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Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: AudiobookHub Recommendation
Chapter 2: Ishikawa’s family was promised a better life in North Korea, yet were cruelly persecuted there.
Chapter 3: Ishikawa’s school years were marked by strict obedience, nonstop propaganda, and rigid social hierarchies enforced.
Chapter 4: North Korea’s repression was so severe it ultimately completely dehumanized the country’s own citizens.
Chapter 5: North Korea’s famine killed millions, and for many the only survival path was crime.
Chapter 6: Thousands of North Koreans brave deadly Yalu River crossings, seeking a better life across border in China.
Chapter 7: Even after reaching China, Ishikawa confronted a perilous journey returning to Japan.
Description
A River in Darkness (2000) is the harrowing true story of one man’s life in and eventual escape from the brutal dictatorship of North Korea. Born in Japan, Masaji Ishikawa was one of hundreds of thousands of Koreans who moved to the country between the 1950s and 1980s. His memoir chronicles the life of drudgery, terror and endless hardship that awaited them.
Who Should Listen
- Human rights advocates
- History buffs fascinated by the Cold War
- Anyone who loves true life stories