"Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea," by Barbara Demick (Random House, 336 pp.)
Through interviews with six defectors from North Korea, Los Angeles Times correspondent Barbara Demick is able to offer readers harrowing but compelling glimpses of daily life in one of the world's most secretive societies. "What is most gripping about this book is that Demick does not tell; she shows," writes Geoffrey Cain in a review for the Monitor. "Whereas most literature on North Korea is laden with blurry statistics and speculation of the policies of ruling elites, Demick exhibits in gut-wrenching detail the struggle for survival that North Koreans face." (Read the full CSMonitor review here.)
