even she had
difficulty recognizing him. In the book she described that the government not only physically
destroy people but also stripped them of their individuality in the prison.

This book is highly recommended to college students and young adults. Her story of resilience
inculcates a strong desire to fight for one’s own rights, including education. This book helps
young adults to understand that the life they have now is luxury compared to the poor North
Koreans who are forbidden to even dream of a life like this. This would help them not to give up
on the slightest challenges life offers. Essentially, freedom and individuality are the biggest
luxurious of life.