The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story
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The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story
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Narrated by:
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Josie Dunn
About this listen
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.
©2015 Hyeonseo Lee (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"When I first met Hyeonseo Lee, the unflinching manner in which she told her story was inspirational. She experienced hunger, coldness, fear, terror, threats and pursuit. All this she had to endure, simply for being a North Korean refugee. But the one thing that she held on to was her humanity, ever stronger as she continuously sublimated her hardships into hope. This is a sad and beautiful story of a girl who could not even keep her name, yet overcome all with the identity of what it is to be human." (Jang Jin-sung, author of Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee - A Look Inside North Korea)
What listeners say about The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Customer
- 12-01-20
fascinating
fascinating book about a world and story unknown to most of us. was a lack of emotional expression in the narrators voice but I persevered anyway
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ross
- 19-01-22
Incredible story
This is the quickest I have gotten through an Audiobook! Hyeonseo’s story is an amazing insight into life in N Korea. I’ve been interested in the country for a long time and this story really opened my eyes to the realities of life there, it gave life and voice to North Korean people. I found Hyeonseo’s story to be inspirational, you become truly invested in her life, her families lives, and their stories. I would recommend to anyone
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 24-09-20
Great Listen
what a story and what an incredible young woman Hyeonseo Lee is. Highly recommend this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Scotty Spark
- 01-12-15
What a life!
Would you listen to The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story again? Why?
I would listen again, if I had time to re-listen, as this was a complicated story and a second hearing might bring out things I'd missed.
Who was your favorite character and why?
She of the seven names! She is the pivotal, first-person character.
Which character – as performed by Josie Dunn – was your favourite?
Hyeonseo. The accent sounded very genuine.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It has good-byes that you hope never to experience. Life in North Korea seems shocking to a Westerner.
Any additional comments?
This book was recommended to me and not the kind of book I usually choose. I was glad to have listened to it as it is a true story and an eye-opener into the way of life in North Korea.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Heather B
- 19-01-17
Absolutely fascinating book/audiobook
I've often wondered what it must be like for the people of North Korea, after seeing coverage on TV of mass performances, marches, hysteria and weeping - alongside stories of what seemed to be a complete and utter lack of human rights for anyone other than those at the very top. I have to admit that I also wondered whether North Koreans' apparent love for their Leader was genuine (and if so why) - or if they were simply too afraid to show their real feelings. Hyeonseo Lee's book answered all those questions, and many more that hadn't even occurred to me before. I just couldn't stop listening, and was alternately amazed, shocked, uplifted, fascinated, horrified and full of awe throughout her story - which documents her childhood in North Korea, her pretty much accidental defection to China, and her incredible struggle to survive thereafter. It's an incredible story of oppression, fight for survival, widespread corruption and bribery, occasional kindness of strangers, and long struggle to help her mother and brother escape from North Korea too. Hyeonseo Lee is one courageous, tenacious and intelligent lady, and I am full of admiration for her and her story - beautifully narrated by Josie Dunn. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D
- 27-07-16
A must read
I absolutely loved everything about this book! The story, the narrator and the production.
I will not ruin the story for you! I will just say: if you love biographies like me, stories of survival and defiance, this book is for you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily
- 22-11-16
Eye Opening. Fantastically well written!
Incredible book. So interesting and it really made me think differently. An absolute must read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matthew Rae
- 20-07-22
Great journal and very well read
I often find it hard to stick out an audible book because of the narrator this one I thought was very well read and an engaging story journal
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rob Sedgwick
- 20-04-23
Great story, but
This is a great story and I hung on to every word. I did find it stretched credulity at times as Hyeonseo Lee seems to sleepwalk through parts of her life without the slightest thought of what she is doing (e.g. crossing the river into China without the even the vaguest plan). It strikes me as one of those stories that have been told so many times, that it has acquired some nice rounded edges that smooth over "difficult" parts and make it more fabulous than it otherwise was. That said, it's an impressive tale, and I am sure it's basically true - if it's been embellished a bit to spin a good yarn then so be it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Natalia
- 06-04-21
Gripping
What a harrowing, yet fascinating story. It is a must-read if you're interested in the subject of North Korea.
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