68 pages • 2 hours read
Yeonmi Park, Maryanne VollersIn Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Important Quotes
“I wasn’t dreaming of freedom when I escaped from North Korea. I didn’t even know what it meant to be free. All I knew was that if my family stayed behind, we would probably die—from starvation, from disease, from the inhuman conditions of a prison labor camp.”
(Prologue, Page 12)
This quote dispels the notion that all refugees and defectors leave their country in search of freedom. Often, the basic necessity to survive is the driving force behind their decision to leave.
“I am most grateful for two things: that I was born in North Korea, and that I escaped from North Korea.”
(Prologue, Page 12)
In this sentence, Park informs her readers that she has made peace with her identity. Her origins and subsequent experiences inform her story and her perspective.
“I was taught never to express my opinions, never to question anything. [...] I actually believed that our Dear Leader, Kim Jong Il, could read my mind, and I would be punished for my bad thoughts.”
(Chapter 1, Page 21)
This quote reveals the extent to which North Korean state propaganda can affect the psychology and daily lives of the people. Fear of the government can affect even the most basic decision making.
