Read for Popsugar's 2018 Reading Challenge #49: A book about a problem facing society today

I'm struggling to put my thoughts into words after reading this book. Every Falling Star is far from anything I normally read so my expectations for me liking it were pretty low. I was really surprised when I had a hard time putting the book down.

I knew a fair amount about North Korea before going into this book. More than the average person but not nearly enough (or so I think anyways). This book made me want to learn even more. Every Falling Star is a brutal story about what it's like to grown up in, what I now think of as a cult-like country. When you're reading you almost have a hard time believing it's real. No one could possibly think that growing up like this is ok. It breaks your heart each time you remember that it's a true story yet you're still cheering the characters on, hoping that things will turn out in the end.

What I really liked about this particular novel is that it's aimed towards young adults. I think that made the story a little bit easier to read and I think it will make more of an impact on young adults than most other non-fiction books. This is one book that I would have been glad to read had it been a mandatory book in school. I can only hope that more people will pick it up and want to learn more about North Korea like I did. ( )

CW: Violence, sexual assaults, drugs/alcohol

3.5 Stars ( )

This is an intense memoir, as Sungju tells the story of how he was forced to live on the streets and fend for himself at the age of 12 in North Korea. It is a brutal recollection of growing up in an oppressive society and makes you realize what freedom is.

A powerful and moving story, one I'm very glad I read, even given the occasionally sluggish writing style and pacing. ( )

With simple but powerful language, this first-person memoir describes a once privileged 12-year- old boy’s desperate struggle to survive in famine stricken North Korea after his parents’ disappearance. Glossary.