It’s been a while since I’ve written a book review. Probably since most of my recent reads have been trashy romance… erm… I mean “historical-romance novels”. But as of late, I discovered my local library’s graphic novel section… So I picked up a few, and a couple were really good.
My fav thus far: Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, by Guy Delisle.
Guy Delisle is an animator who has traveled to many countries through his work…. Helping direct & manage jobs that get outsourced to other countries where its cheaper to employ animators. His graphic novel Pyongyang is about the time that he spent working in North Korea. It’s really faciniating. You rarely hear such indepth reporting from outsiders about what life is like in Korea. Its especially interesting in graphic novel form, since outsiders are forbidden from photographing so many things, Guy had a great advantage as an illustrator, being able to depict his experiences.
His experience with the locals there is surprising, although not entirely unexpected. How there is no opposition to the regime, and how noone ever says anything against their country. The idea of that is just so foreign to me. It’s something I love about the US. While I have many issues with how many things are handled in my country, I just can’t even imagine such total domination over a country’s population. The book Pyongyang made everything seem just so “1984“.
In general, I recommend all people to check this book out. It’s very thought provoking to say the very least, and it certainly makes me want to learn more about North Korea’s history and the US’s relationship with them. The book is available at Amazon.com, or see if you can borrow it at your local library.
Tags: book, book review, Emma's Favorite Things, graphic novel, life improvement, North Korea, scary stuff, travel