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The Girl with Seven Names Paperback – May 10, 2016

by Hyeonseo Lee (Author), David John (Contributor)

1,272 customer reviews

in South Korean History

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

An extraordinary insight into life under one of the world’s most ruthless and secretive dictatorships – and the story of one woman’s terrifying struggle to avoid capture/repatriation and guide her family to freedom.

As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee was one of millions trapped by a secretive and brutal communist regime. Her home on the border with China gave her some exposure to the world beyond the confines of the Hermit Kingdom and, as the famine of the 1990s struck, she began to wonder, question and to realise that she had been brainwashed her entire life. Given the repression, poverty and starvation she witnessed surely her country could not be, as she had been told “the best on the planet”?

Aged seventeen, she decided to escape North Korea. She could not have imagined that it would be twelve years before she was reunited with her family.

The Girl with Seven Names

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Editorial Reviews

Review

‘The most riveting TED talk ever’ Oprah

‘Harrowing’ Wired

‘A sad and beautiful story of a girl who could not even keep her name, yet overcame all with the identity of what it is to be human’ Jang Jin-sung, author of ‘Dear Leader’

‘Stirring and brave … true, committed, unvarnished and honest. Lee has made her own life the keyhole to the present, inside and outside of North Korea’ Scotsman

‘Remarkable bravery fluently recounted’ Kirkus

About the Author

Hyeonseo Lee grew up in North Korea but escaped to China in 1997. In 2008, after more than 10 years there, she came to Seoul, South Korea, where she struggled to adjust to life in the bustling city. Recently graduated from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, she has become a regular speaker on the international stage fostering human rights and awareness of the plight of North Koreans. She is an advocate for fellow refugees, even helping close relatives leave North Korea. Her TED talk has been viewed nearly 4m times. She is married to her American husband Brian Gleason and currently lives in South Korea.

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Product details

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: William Collins; Reprint edition (May 19, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0007554850
ISBN-13: 978-0007554850
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.9 x 7.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1,272 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Books > History > Asia > Korea > South
- #2 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Political Freedom
- #2 in Books > History > Asia > Korea > North

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Very interesting story. It keeps moving and is an easy read.

ByGraham M. Floweron July 13, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I've read several accounts of escaping from North korea. This is a good one because it covers several subjects that are not covered in other books. For example hyeonseo grew up right on the border next to the Yalu river. There is extensive discussion of cross border smuggling in the book as her mother and other relatives were participants in this trade. Being so close to the border they could also get Chinese cell phone service and calls could be made to North Korea using Chinese cells. The other thing that is quite different about her story is that she spend more than a decade in China and was continually hiding from being discovered as an illegal therr. In one period she mentioned to others that she was from North Korea and its clear somebody reported her. She withstood an interrogation by the Chinese police and was able to convince them she was Chinese due to her ability to speak Mandarin and her mastery of Chinese Characters, which she attributes to her father pushing her to study while she was in school.
She has dangerous interactions with gangs, which she survives, was assaulted badly by an unknown assailant with a 1 liter beer bottle, an incident that did put her in the hospital and other adventures. One learns a bit about China and North Korea in this book. She has relatives which span several classes of North Korean society and one can get a feeling for what those strata are like. She also talks about the great amount of indoctrination she received during her education, of course this is common among the accounts of DPRK defectors.
Different that most of the defectors books she does describe the challenges facing defectors in South Korea. Their education is worthless and hence most of them severely struggle to obtain a college degree, which is important in South Korea. she also describes the process by which they vet defectors as well as the interrogation techniques of the Chinese police.
Once she has made it to South Korea she brings her mother and brother out of North Korea. This activity has several difficult twists which meant that the plan had to change in major ways on the fly and the challenges of getting through China to another country to defect to a South Korean embassy are shown. They chose Laos, a backwater whose insufferable bureaucracy and corrupt civil service made things hard. A very helpful Australian saves the day.
The story is interesting and one learns a fair bit about North Korea and China.

