Without You, There Is No Us

My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite

By: Suki Kim

Narrated by: Janet Song

A haunting memoir of teaching English to the sons of North Korea's ruling class during the last six months of Kim Jong-il's reign

Every day, three times a day, the students march in two straight lines, singing praises to Kim Jong-il and North Korea: Without you, there is no motherland. Without you, there is no us. It is a chilling scene, but gradually Suki Kim, too, learns the tune and, without noticing, begins to hum it. It is 2011, and all universities in North Korea have been shut down for an entire year, the students sent to construction fields - except for the 270 students at the all-male Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST), a walled compound where portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il look on impassively from the walls of every room, and where Suki has accepted a job teaching English. Over the next six months, she will eat three meals a day with her young charges and struggle to teach them to write, all under the watchful eye of the regime.

Life at PUST is lonely and claustrophobic, especially for Suki, whose letters are read by censors and who must hide her notes and photographs not only from her minders but from her colleagues - evangelical Christian missionaries who don't know or choose to ignore that Suki doesn't share their faith. As the weeks pass, she is mystified by how easily her students lie, unnerved by their obedience to the regime. At the same time, they offer Suki tantalizing glimpses of their private selves - their boyish enthusiasm, their eagerness to please, the flashes of curiosity that have not yet been extinguished. She in turn begins to hint at the existence of a world beyond their own - at such exotic activities as surfing the Internet or traveling freely and, more dangerously, at electoral democracy and other ideas forbidden in a country where defectors risk torture and execution. But when Kim Jong-il dies, and the boys she has come to love appear devastated, she wonders whether the gulf between her world and theirs can ever be bridged.

©2014 Suki Kim (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[An] extraordinary and troubling portrait of life under severe repression…[Kim's] account is both perplexing and deeply stirring." ( Publishers Weekly)

"A rare and nuanced look at North Korean culture, and an uncommon addition to the 'inspirational-teacher' genre." ( Booklist)

Wonderful read!

Through the whole book I felt like I was a tiny listening device secretly smuggled in and hidden somewhere on Ms. Kim's person. Right next to her tightly kept, secret flash drives. Each day listening to and absorbing every word. Leaving my imagination hungry for more examples of life on what seemed to be a distant planet people actually lived on. Her bravery alone is something to be commended. Loved this book! Eye opening for sure.

Interesting, to say the least.

This is an interesting view into a side of North Korea I knew nothing about. I've read The Aquariums of Pyonyang, and other such books of tragedy, but had never heard of a story about the people at the top of the food chain in North Korea.

Unbelievable

I thank the author for telling her story.
I pray for the natives and the soldiers
that remain living and keeping the peace.

Bad narration

I could not stand the narrator. Terrible voice and inflection. I think I would have liked the story more and have a better connection to the story if it had been read by someone else.

Personal and political

This is an intimate experience and it is told as such. The author gives a view into the lives of college students and the people working at the institution within a complex environment. It is done in a way that foster both empathy and interest, abd delivers even frustrating details with care so that it does not disparage the people referenced. This is an interesting story of the writer's experience, kept personal while exposing truths one may never otherwise be able to imagine.

A rare insight into North Korea?

This rare insight into North Korea is an eye-opener. The writer style makes you feel that you are there enduring every moment.

Fascinating

The book started a little slow for me but before long I found myself pulled in. I can't imagine how frightening it would have been to teach in that school, especially knowing she would be writing about it. I'm very curious about what consequences there were for the school, teachers and students. Provides unique insight into a slice of North Korean life.

A Must Read

Where does Without You, There Is No Us rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is so educational about the life and culture of a group of "elite" young males in North Korea (DPRK) and their South Korean/American English teacher. Elite in North Korea is an oxymoron. I respect and value the mental and emotional struggles she experienced in always trying to be honest at all times with her students and her missionary coworkers who assumed she was Christian; description of their daily life - monotonous, and pervasive indoctrination and total distrust; and constantly having to be mentally careful of her words and actions. She so well explained the psyche of these students who since birth have been isolated from the rest of the world; indoctrinated to believe that North Korea is all powerful; and without "their dictator" who was all knowing and powerful that they would not be or survive. I had a read a couple of books about struggles of poor North Koreans and this book is important because it shows the reader why the next generation of influential male adults will act as they do.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author Suki Kim who risked returning to the country where her grandparents had fled to learn about life in DPRK today and tell this story in a book.

What does Janet Song bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I appreciate that both the author and narrator were women since this is a critical part of the memoirs.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There is so much not to be forgotten in this book, but I shall always remember that one student was not upset about being caught cheating at Trivia, but he "should have cheated better.

eye opening

I thought I knew "enough " about NoKo. But this was fascinating! Really well performed, too. Such an interesting author with such an interesting story to tell!

Very interesting read

This story of a teacher in North Korea is very informative. Stories of her experiences there are quite eye opening. I learned a lot about this country and the deprecation and isolation of its people. Narrator was good and easy to follow.