Episode · The Book Review · 2018-01-05
Books mentioned on What to Read About North Korea
Nicholas Kristof recommended In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park and others, The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee, Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader by Bradley K. Martin, The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, and The Cleanest Race by B.R. Myers, and discussed Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker. Pamela Paul recommended The Secret River by Kate Grenville, discussed Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland and others, and read Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward for a book club. Alexandra Alter recommended Green by Sam Graham-Felsen, The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson, Red Clocks by Leni Zumas, The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor and others, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones and others, Tangerine by Christine Mangan, Circe by Madeline Miller, and The female persuasion by Meg Wolitzer and others. Jennifer Szalai discussed Radetzky march by Joseph Roth. Greg Cowles discussed Winter by Karl Ove Knausgård and My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård and others. John Williams discussed Complete poems and selected letters by John Keats.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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In Order to Live
In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park and Maryanne Vollers is a harrowing memoir detailing the author's dramatic escape from North Korea and her subsequent journey toward freedom.
Recommended“um the first is in order to live a North Korean girl's journey to Freedom by Yoni Park written with Maryann vowers”
Where to get it
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The Girl with Seven Names
The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee is a compelling memoir detailing a North Korean defector's harrowing escape from her homeland and her subsequent journey to freedom.
Recommended“and that book is the girl with seven names a North Korean Defector Story by hanso Lee with David John”
Where to get it
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Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader
Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader by Bradley K.
Recommended“It's Bradley Martin's book uh under the loving care of the fatherly leader and he he goes through the sweep of North Korean history”
Where to get it
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Pachinko
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a sweeping historical novel that follows four generations of a Korean immigrant family living in Japan.
Discussed“and there was one book that that came out last year would ended up being one of our 10 best books of the Year minin Le Pachinko which right begins in in in North Korea and talks about the sort of Working Poor there the rural poor and their migration over to Japan”
Where to get it
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The Orphan Master's Son
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that offers a harrowing and deeply imaginative look into life within the closed society of North Korea.
Recommended“tell us about why you chose to put Adam Johnson's the orphan Master son Adam Johnson is just an extraordinary writer and the idea of writing a novel set in in North Korea about a a military man”
Where to get it
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The Cleanest Race
The Cleanest Race by B.R.
Recommended“and there's one book that I I mentioned called the cleanest race how North Korean SE themselves”
Where to get it
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Enlightenment Now
Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker is a widely acclaimed book that uses data and numerous charts to argue for long-term human progress, global prosperity, and the triumphs of reason and science.
Discussed“so I'm just finishing up a a book by stepen Pinker called Enlightenment now which is coming out next month and a fantastic book”
Where to get it
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Wings of Fire
Discussed“Tui Southerland is here now to talk about her many books the latest of which is a graphic novelization of the First In Her Wings of Fire series”
Where to get it
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Green
Green by Sam Graham-Felsen is a compelling debut novel that explores race, friendship, and politics through the eyes of a young campaign volunteer in 2008.
Recommended“one that's getting a lot of attention um right now that's just out is green by Sam Graham Felson and this is by a former campaign blog director for Barack Obama”
Where to get it
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The Largesse of the Sea Maiden
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson is a posthumous short story collection by the acclaimed author.
Recommended“he had finished a final short Story collection before he died and this is coming out on January 16th it's titled the largeest of the sea Maiden”
Where to get it
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Red Clocks
Red Clocks by Leni Zumas is a feminist dystopian novel that explores a near-future society where reproductive rights are heavily restricted and fertilized embryos possess full legal personhood.
Recommended“on the same day as Dennis Johnson there's this uh feminist dystopian novel coming out it's called the red Clocks by Lenny zumas”
Where to get it
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The Perfect Nanny
The Perfect Nanny is a chilling psychological suspense novel by Lela Slimani that explores the dark dynamics between a seemingly ideal nanny and the family who employs her, ultimately culminating in tragedy.
Recommended“and another Thriller that's looking very exciting that's already getting a ton of attention is the perfect Nanny by Leila slimani”
Where to get it
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Binti: The Night Masquerade
Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor is the final installment in the award-winning science fiction and fantasy trilogy chronicling the adventures of a young Himba woman.
