Every Falling Star
Olivia D’Souza
Every Falling Star
Sungju Lee
2016
Nonfiction
North Korea
The book begins in the city of Pyongyang, North Korea. Sungju Lee attends school with his friends and his family lives a prosperous life as his father is a military officer. One day, Lee’s father says that they will be taking a vacation and Lee and his parents pack everything up and move to Gyeong-seong. Life becomes very difficult and Lee quits school to help his parents find food. Trying to find a new way to make money, Lee’s father leaves to participate in trade on the Chinese border. Shortly after, Lee’s mother also leaves to find more food. Neither of them return. For the next three years, Lee becomes a kotjebi (street boy) and forms his own gang to protect another. The gang moves from town to town, stealing from the market and fighting other kotjebi. One fateful day, Lee finds his grandfather in a market and he and his gang stay with them for some time. His grandfather tells Lee, his father is waiting for him and he leaves behind his gang and grandparents to journey to find his father. Lee crosses the border and finds his father in South Korea however they have no trace of his mother.
Every Falling Star indicates the many ways the communist government of North Korea has created inequalities within the country as well as the fact that many basic human rights are being neglected. The family structure in North Korea is very much based on the location of the family. Those who are privileged enough to live in Pyongyang and other wealthier cities have a much more universal structure of a mother, father, and 1-3 children. Families that live in market cities or labor camps are often broken apart where the parents may leave and the children find new families of friends, as Lee did with his gang. Politics plays a big role in North Korean society as it is a communist form of government which is very strict on its citizens. Socioeconomic mobility is very difficult in North Korea since many struggle to make money to buy food and necessities but wealthy families can find themselves in difficult situations should they be considered an enemy of the state. As learned from Lee’s time in Pyongyang, education is very important in the upper classes of North Korea as many want their children to find a government job either in administration or the military. The parallels between my culture and those portrayed in Every Falling Star is the emphasis on education. Many times students are considered the future of a nation. Although I could not connect with Sungju Lee on a situational level, his mental strength and leadership in tough times are character traits that I believe and am working to hold. Lee also never gave up hope and as someone who is faced with immigration struggles, I too, don’t give up hope of a better future.
The central conflict presented in this memoir was the strict rule of North Korea on its people. Despite the claims of providing necessities to its people, the leaders of North Korea were forcing a majority of its citizens to work in labor camps or poor cities to make a bare minimum amount of money to survive. Many could not afford medicines and food without stealing. Lee also lost both his parents for a very long time. The issue of the North Korean government has not been solved, not even in reality, however Lee was able to find his father and the end of the memoir. I believe that the author did a very good job of handling the causes of the conflict and portraying life in North Korea. These conflicts are very culturally based but similar situations have occurred in other countries around the world. Reading Every Falling Star changed my worldview, because it showed me the reality of communism in countries today. I was not aware of all the human rights violations occurring in North Korea but this memoir described what true life was like and how grateful I am to be safe from harm in the United States.
The central theme of this book is friendship and hope. Despite losing his mother and father in the beginning of the memoir, Lee finds his friends and they survive together. Together they fought in the market, and together they made money and found food for each other. Their friendship is also what helped them to have hope. Hope for one another to help and survive in the harsh conditions of North Korea. This message is relevant to all other cultures because in every culture, many encounter times of hardship and exhaustion. But finding friends to trust and take care of, and always having hope for the future, the hardships will pass. They may not pass quickly or easily but they will be slightly easier to bear.
Every Falling Star
Sungju Lee
2016
Nonfiction
North Korea
The book begins in the city of Pyongyang, North Korea. Sungju Lee attends school with his friends and his family lives a prosperous life as his father is a military officer. One day, Lee’s father says that they will be taking a vacation and Lee and his parents pack everything up and move to Gyeong-seong. Life becomes very difficult and Lee quits school to help his parents find food. Trying to find a new way to make money, Lee’s father leaves to participate in trade on the Chinese border. Shortly after, Lee’s mother also leaves to find more food. Neither of them return. For the next three years, Lee becomes a kotjebi (street boy) and forms his own gang to protect another. The gang moves from town to town, stealing from the market and fighting other kotjebi. One fateful day, Lee finds his grandfather in a market and he and his gang stay with them for some time. His grandfather tells Lee, his father is waiting for him and he leaves behind his gang and grandparents to journey to find his father. Lee crosses the border and finds his father in South Korea however they have no trace of his mother.
Every Falling Star indicates the many ways the communist government of North Korea has created inequalities within the country as well as the fact that many basic human rights are being neglected. The family structure in North Korea is very much based on the location of the family. Those who are privileged enough to live in Pyongyang and other wealthier cities have a much more universal structure of a mother, father, and 1-3 children. Families that live in market cities or labor camps are often broken apart where the parents may leave and the children find new families of friends, as Lee did with his gang. Politics plays a big role in North Korean society as it is a communist form of government which is very strict on its citizens. Socioeconomic mobility is very difficult in North Korea since many struggle to make money to buy food and necessities but wealthy families can find themselves in difficult situations should they be considered an enemy of the state. As learned from Lee’s time in Pyongyang, education is very important in the upper classes of North Korea as many want their children to find a government job either in administration or the military. The parallels between my culture and those portrayed in Every Falling Star is the emphasis on education. Many times students are considered the future of a nation. Although I could not connect with Sungju Lee on a situational level, his mental strength and leadership in tough times are character traits that I believe and am working to hold. Lee also never gave up hope and as someone who is faced with immigration struggles, I too, don’t give up hope of a better future.
The central conflict presented in this memoir was the strict rule of North Korea on its people. Despite the claims of providing necessities to its people, the leaders of North Korea were forcing a majority of its citizens to work in labor camps or poor cities to make a bare minimum amount of money to survive. Many could not afford medicines and food without stealing. Lee also lost both his parents for a very long time. The issue of the North Korean government has not been solved, not even in reality, however Lee was able to find his father and the end of the memoir. I believe that the author did a very good job of handling the causes of the conflict and portraying life in North Korea. These conflicts are very culturally based but similar situations have occurred in other countries around the world. Reading Every Falling Star changed my worldview, because it showed me the reality of communism in countries today. I was not aware of all the human rights violations occurring in North Korea but this memoir described what true life was like and how grateful I am to be safe from harm in the United States.
The central theme of this book is friendship and hope. Despite losing his mother and father in the beginning of the memoir, Lee finds his friends and they survive together. Together they fought in the market, and together they made money and found food for each other. Their friendship is also what helped them to have hope. Hope for one another to help and survive in the harsh conditions of North Korea. This message is relevant to all other cultures because in every culture, many encounter times of hardship and exhaustion. But finding friends to trust and take care of, and always having hope for the future, the hardships will pass. They may not pass quickly or easily but they will be slightly easier to bear.