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4 1/2 Stars

ByKindle Customeron January 2, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Very well-written memoir about a young woman's 'accidental' defection from communist North Korea. Hyeonseo Lee describes her journey from notoriously ruthless communist North Korea first to China (which seems free comparatively) and eventually to South Korea. In the process, Lee learned a lot about herself and the world outside the bubble of North Korea.

This was a fascinating glimpse into the closed world of daily life inside a regime which most of the free world finds unimaginable. It's hard for the average American to imagine being forced to keep a picture of their leaders inside their home and have the police come in to inspect the pictures regularly to be sure they were being cleaned properly. That's just one of the smaller ways in which the government intrudes into it's private citizens lives.

This book is definitely worth reading.

0Comment 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Inspiring

ByBolinhaon March 6, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This was the first North Korean defector story I've read. I laughed with Hyeonseo when she laughed, I celebrated with her in her small victories, I cried when she cried, and got angry when she got angry. This is a must read to all South Koreans, so they can appreciate their history, their freedom (thanks to America) and because most South Koreans have ancestors and families from/in North Korea. There is no denying of that because before the Korean War, it was a single nation with a common ancestry. God bless America and the sacrifices of our American soldiers who have fought and are still fighting for our freedom, God bless the Hanawon, God bless the North Korean people who have blindfolds over their lives, God bless Mr. Stolp, and Ms. Lee for her courage. May the reading this book spark a hope in your heart and the courage help and to stand up for what is right, to raise awareness of the lack of human rights of the North Korean people, and for the fair treatment and the protection of the defectors they so desperately need.

0Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

This Is One Smart, Tough, and Lucky Person

ByR. Smithon July 10, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I had always been curious about North Korea, having heard about it in the news, and I thought this book would be interesting. It does have vivid descriptions of life in North Korea. It also turns out to be suspenseful and emotionally engaging. Once I started reading this book, I did not want to stop until I was done.

The book is divided into parts, describing the author's life in North Korea, then her life in China (an entire decade), escape to South Korea, and finally, the ordeal of getting her mother and brother out of North Korea. I won't bother to summarize everything other than to say that her life was in significant danger in every place except for South Korea. In China, she makes a life and barely avoids deportation, being captured by human traffickers, and an arranged marriage to a complete zero.

The biggest surprise for me was maybe how hard it is for North Koreans to adjust to life outside of their country. Of course, it is very different, and despite knowing that they will likely be tortured and killed if they go back, some want to return anyway. The author's own brother almost goes back in a moment of weakness, but she manages to talk him out of it.

Thinking back on this story, it seems almost unbelievable that a person could have lived this life. It took huge amounts of courage, intelligence, and luck, all of which the author has.

0Comment 76 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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Most recent customer reviews

Five Stars

An amazing true story.

Published 21 hours ago by Richard Ayling

Amazing

Couldn't put this down. Hard to believe her difficult and dangerous journey to freedom. She is an incredibly smart & courageous woman.

Published 23 hours ago by beancounter

Five Stars

One of THE best books I've ever read in my life - and I've read a lot!

Published 1 day ago by Virginia L. Bennett

Fascinating. Rivetting.

I couldn't put this book down. Very well written and more interesting than fiction, it held me through every twist, turn and challenge in the hero's journey.Read more

Published 1 day ago by ET

Five Stars

Gives readers surprising insight into life in North Korea.

Published 2 days ago by Amazon Customer

enticing

I can't wait to get hold of the full book.

Published 3 days ago by commanderpj

A Must Read

If you want to try to understand North Korea, you must read it from the people who escaped it.
Well written and heart felt.Read more

Published 3 days ago by Anthony Paul ODell

It was a good read about North Korea

It was a good read about North Korea. I felt as if it was scattered at times though. The ending was way to abrupt.

Published 3 days ago by N. White

Five Stars

Very interesting and well written.

Published 3 days ago by Louise Mason

Outstanding!

Lee's fascinating autobiographical account of her early life in North Korea, it's indoctrinated yet dual culture and her many journeys to other countries under new identity,...Read more

Published 3 days ago by lorac St Paul MN

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