“Despite all evidence to the contrary, I believed in a benevolent power guiding the universe, a loving force that somehow nudged us in the direction of good instead of evil. I believed that Jesus was part of that force, along… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“For instance, we were always making mistakes with the unfamiliar products around us, and one time my mother squirted my perfume into her mouth,… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“Still, I learned something important from my short time as a market vendor: once you start trading for yourself, you start thinking for yourself. Before the public distribution system collapsed, the government alone decided who would survive and who would starve. The markets took away the government’s control. My small market transactions made me realize that I had some control… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share
“I could not feel, smell, see, hear, or taste the world around me. If I had allowed myself to experience these things in all… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“Despite all evidence to the contrary, I believed in a benevolent power guiding the universe, a loving force that somehow nudged us in the… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“More important, while these students were in school, I was learning from life. And so I have something to offer that they do not.” — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“I learned something else that day: we all have our own deserts. They may not be the same as my desert, but we all… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“There were so many desperate people on the street crying for help that you had to shut off your heart or the pain would… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“The doctors in Songnam-ri had to be farmers, too. They cultivated medicinal plants, and actually grew their own cotton to have a supply of… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“These men were so handsome and spoke with such beautiful accents, like the South Koreans I had watched on pirated videos, that my mother… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“I understand that sometimes the only way we can survive our own memories is to shape them into a story that makes sense out… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“Even in big city hospitals there is no such thing as “disposable” supplies. Bandages are washed and reused. Nurses go from room to room… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
“...we all have our own deserts. Thet may not be the same as my desert, but we all have to cross them to find… — Yeonmi Park Copy Share Image
