Every day, three times a day, the students march in two straight lines, singing praises to Kim Jong-il and North Korea: Without you, there is no motherland. Without you, there is no us. It is a chilling scene, but gradually Suki Kim, too, learns the tune and, without noticing, begins to hum it. It is 2011, and all universities in North Korea have been shut down for an entire year, the students sent to construction fields - except for the 270 students at the all-male Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST), a walled compound where portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il look on impassively from the walls of every room, and where Suki has accepted a job teaching English. Over the next six months, she will eat three meals a day with her young charges and struggle to teach them to write, all under the watchful eye of the regime.

Life at PUST is lonely and claustrophobic, especially for Suki, whose letters are read by censors and who must hide her notes and photographs not only from her minders but from her colleagues - evangelical Christian missionaries who don't know or choose to ignore that Suki doesn't share their faith. As the weeks pass, she is mystified by how easily her students lie, unnerved by their obedience to the regime. At the same time, they offer Suki tantalizing glimpses of their private selves - their boyish enthusiasm, their eagerness to please, the flashes of curiosity that have not yet been extinguished. She in turn begins to hint at the existence of a world beyond their own - at such exotic activities as surfing the Internet or traveling freely and, more dangerously, at electoral democracy and other ideas forbidden in a country where defectors risk torture and execution. But when Kim Jong-il dies, and the boys she has come to love appear devastated, she wonders whether the gulf between her world and theirs can ever be bridged.

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Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite

Suki Kim (Author), Janet Song (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)

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Listening Length	8 hours and 34 minutes
Author	Suki Kim
Narrator	Janet Song
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	October 14, 2014
Publisher	Random House Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B00O4D0EBO
Best Sellers Rank	#38,462 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #8 in Korean History (Audible Books & Originals) #8 in Biographies of Educators (Audible Books & Originals) #16 in Asia Politics & Government

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John C

A promising beginning that fails to deliver.

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2017

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Ultimately, this book commits the cardinal sin (I'm not religious, but that term feels all too appropriate given the book's setting) of assuming the reader cares more about the author than about North Korea. Allow me to explain.

Although the book labels itself as "A Memoir", Suki Kim has claimed in interviews that the "Memoir" description was an unwanted addition by her publisher. She asserts that her book is a piece of investigative journalism to be approached as such. However, few people familiar with investigative journalism would likely agree that the style and structure of this book fit that genre. It's very clearly a memoir in form, although certainly the manner in which she gathered her information qualifies as journalistic. She seems to have taken very detailed notes during her time there, despite apparently not having done much research in preparation for fitting in with evangelicals (for example, she doesn't know that communion usually occurs once a month, instead musing that it "took place only occasionally, for some reason"). Regardless, the book fails to present a remarkable example of either genre.

Without You, There is No Us is written in a very personal voice that initially serves as an effective vehicle for the reader's identification with the author. Yet as the book progresses, the tone becomes increasingly melodramatic and self-pitying, even straying into self-indulgent melancholy (remember, she chose to go there and return for a second semester). In the beginning of the book, the personalization of the story adds depth, with her stories of how her family was affected by the Korean war. Her description of later immigrating to the US adds needed context to her later experiences in North Korea, although details of her adjustment to this new life are seriously lacking. Her experiences as a South Korean living in NK give her a few interesting insights, such as when she explains North Korea's "bastardization" of the Korean language, although she doesn't detail too many additional differences between the North and South Korean cultures. She instead generally writes from a very American viewpoint, particularly regarding her perception of her students, and often prefers to focus inward rather than on the people around her. This leads to some very one-dimensional characterizations of the people she encounters, particularly her co-workers, contributing to what I mentioned in the very beginning of this review: she overestimates how big her role should be in this story from the audience's perspective.

Consequently, the book all too often veers into both mind-numbing mundanity and oversharing personal details. Her constant mention of her nameless, faceless "lover" in New York is a particularly egregious example: "In that world, I needed a lover, no matter how abstract, and that need drove me crazy some nights." ...Okay, so you went a couple months without getting laid? Cry me a river, most people have the occasional dry spell. Seriously, she was at PUST for 2-3 months with a break between semesters, and hasn't given any characterization of this person that would lead us to care. This is exactly the kind of pretentious melodrama the book increasingly falls into as the story progresses, despite its promising beginning -- and a great example of why it's not exactly journalistic in presentation. The closest journalistic genre I could grant her writing is that of "gonzo journalism", but Hunter Thompson would have skewered this book.

Toward the end of her second and final semester at PUST, Ms. Kim spends time finagling a way to show her students a Harry Potter film. She creates considerable expectations in the reader regarding this event: she manipulates, she gets into a screaming match with her colleague, and eventually secures the right to show the film. The dramatic tension is built quite well. Now, how did the students react to the movie? I have no idea. Ms. Kim doesn't tell us. She says that she showed it to her students, but then she simply jumps forward to the next event without providing any details regarding her students' reactions. This is an abject narrative failure and is disappointing on so many levels, depriving the reader of such a valuable opportunity to find out how North Koreans would respond to outside media.

