![]() It's a portrait of a culture and way of thinking that is equally alien to many. Kim's book is one of the few, however, that describes what life is like for North Koreans who are being groomed for leadership positions in the regime: the sons of wealthy and powerful members of the military and government who were her pupils during her months at PUST. Most recent books about North Korea concentrate on the terrible conditions most of the population must endure, and many readers will be familiar with the food shortages and repressive political atmosphere rampant throughout the country that affect its most vulnerable citizens. Her engaging memoir Without You There Is No Us is the product of that endeavor. Unknown to her PUST backers, Kim's objective was to glean enough information about the secretive university and its enigmatic students to create a publishable work. The university, with its Evangelical Christian backing, is an anomaly in North Korea (see ' Beyond the Book'). She was suddenly and inexplicably permitted entry to teach for two terms at PUST. ![]() ![]() A writer and journalist by trade who had visited North Korea on assignment before, Kim spent months trying in vain to get a visa using her American passport (she was born in South Korea). Suki Kim worked as an English teacher at North Korea's Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) from July through December 2011. Written by a South Korean native, this memoir offers insights into the upper echelons of North Korean society. ![]()
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