Book notes | A unique and fascinating look into North Korea
An enthralling memoir, “The Girl with Seven Names” describes author Hyeonseo Lee’s story as she defies all odds to live a life of freedom outside North Korea.
Lee grew up believing her country was “the greatest country on earth.” She describes a loyal childhood filled with brainwashing and adoration for the supreme leaders. All of that began to change for her in the 1990s, when North Korea was going through a severe famine. Suffering and abuses were at an extreme.
Lee’s family lived on the border with China, separated only by a shallow river. Smugglers operated regularly between the two countries. Members of her own family, including her mother, had established connections with them. Lee’s family was from a high songbun (caste) and lived comfortably compared to others.
Nevertheless, she began to question North Korea’s crimes against humanity. The teenage Lee secretly watched Chinese TV shows and listened to their music, both highly illegal activities, and wondered about freedoms in China. Days away from her eighteenth birthday, she bribed a border guard to help her cross the river. Lee soon came to realize that she could never return without fear of imprisonment and even execution.
A story fraught with danger
Hiding in China for 10 years, she constantly moved and changed her name to avoid being discovered as a North Korean exile and repatriated. Her subsequent story was fraught with danger as she eventually made her way to South Korea and endeavored to help her mother and brother escape.
This book gives a unique look into North Korea’s suppressive dictatorship. As Hyeonseo Lee stated at the end of the memoir, “Leaving North Korea is not like leaving any other country. It is more like leaving another universe. I will never be free of its gravity, no matter how far I journey.”
Members of the UMRA Book Club had a lively discussion about Lee’s fascinating story and thought her book provided insights into the reality of a totalitarian government beyond anything we knew. We saw Lee as an amazingly brave person and unanimously recommend her book.
—Mary Jane Towle, UMRA Book Club member
Book Club to meet August 21
Fri, Aug 21 2020, 2pm
Mary Jane Towle will lead the discussion of The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, August 21.
The UMRA Book Club currently has 16 members, a number that works well for our discussions. Contact Pat Tollefson at [email protected] for more information, including suggestions for starting a new book club.
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.