My review has been harsh, certainly. I read a much better book about North Korea immediately before reading this one, so perhaps my expectations were too high. However, there were great parts of this book and initially it showed incredible promise. My biggest regret about this book, unfortunately, isn't its considerable wasted potential: it's that, by the nature of its very existence, publishing this subpar text has likely rendered it impossible for another writer to ever see the school and give us another perspective on what life is like there. Suki Kim's storytelling is at its best when she describes what she sees, hears, or remembers; it's at its worst when she describes her feelings.

I'll give this book the grade that I know my journalism mentor, a kick-ass investigative journalist who has written excellent undercover exposés of her own, would have given Ms. Kim: "C-. Some good ideas here, but please rewrite and resubmit."

45 people found this helpful

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Rachel

Without some Background there are No Good Reviews

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2016

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This is a well written and captivating book about one person's longer term experience with a segment of North Korean culture.
Had I not spent some time reading at least half a dozen previous books about North Korea, by escapees, journalists, and others
with specific and long term ties to the nation/culture, I may not have understood where she was coming from, as it is clear many
of the snarky people giving their long winded reviews do not. Many in these reviews seem to have the expectation that she would
deliver a story and narrative from the standpoint of a free world, mostly American culture. Her book triumphs in being able to take us through the looking glass to the mindset, near as she can, of their culture. It is no wonder , as a few have said "she didnt seem to get to know the boys"; or - "there is no individual personality coming out in the students" - Hey, part of the message is, they don't know themselves, and they had little if any opportunity to develop their own "individuality". NK is a puzzle, with many layers, and the author experienced one layer
within the midst of a culture that reviews true throughout all the books I have read. I find her references to her "life back home" a necessary counterpoint to the sucking vampire like energy she had to endure in such a repressive place for weeks on end. This is no real reflection on her personally, it is just how it is there, and how it must feel to adjust to that mind blowingly different reality. I would recommend this book to those interested in deepening their understanding of North Korea, while also recommending other books to round out the picture and validate her observations to a deeper level of reader understanding.

49 people found this helpful

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mcguda

the repetitions of her relationship with her "lover" in the US are annoying and extraneous

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2017

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Admittedly, there are some flaws in Kim's account. As others have noted, the repetitions of her relationship with her "lover" in the US are annoying and extraneous. And she does quietly belittle the faith of her colleagues, which is ironic, as it was their efforts that gave her the chance to write her book.

That said, her observations lead to a conclusion that some might find obvious on the surface, i.e., the DPRK is a grindingly dogmatic regime. But what was enlightening (at least to me) is that not only has the Kim dynasty maintained a totalitarian state, but has achieved perfection in doing so. It goes beyond the Orwellian concept--the government is watching you--because there is often little need for the government to do so. The "thought police" are the citizens themselves, not in the sense that they snitch on each other, but rather that they simply cannot contemplate any deviation from the norm.

With rare exceptions, her discussions with her better-educated students are channeled into routine and predictable responses. There is little need for active repression if there is nothing to repress. We hear optimistic predictions that the country is vulnerable to modern communications, but so long as the children of the regime are cast in the same mold as their parents, that optimism is ill-founded.

8 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Prof. Joao Eduardo Gata

Very insightful book on the north korean elite and the regime

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2020

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I found this book very well written, very insightful, candid and disturbing at the same time, as it portrays the North Korean society and its collectivistic regime. The North Korean Dynastic-Communist Regime has taken Colectivism and the Repression of Individuality to new depths. This book serves as a warning to those of us who prize and uphold Individual Liberty against those who, in the name of the "higher interests of the collectivity", would not hesitate to crush our Individuality.

2 people found this helpful

Howie

Very interesting read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2020

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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book on North Korea.
It was entertaining and enlightening and it’s hard to believe a country is run like this.
It’s a book you won’t want to put down once you start it
Highly recommended

One person found this helpful

FSinclair

A real page-turner

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2016

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Decided to buy this after watching Suki Kim's TED talk. A fascinating book. The writing style reads like fiction, but you almost need to keep reminding yourself that it all happened. That these people exist, its not one of those YA dystopian novels. It's both heart-warming and disheartening reading about the author's experience with these young men. After hearing horrific tales of what happens to the ordinary, country-dwelling citizens of DPRK you imagine that the elites would be heartless and conniving monsters. Yet Kim shows that they are almost ordinary boys, and as a reader she makes you feel what she did during her experience. Both wanting to love her students but never quite being able to trust them.
An excellent read, would absolutely recommend for those interested.

3 people found this helpful

og505

Absolute must-read for anyone who is interested in North Korea

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2015

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As someone who is very interested in North Korea, I can confidently say that this is one of my absolute favourite books on the subject. Suki Kim offers powerful glimpses into the lives of the North Korean elite through her personal experience as a teacher at a university. While she captures the continuing decline of North Korea - for example, describing how students at an elite technological university completely lack computer skills - she puts a human face on the cost of the country's oppressive policies. Beautifully written, thought-provoking, and overall a great read.

3 people found this helpful

'Marble'

Programmed Learning

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2015

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I have read a few books on North Korea, mostly good ones, and this was no exception. It gave an insight into the strict methods of teaching in the country and also to the sadly stifled mindsets of the students. The author painted a detailed and honest picture of a ruthless dictatorship and a cowed population, but also showed that there is a glimmer of rebellion if only in the minds of a few inquisitive students. An easy to read and interesting book which I would recommend.

3 people found this helpful

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