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1-Page Summary of Nothing To Envy
Overall Summary
Barbara Demick’s book, “Nothing to Envy”, is based on interviews with North Korean defectors. The author focuses on six of them who grew up in the city of Chongjin, which is a less isolated area than Pyongyang. It covers the history of Korea from 1945-2000 and discusses how it was divided by the U.S., economic hardships that occurred after 1980 and more.
The plot of the book is loosely structured around a romance between two people. The main character, Jun-sang, meets Mi-ran at a movie theatre and falls in love with her rebelliousness and short hair. He later tries to pursue her despite his knowledge that she’s not an ideal match for him because of her class ranking (she would be considered too low on the social ladder). Even after he begins attending college, he often thinks about her so he decides to approach her. As their relationship blossoms, North Korea’s economy fails them as they witness its disintegration: electricity becomes scarce along with other basic necessities such as movies and economic life. However, this period of hardship also provides them with a gift since it allows them to spend time together intimately without being caught by authorities due to darkness during walks at night. They have conversations but never hold hands or kiss for three years until they finally do so after three years apart when Jun-sang returns home from studying abroad in China where he met another girl named Soo-hee who reminds him of Mi-ran except that she has long hair instead of short hair like Mi-ran does but then again neither one is willing to forget each other even though both are now married although their marriage was arranged by their parents who were against their relationship back then but eventually accepted it once they came back from studying abroad in China which made things difficult especially since both families live close together which means seeing each other every day all while having children as well which makes matters worse especially when Soo-hee gets pregnant right before Jun-sang goes away again for work making things more complicated than ever before
Jun-sang is admitted to college in Pyongyang, where he discovers his skepticism towards the Worker’s Party regime on the occasion of Kim Il-sung’s death. When he fails to muster tears, he realizes that he does not believe the ideology he has learned since birth: He does not love the leader as much as his classmates wailing around him seem to. However, Jun-Sang keeps this realization a secret from Mi-ran. As Jun-Sang continues to learn about North Korea and other countries through media like South Korean television shows and Russian newspapers, it becomes clear that most of what people have been taught about North Korea—and other countries—is false. For example, when famine sets in during the 1990s, Jun-Sang sees starvation and death even though his family is wealthy because they are insulated from some of these problems by their wealth. Furthermore, when Jun-Sang travels back home for holidays or trips with friends who aren’t so lucky financially due to being born into poor families or otherwise unfortunate circumstances (e.g., having a disabled father), then they go hungry while watching others eat good food at restaurants all over town just because those people have more money than them. In addition, as Jun – Sang watches smuggled South Korean TV shows, which reveal how foreign nations help North Korea during times of crisis such as famines but also criticize its government’s lies and political oppression, it makes him want to defect even more. But fear holds him back.
