Suki Kim Bücher

A haunting account of teaching English to the sons of North Korea's ruling class during the last months of Kim Jong-il's reign. Every day, students march in lines, singing praises to Kim Jong-il, a chilling scene that gradually influences Suki Kim, who finds herself humming along. In 2011, while universities in North Korea are closed, 270 students at the all-male Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) remain, where Suki works undercover as a missionary and teacher. Over six months, she shares meals with her students and struggles to teach them English under the regime's watchful eye. Life at PUST is lonely for Suki, whose letters are censored, and she must hide her notes from both her minders and her fellow evangelical Christian missionaries, who are unaware of her differing beliefs. As time passes, she is disturbed by her students' ease with lying and their obedience to the regime, yet they reveal glimpses of their true selves—enthusiasm, curiosity, and a desire to please. Suki hints at a world beyond their own, discussing forbidden topics like the Internet and democracy. When Kim Jong-il dies, she sees the devastation in her students and questions if the divide between their worlds can ever be bridged. This account offers a rare glimpse into life in one of the world's most secretive countries and the privileged young men she describes as "soldiers and slaves."