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A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea

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The harrowing true story of one man’s life in-and subsequent escape from-North Korea, one of the world’s most brutal totalitarian regimes.

Half-Korean, half-Japanese, Masaji Ishikawa has spent his whole life feeling like a man without a country. This feeling only deepened when his family moved from Japan to North Korea when Ishikawa was just thirteen years old, and unwittingly became members of the lowest social caste. His father, himself a Korean national, was lured to the new Communist country by promises of abundant work, education for his children, and a higher station in society. But the reality of their new life was far from utopian.

In this memoir translated from the original Japanese, Ishikawa candidly recounts his tumultuous upbringing and the brutal thirty-six years he spent living under a crushing totalitarian regime, as well as the challenges he faced repatriating to Japan after barely escaping North Korea with his life. A River in Darkness is not only a shocking portrait of life inside the country but a testament to the dignity-and indomitable nature-of the human spirit.

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3 thoughts on “A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea

  1. AMAZON: RETURN THE REVIEW I POSTED!! Amazon pulled my review because I DIRECTLY QUOTED THE AUTHOR WORD FOR WORD.From Amazon:<<<<<We encourage customer content on the Amazon.com website, both positive and negative.However, your recent contribution doesn’t comply with our content guidelines. We don’t allow reviews that promote or express intolerance for people belonging to identity groups. If this continues, we’ll remove your posting privileges from your account in accordance with our…

  2. ~~ Starvation: “Once your lips disappear, your teeth are bared all the time, like a snarling dog.” ~~ Starvation (death) if he stayed where he was or risk of being captured/shot if he attempted escape! What would your choice be?Born to a Korean father and Japanese mother in Japan, Masaji’s early childhood was sweet despite the family being poor. Alas, it was not to stay that way when his frequently drunken, abusive father came back on the scene. The beatings given to Masaji’s mother got so bad that she had to literally run away to preserve her life. Masaji was left with his three…

  3. An escape from “HELL ON EARTH” — a simply told but gripping memoir HOW TO CHOOSE? I had to ask myself: Which selection offers me the most in-depth “feel” of a nation or a time in history, a family’s struggles and survival? What shows great courage in the midst of extreme hardship? What demands to be read NOW?To me, it is A RIVER IN DARKNESS. That metaphor is apt for the oppression faced by so many people in the last 40 years in North Korea. It deepens my understanding, sympathy and appreciation for freedom.A TOUGH MEMOIR. I’m sure it…

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