Name: The Girl with Seven Names
ISBN: 9780007554843

Hyeonseo Lee

The Girl with Seven Names

a North Korean defector's story

The girl with seven names

This is SO intense. At times this reads like a thriller because of what this woman had to do to survive when at almost every turn there is some kind of person or entity trying to use or manipulate. There’s just so much I didn’t know about defecting from North Korea and this is written in a fast paced way taking you on every bit of the journey.

Abigail

Ryan Mateyk

This was a gripping memoir, tracing the author and her family's long journey to freedom from North Korea. 

For me, currently living in South Korea, it had quite an impact. It's absolutely crazy to me that the things described in this book about North Korea have happened and continue to happen, literally only hours away.

Gracie Marsden

Fantastic writing, beyond incredible story.

Róbert Istók

Incredible story. I could not put it down until I finished. What they went through is unbelievable, and they are one of the lucky ones.

Kristen Claiborn

This one earned my first 5 stars for 2021. I found this completely fascinating. Many people find North Korea fascinating and mysterious largely because we know so very little about what it's really like inside those borders. Are there really even people there? What are their lives like? What do their homes look like? What do they eat? Is there joy ever? So many questions loom over that country! Finding stories like this are like finding the needle in the haystack. 
 I imagine it took a lot of cajones to do what this poor girl did to get out of that life, and the trouble she ran into along the way had to have dampened her spirits, yet she kept going. Hats off to this girl, I can't even work up the nerve to drive down the street to the grocery store.

Cindy Lieberman

A memoir about a young woman’s defection from North Korea. The author was, by her own writing, a bit spoiled and sulky when she decided to cross the River near her home. Her impulsivity and lack of preparation should have spelled disaster: She’s now illegally in China with no money, no place to stay, and 8 hours by car from her relatives in China (who are not expecting her). But she is young, pretty, and VERY lucky — again and again. People drive her places and lend her money — again and again. I expect this is not the typical defector’s tale.
While I was appalled at many of the impulsive and reckless choices she made, I came to admire her honesty, work ethic, and determination.