Book Review: In Order to Live

Author: Yeonmi Park

Genre: Autobiography

Rating: ★★★★

A spellbinding read of a real life journey to freedom. Image Source.

Walking by the shelves at the book store I could not resist picking up this book. I had a feeling, and I was right. This book detailed the harrowing journey endured by a young girl as she struggled for survival, escaping from her North Korean homeland and the ordeals she suffered across China to Mongolia and finally to her freedom in South Korea and beyond.

The words were beautifully woven together and author Yeonmi Park's love for literature really shone through as she wrote down her story for the world to see. It was so captivating that I could not put the book down and read it in one day. Her story touched me and I cried as her final chapter came to an end.

Park's commitment to writing down her story served many purpose. She wrote to liberate herself and her family from the sufferings and choices they made in order to live. She also wrote to raise awareness, not just of the situation in North Korea that plague its citizens but also of the need of policy changes in regards to refugees. She shone a light on the fact that human trafficking is still very much present in this modern world resulting in atrocious crimes against humanity. I think most heartbreaking of all is the prejudice we have against each other and that many of us choose to turn a blind eye to the sufferings in this world.

I hope stories like hers reach the hearts of people around the world and our leaders. We are the ones that can make a difference. To do that we need to act and our policies must change to protect those who act. Our world will not be truly civilized until we unite to make that leap forward. For her sake and many more out there, I hope that day comes soon.

Live. Love. Laugh. Liberate.

- Avis Knows