A Summary of "Nothing to Envy", Jeremy Stevenson [best english books to read for beginners .txt] 📗

Table of Contents

Summary

Location

Place

Movement

Human and Environment Interaction

My Thoughts

Summary

Nothing to Envy is a non-fiction book about life in North Korea as told by defectors who willingly gave interviews to the author.  The author interviewe hundreds of defectors, but only uses several personalities to portray the rapid decline of North Korea from 1994 to the present.  The title of the book comes from a North Korean children's song that all North Korean children must learn in school.  It is used in a very ironic way to illustrate just how horrible conditions are in the North.  Starvation, survival, imprisonment, death, and escape are the main themes of the book.

Location

North Korea is located directly North of South Korea, East of China, South of Russia, and to the west of the Yellow Sea and Japan.  Pyongyang is the Capital.  Those who live in the Capital are provided with a much higher standard of living than those who live outside of Pyongyang.

Map of North Korea

Life in the Pyongyang

Life outside of Pyongyang

Place

North Korea was established in 1948, three years after the completion of World War II.  A Russian backed communist government took control of North Korea.  During the same period of time, a US backed democratic government took control in South Korea.  Norht Korea has very rugid mountain terrain that is frozen and covered in snow in during the winter and hot and humid during the summer.  North Korea stands out amonst communist nations as the only communist nation to embrace a awkard blend of confucianism and communism that has led to a communist monarchy where the main seat of power has been passed from father to son to grandson.  

Topography of North Korea

Mountains & Valley's of North Korea

Kim Il Sung (1st Leader) Kim Jong Il (Son)

Kim Jong Un (Grandson & Current Leader)

Region

North Korea is associated with two regions.  Physical and culturally, it is part of East Asia, which consists of China, Mongolia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan.  North Korea is also condisered part of the Asian Communist Block, which use to include the Soviet Union and Mongolia.  Now is it comprised of North Korea, China, Vietnam, and Laos.

East Asia

Movement

Three topics come to mind in reference to movement.  

1) The cultural diffusion of Communism from Russia and China to North Korea.  Norht Korea's proximity to China and Russia and the Russian occupation of North Korea following World War II greatly contributed to North Korea's willingness to try out communism as a form of government and social equality.  North Korea, with the support of Russia and China attempted to spread communism to South Korea via the Korea War.

Proximity enhances diffusion

Movement in the Korean War

2) The movemnt of nuclear technology from Pakistan to North Korea over the past three decades.  In an attempt to deter or threaten South Korea and the United States, North Korea successfully obtain the knowledge to build and test nuclear devices from Pakistan.

Pakistani Planes in North Korea

Range of North Korean Missiles

3) The movement of North Korea Defectors from North Korea to South Korea.  This is probably the single strongest indicator of the deterioration of life in North Korea.  Up through the 1980s, South Korea received less than 100 defectors a year due to the incredible risks to oneself and ones family.  Beginning in the late 1990s and into the 2000s the number of North Korean defectors successfully arriving climbed as high as 2,900 a year.  If a North Korean is caught moving out of thier village or across the North Korea border into China, they and three generations of their family are imprisoned in labor camps.

Human and Environment Interaction

In the 1990s alone it is estimated that somewhere around 3.7 million North Koreans starved to death.  Those who did not die are now known as the stunted generation because the average male in North Korea is 6 inches shorter and 30 lbs. lighter than their South Korean counterpart.  While much of the starvation can be linked to the fall of the Soviet Union and other Communist block nations in the early 1990s, the mismanagement of North Korea's environment is also to blame.  Deforestation and improper crop rotations plans followed by years of alternating droughts and floods destroyed much of the domestically produced food.  North Korea's self imposed principle of self reliance and thier hatred of the South and United States prevented them from opening up trade with non communist states, who could have helped prevent much of the starvation and death.  

Droughts

Floods

Drop in Grain Production

The starving and stunted generation

My Thoughts

I have read a lot of books about North Korea, but I found this one the most comprehensive and descriptive source of information.  I cried as I read some of the stories and I while I have a much better understanding of what life is like in North Korea I still can't comprehend how a government could treat their people so poorly while they live is pomp and splendor.  I am no communist, but a real communist would not let that happen.

Imprint

Text: Jeremy Stevenson
Editing: Jeremy Stevenson
Publication Date: 11-19-2013

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
To those who suffered and those who are still suffering.