Recommended“and another January 16th title I'm excited about basically everything I'm excited about is coming out on a single day is the night masquerade which is the final installment in nedia cor for award-winning denty fantasy series”
Where to get it
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An American Marriage
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones is an acclaimed contemporary novel that explores the devastating impact of a wrongful conviction on a newlywed couple in the American South.
Recommended“and there's even more exciting stuff coming out in February including an American marriage by tyi Jones”
Where to get it
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Tangerine
Tangerine by Christine Mangan is a psychological and social thriller set against the sun-drenched and suffocating atmosphere of 1950s Morocco.
Recommended“another debut that I'm very excited about is Tangerine by Christine manangan”
Where to get it
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Circe
Circe by Madeline Miller is a critically acclaimed reimagining of Greek mythology that tells the story of the exiled witch from The Odyssey from her own perspective, celebrated for its exquisite prose and psychological depth.
Recommended“and her new novel Cersei which comes out in April is looking at the witch from The Odyssey and it's narrated from The Witch's perspective”
Where to get it
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The female persuasion
The Female Persuasion is a contemporary novel by Meg Wolitzer that explores ambition, mentorship, feminism, and the complex expectations placed on young women coming of age.
Recommended“and another April book that I'm looking forward to is the female persuasion by Meg willitzer which people are already raving about”
Where to get it
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Sing, Unburied, Sing
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is a powerful Mississippi-set novel that functions simultaneously as a raw road trip narrative and a haunting ghost story.
Book club“so this is really a participatory book club and we're super excited to announce the first author on the book club on the first book Choice which is Jasmine Wards sing unburied sing”
Where to get it
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Radetzky march
The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth is a sweeping, classic novel that chronicles the decline and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire through the lens of a single family.
Discussed“so I have started reading the retki march by Joseph Roth which I had never read before”
Where to get it
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Winter
Discussed“i'm reading the second book of Carl O canard's new seasonal quartet it's called winter”
Where to get it
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My Struggle
My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated by Don Bartlett, is a massive, multi-volume autobiographical novel that chronicles the intimate and mundane details of the author's daily life.
Discussed“card of course broke huge on the scene with his six volume autobiographical novel my struggle th this quartet of books shares some things with my struggle”
Where to get it
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Complete poems and selected letters
Discussed“John I I have kind of a book recommendation and a movie recommendation this week because the book I'm reading is John ke's selected letters”
Where to get it
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The Secret River
The Secret River by Kate Grenville is a powerful historical novel that follows an English convict who attempts to build a new life in the harsh Australian landscape, confronting complex moral questions regarding indigenous displacement.
Recommended“so I left my books there and the one that I that I finished first was Kate grenville's the secret river which I mentioned I think the last time I was on which is really good historical novel”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (9) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“um I I've been covering North Korea since the 1980s and there have been you know some wonderful books that originally I was going to uh include Barbara demics nothing to Envy which is one of the maybe the best of the journalistic books about about North Korea”
“it's called the red Clocks by Lenny zumas and it's kind of in the mold of Margaret Atwoods the hamid's tale or ones that we've seen recently like Louise Erik's future home of the Living God and the power by Naomi Alderman”
“it's called the red Clocks by Lenny zumas and it's kind of in the mold of Margaret Atwoods the hamid's tale or ones that we've seen recently like Louise Erik's future home of the Living God and the power by Naomi Alderman”
“it's called the red Clocks by Lenny zumas and it's kind of in the mold of Margaret Atwoods the hamid's tale or ones that we've seen recently like Louise Erik's future home of the Living God and the power by Naomi Alderman”
“she is a former Classics professor and she wrote the song of Achilles that was her debut which was a a novelization of The Iliad”
“her second novel Salvage the bones won the national book award in 2011”
“and Jasmine does not only write fiction she also edited a great Anthology the fire next time that came out in 2016 and then that was an anthology of essays about race”
“and she has also written a memoir very moving Memoir called Men We reaped about the death of her brother and for other young African-American men in Mississippi”
“I'd read one of his other novels several months ago which I think I talked about a bit on the podcast right and right and left which I enjoyed”