The Girl With Seven Names

The Girl With Seven Names is a memoir by a North Korean defector. This is the second novel I have read about a North Korean defector, and while both were incredibly moving, I liked this one just a touch more. The title of the book in inspired by Lee’s various aliases that she adopted over the span of decades while on her quest to liberation.

The biggest shock in this book was just how seemingly easy it was for Lee to cross the border into China. She left one night to visit relatives and to be rebellious. And then she was trapped. A two-week vacation turned into a lifetime away from North Korea. If she had returned, Lee would have been tortured or worse.

From there, Lee just tries to survive. She doesn’t have plans of ‘escaping’ but also has no plans of going home. She doesn’t even think about defecting to South Korea, because, in her mind, it’s an evil, backwards country.

This journey was inspiring, and Lee shows incredible strength and bravery throughout. (And the amount of luck she had over a ten-year period was incredible!) I highly recommend this book to everyone!