A River in Darkness by Masaji Iskikawa is his harrowing story of life and escape from North Korea, one of the most brutal regimes. Half-Korean, half-Japanese, Mr. Ishikawa grew up in a between worlds. He wasn’t fully accepted in Japan, the country of his birth and he was mocked and placed in the lowest social caste, what Mr. Ishikawa called “Hostiles,” in North Korea as his family moved there in 1960 when he was 13. His father, a South Korean native, was lured to the new Communist country with the promises of a better life, better work opportunities and education for his children; however, reality proved far worse than he could have imagined. Mr. Ishikawa recounts his early life in Japan, the move to North Korea and the 36 years he spent there until he couldn’t take it anymore. He knew he had to get out. Either he died in country or he died trying to escape, he would make a run for it.
A River in Darkness is not only a shocking real-life story of life inside North Korea and a testament to the desperate measures people will take to survive and even try to escape, it is a wake up call to the path many countries are heading. I know there are many people who should say that socialism in America would be different, but I have read too many accounts of people who lived and escaped communist countries to see that the results always end in human suffering. And as I read Mr. Ishikawa’s story, I couldn’t help but see the same empty promises being made now. I highly recommend A River Darkness as a warning to those who think that socialism is the answer. It is a heartbreaking story and a must read.
A River in
Darkness is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook
No comments:
Post a Comment