Reddit reviews In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom

Checked out my shelf, I didn't want to recommend the ones that I started years ago and never finished. Some are of people escaping war or religion, others are of people traveling and helping third world communities. My poor descriptions don't give the books justice.


When Broken Glass Floats First person account of surviving the Khmer Rouge

The Road of Lost Innocence Woman who escaped sex slavery in Cambodia returns to create a charity to help exploited women and children.

In the Land of Invisible Women British born female Muslim doctor is denied a visa to remain in the US and goes to Saudi Arabia to work. She writes about the culture shock.

Land of a Thousand Hill Woman arrives in Africa in 1949 and spends 50 years in Rwanda. She writes about her friendship with Dian Fossey and the buildup to the genocide. She gets evacuated and returns at the age of 82 to rebuild her home and help orphans.

Left to Tell Young woman returns home to Rwanda to visit family just before the death of the president. She writes about surviving the genocide by spending months hiding in a bathroom with other women.

I Shall Not Hate Palestinian doctor write about his life in the Gaza strip and how he worked in Israeli hospitals. Says that anger is different than hate and even with all he's been through, believes both sides need to talk and unite.

Wine to Water Bartender creates events to raise money and awareness to the world's fresh water crisis, but upon traveling to Sudan, realizes it'll take more than just money. He makes it his mission to travel to remote areas to hire and teach locals how to repair and maintain wells.

Find Me Unafraid American spends a semester abroad in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, and falls in love with a local. Together, they create a free school for young girls and work on programs to bring other services to the area.

Little Princes Man volunteers at orphanage in Nepal and learns that most children were taken from their families and abandoned. He makes it his duty to reunite as many as he can.

Between two Worlds Journalist is falsely accused of espionage and is forced to spend 8 years in a prison in Tehran.

In Order to Live Young girl and mother escape North Korea and get sold into sex slavery in China before being able to escape and search for family in South Korea.

Troublemaker Leah Remini's experience of growing up in Scientology and leaving as an adult.

About Jonestown-

A Thousand Lives Author has reviewed declassified documents and puts together a story about the lives of the people there and about the few who survived.

Seductive Poison Written by a high level member who escaped just before the massacre.

About the FLDS-

Stolen Innocence Forced to marry her cousin at age 14, she later escapes and plays a key role in the trial against Warren Jeffs

Church of Lies A 'brutal and unflinching look' at the abuse in the community. She escapes and tries to rescue other young girls.

The Witness Wore Red This woman was the 19th wife of the prophet.

Escape Married to a high member, she escapes with her 8 kids.

Prophet's Prey Written by a private investigator who spent 7 years helping members and trying to bring down Warren Jeffs. Also a documentary. Worth a watch if the subjects interests you.

I just finished In Order To Live by Yeonmi Park. She is a North Korean defector and it's about her escape from North Korea and how she came to be and advocate for North Korean refugees. It's a good read, and as you can imagine, it's very sad and troubling. The good news is that it actually has a good ending.

If you are interested in life in North Korea, and views of defectors/refugees, I highly recommend "In Order to Live" by Yeomni Park. Fantastic but heartbreaking book.