The Girl with Seven Names

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.

Hardcover: 320 pages

Publisher: William Collins; First Printing edition (July 2, 2015)

Language: English

Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

Reviews

‘The most riveting TED talk ever’ - Oprah

‘Harrowing’ - Wired

‘Hyeonseo Lee brought the human consequences of global inaction on North Korea to the world's doorstep … Against all odds she escaped, survived, and had the courage to speak out’ - Samantha Power, U.S. representative to the U.N.

‘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

"This book was fascinating; I couldn't put it down. A detailed look at a life we cannot imagine. Of course I know North Korea is a closed society but to read this book and learn what their lives and beliefs are is way beyond what I could have imagined. I highly recommend it. It's very readable and it's information we need to know. Reads like fiction."

- Jane A. Blank

"Fantastic book! What a true life story! The author really has a way of putting the reader right there along with her as she makes her way through her seven year journey of escaping North Korea and learning how to live a life of freedom (it is not as easy as one would think). And to her devotion to her family to get them out of North Korea as well and the struggles they go through to learn how to live in freedom. This book is in my top five list out of the hundreds of non-fiction books I have read. It is a must read for anyone interested in seeing how the North Koreans really live."

- Laura C.

"This book really helps you understand better the people of North Korea and how the government indoctrinates the people to believing that they are living in the best nation in the world. Hyeonseo is engaging as she shares her arduous journey that eventually led to freedom."

- Living Well

"I read this biography to educate myself about life and the people in North Korea. My grandsons were adopted from South Korea and I was trying to get an idea about what their life there would have been like. Both countries I know now are very different in many ways than ours. As for Hyeonseo, she is like a superhero to me and yet human in the fact that she loves her family and the freedom to make her own decisions about how she wants to live. I hope she can love herself again."

- Joan Jauch

"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."

- R. Smith
...

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 4 million times. She is married to her American husband Brian Gleason and currently lives in South Korea.