Lately I have been a little obsessed with all things North Korea. I saw photo's of the DMZ tour and have been wanting to plan a trip for J and I overseas (it would be our first together). I am frequently fascinated by that which there is little information available. For example, I want to go to Cuba. I learn as much as I can whenever possible about the Cuban way of life, their government, how it works ~ Mostly its about the unknown. Plus I love history so anymore historical time periods I can learn about all the better.
This book is about the story of Laura Ling's time spent in North Korea with her co-worker Euna Lee. It is told from the perspective of Laura and her family at home through Lisa Ling (her sister and popular reporter). Recently I had watched a documentary Lisa Ling participated in for National Geographic about medical conditions in North Korea. I was appalled. I couldnt believe it! I have also watched a documentary about soliders from the Korean War who defected to the North. My grandfather was a soldier in the Army in during the Korean War (He drove a tank). So more than even the unknown, Korea is apart of my history since it wa a war my grandfather took part in.
This book came across as an honest portrayl of what happened through the eyes of the captives. I am saddened by the described conditions and glad to see yet another side of the N Korean story.
This book is about the story of Laura Ling's time spent in North Korea with her co-worker Euna Lee. It is told from the perspective of Laura and her family at home through Lisa Ling (her sister and popular reporter). Recently I had watched a documentary Lisa Ling participated in for National Geographic about medical conditions in North Korea. I was appalled. I couldnt believe it! I have also watched a documentary about soliders from the Korean War who defected to the North. My grandfather was a soldier in the Army in during the Korean War (He drove a tank). So more than even the unknown, Korea is apart of my history since it wa a war my grandfather took part in.
This book came across as an honest portrayl of what happened through the eyes of the captives. I am saddened by the described conditions and glad to see yet another side of the N Korean story.
On March 17, 2009, Laura Ling and her colleague Euna Lee were working on a documentary about North Korean defectors who were fleeing the desperate conditions in their homeland. While filming on the Chinese–North Korean border, they were chased down by North Korean soldiers who violently apprehended them. Laura and Euna were charged with trespassing and "hostile acts," and imprisoned by Kim Jong Il's notoriously secretive Communist state. Kept totally apart, they endured months of interrogations and eventually a trial before North Korea's highest court. They were the first Americans ever to be sentenced to twelve years of hard labor in a prison camp in North Korea.
When news of the arrest reached Laura's sister, journalist Lisa Ling, she immediately began a campaign to get her sister released, one that led her from the State Department to the higher echelons of the media world and eventually to the White House.
Somewhere Inside reveals for the first time Laura's gripping account of what really happened on the river, her treatment at the hands of North Korean guards, and the deprivations and rounds of harrowing interrogations she endured. She speaks movingly about the emotional toll inflicted on her by her incarceration, including the measures she took to protect her sources and her fears that she might never see her family again.
Lisa writes about her unrelenting efforts to secure Laura and Euna's release. Offering insights into the vast media campaign spearheaded on the women's behalf, Lisa also takes us deep into the drama involving people at the highest levels of government, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, Senator John Kerry, and Governor Bill Richardson—intense discussions that entailed strategically balancing the agendas and good intentions of the various players. She also describes her role in the back-and-forth between North Korea's demands and the dramatic rescue by former President Bill Clinton.
Though they were thousands of miles apart while Laura was in captivity, the Ling sisters' relationship became a way for the reclusive North Korean government to send messages to the United States government, which helped lead to Laura and Euna's eventual release.
Told in the sisters' alternating voices, Somewhere Inside is a timely, inspiring, and page-turning tale of survival set against the canvas of international politics that goes beyond the headlines to reveal the impact on lives engulfed by forces beyond their control. But it is also a window into the unique bond these two sisters have always shared, a bond that sustained them throughout the most horrifying ordeal of their lives. (Amazon.com)
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