Every Falling Star is a historical autobiography by Sungju Lee. In his autobiography, Sungju details his life in North Korea and his harrowing escape from the country. His story starts out in Pyongyang back when he was a child. His family includes his dad who is a military officer, his mom, his dog Bo Cho as well as his grandfather, who is a doctor and grandmother who is a former teacher. Sungju lives a normal life in Pyongyang during his childhood and is oblivious to the conditions affecting the rest of the country during this time. Things turn for the worse when Sungju and his family are forced to retire to the countryside, where a famine is in full swing.
This book reveals first hand what the cult-like following of the leaders of North Korea are like as well as the dystopian reality of surviving in North Korea. I think this book was really eye opening and encountered some heavy topics. This book certainly touched on some of my long standing curiosities about North Korea and life there and more. For those who are interested in learning more about life in North Korea, this book is a must read! I don’t think this book is open for criticism as not only is it an autobiography, but a personal and heartbreaking one. However, it truly does deserve 5 stars as the book is wonderfully written and Sungju does a great job describing his life in North Korea.