The World is Bigger Now by Euna Lee – Review

The World is Bigger Now
by Euna Lee
Publisher: Broadway
Publication Date: September 28, 2010
ISBN: 9780307716132
320 Pages
Nonfiction

Publisher’s Description:

For the first time, Euna Lee—the young wife, mother, and film editor detained in North Korea—tells a harrowing, but ultimately inspiring, story of survival and faith in one of the most isolated parts of the world.

On March 17, 2009, Lee and her Current TV colleague Laura Ling were working on a documentary about the desperate lives of North Koreans fleeing their homeland for a chance at freedom when they were violently apprehended by North Korean soldiers. For nearly five months they remained detained while friends and family in the United States were given little information about their status or conditions. For Lee, detention would prove especially harrowing. Imprisoned just 112 miles from where she was born and where her parents still live in Seoul, South Korea, she was branded as a betrayer of her Korean blood by her North Korean captors. After representing herself in her trial before North Korea’s highest court, she received a sentence of twelve years of hard labor in the country’s notorious prison camps, leading her to fear she might not ever see her husband and daughter again.

The World Is Bigger Now draws us deep into Euna Lee’s life before and after this experience: what led to her arrival in North Korea, her efforts to survive the agonizing months of detainment, and how she and her fellow captive, Ling, were finally released thanks to the efforts of many individuals, including Bill Clinton. Lee explains in unforgettable detail what it was like to lose, and then miraculously regain, life as she knew it.

My Opinion:

The World is Bigger Now is Euna Lee’s recollection of her time spent imprisoned in North Korea, and the story of how she ended up there.  Euna was working on a documentary that told the stories of escapees from North Korea, many of whom were in hiding in China (because China sends them back to North Korea if they are caught).

To me the most fascinating parts of this book were the stories of those refugees (which were a small section of the book).  The author relates her experiences interviewing them, as well as their personal stories of escaping from North Korea and seeking refuge in China.  It was interesting to get a closer look at what life is like for those trying to leave North Korea, and I will definitely be on the lookout for other good books on the topic.

Euna’s story was one that I already knew from watching all of the media coverage from when it happened.  So, while it was nice to read about her experiences and what was going on in her head, there wasn’t a sense of urgency in the reading, because I knew the outcome already.

Euna spends a good amount of time detailing her mental state while in captivity and describing how her interrogator was excellent at using her testimony and that of Lisa Ling (the other reporter who was captured with her) against each other to elicit more information from both of them. Since she was held in solitary confinement (in a house/room with female guards who weren’t allowed to talk to her) much of her story is about her changing mental state from day to day, ranging from despair to hope.  It is also filled with references to Euna Lee’s spiritual reflections on her experiences, and how her beliefs as a Christian helped her and strengthened her during the imprisonment. 

I’m sure this inspirational story will appeal greatly to some, but for me it was just an okay read (and I think a lot of that had to do with already knowing what was going to happen).  However, the stories of the North Korean refugees are important, and I was fascinated by that aspect of the story.

Rating: 3/5

*I received a free copy of this book for review.

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