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Hyeonseo Lee left North Korea when she was only seventeen. She put on a pair of what she thought were "fashionable" shoes and crossed the river to China. Living under several false identities, this is her story.
All her life she had been taught that her country was the best, most prosperous country in the world and that the "west" (every other country) was the enemy and that all other people were unhappy and living desperate lives. Her escape to China opened her eyes to several harsh realities. And yet she was still not safe. Her family remained in North Korea and they would be in danger if she were found out.
Every time I thought her story was nearly "over" (and I was reading on my Kindle, so I really couldn't quickly tell if I was almost done), she had another HUGE setback! Her courage and perseverance were pretty amazing.
I know the title doesn't make a high school student say, "Wow, I would really love to read THAT!" But this is very readable and I do think students would like it. It would also be a great selection for classroom reading, perhaps alongside I Am Malala.
Watch her incredible TED talk HERE.
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