A River in Darkness - One Man's Escape from North Korea

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.

Reviews

“A terrifying true story of life in North Korea…Told in simple prose, this is a shocking and devastating tale of a country’s utter contempt for its citizens.” - Kirkus Reviews

“In his achingly straightforward memoir, Ishikawa vividly describes the horrendous conditions that the tyrannical and cultish state inflicts on its people…Ishikawa relates his painful story with sardonic humor and unwavering familial love even in the depths of despair, making human the often impersonal news coverage of mysterious and threatening North Korea.” - Booklist (starred review)

“Compulsively readable and heart-wrenching, A River in Darkness reveals the daily cruelty of North Korea’s government to its poorest people. In this memoir, the victim is a young Japanese-born Korean who settles in the North with his parents, only to endure privation and abuse, as those he loves die of exhaustion, hunger, and loss of hope.” - Blaine Harden, New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Camp 14 and King of Spies: The Dark Reign of America’s Spymaster in Korea

"I feel that most of us are shocked and saddened by the truly horrendous living conditions this man faced. His family had no chance of surviving North Korea, yet he was ever vigilant to return to his Homeland. A humbling read for all."

- K. C.

"Deprivation and deceit by the evil totalitarian regime of North Korea Beaten into it’s populace defy’s humanity. Still, the love and responsibility for his starving family carried the author through starvation, death and fear. Still hoping beyond hope."

- Nan

"Embarrassingly, I am uneducated in regards to the political state and relationships of North Korea, S.Korea, Japan and China. I found this biography to be shockingly informative and eye opening to a horrific world. Makes you think about your own life and how truly great we have it."

- Regina

"This is an incredible story and the world needs to know of the evilness of the North Korean government and the complicity of the Chinese government. Horrific inhumanity. I pray this story will enlighten us and whoever is able to help rescue his family, will do so. This story explains why the North Korean government needs to be destroyed. Why the Chinese government would support it, tells all we need to know about them. Shame."

- Cynthia Decker

"This book is hard to put in words the emotions it generates. It's a heart-wrenching story that every human being with any compassion must read. I can't help but wonder how the United States and South Korea could stand by and let this holocaust-level tragedy happen in North Korea, especially in the 90's. I admire this man's resolve to live and I truly pray through tears that he will find the true Peace and Happy Ending he is looking for in his life and for his family."

- JAY F. REGAN

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About the Author

Born in 1947 in Kawasaki, Japan, Masaji Ishikawa moved with his parents and three sisters to North Korea in 1960 at the age of thirteen, where he lived until his escape in 1996. He currently resides in Japan.

Hardcover: 172 pages

Publisher: AmazonCrossing (January 1, 2018)

Language: English

Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces