Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
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| Author | Barbara Demick |
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| Country | United States |
| Subject | North Korea |
| Publisher | Spiegel & Grau |
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Publication date
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December 29, 2009 |
| Pages | 336pp (hardback) |
| ISBN | |
| 951.93 | |
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea is a 2009 part-novelization of interviews with refugees from Chongjin, North Korea, written by Los Angeles Times journalist Barbara Demick. In 2010, the book was awarded the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. It was also a nonfiction finalist for the National Book Award in 2010.
The title comes from the children's theme song of the 1970 North Korean film We Have Nothing to Envy in the World (Chosŏn'gŭl: 세상에 부럼 없어라; RR: Sesang-e burom opsora).
Demick interviewed more than 100 defectors and chose to focus on Chongjin because it is likely to be more representative than the capital Pyongyang. Demick briefly discusses the examination of one of the female characters into a position of Kippumjo. The events covered include the famine of the 1990s, with the final chapters describing the route the main characters took to Seoul and then an epilogue describing the effects of the November 30, 2009 currency reform.
Demick's writing represents a well researched body of work about lives from such a secretive country, with enough personal details of daily life in North Korea not commonly found. Facts are presented to portray an accurate image of the state and plight North Koreans have faced, but also mentions brighter moments such hardships can create. For example, the author highlights a character's fond memories of courtship, in some ways only made possible by the power-outs and lack of electricity so common in the nation. Demick also had experience working as a journalist, often reporting on North Korea specifically, and the book features follow-up pieces of the featured characters' stories.
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