Nothing to Envy

Mrs. Song and Dr. Kim are both “true believers” for most of their lives. What factors change their minds? What convinces them to defect? How do their new lives in South Korea compare to each other’s, and what accounts for their different levels of satisfaction?

Choose one piece of North Korean propaganda contained within the book: a song, a lesson plan, a poster, or a press release. Then, analyze its effect. Was it meant for a foreign audience, or a domestic audience? What does it intend to teach that audience about North Korea? How is it used by Demick within the text? Could it be interpreted differently?

In the face of the famine, middle-aged women mostly run the economy that rises up. Why is this significant? What does Mrs. Song’s participation tell you about North Korea at that time? How does this development change gender dynamics?

Many characters in this book are affected by “tainted blood.” Discuss the history behind one character’s bloodline, and the unexpected consequences it has in their lifetime as they move from North to South Korea. 

Chapter Six, “Twilight of the God,” is the only chapter to contain narratives about all six of the book’s main characters. Discuss this stylistic choice. What effect does it have? What does it tell us about Kim Il-sung? About North Korea? Why don’t other chapters have this structure?

Dr. Kim and Jun-sang have similar backgrounds, and both go on to prestigious careers. Describe the differences between the two. What motivates them? What causes their eventual skepticism? What might account for these differences?

Small details of life outside North Korea convince various citizens to defect, from a ballpoint pen to a nail clipper to a rice cooker. What is the significance of these small, household objects? Choose two, and compare and contrast the ways they motivate the characters that see them.

Compare Pyongyang to Chongjin. How are these two different cities described within the text? What are their main features? How and why does life differ between them?