Freedom Regained

What made the experience of listening to The World Is Bigger Now the most enjoyable?

I was touched by the story. You don't know what life may throw your way but finding a way to overcome any obstacle is main in this story. Being captive in North Korea is one big obstacle. I found it touching the way Euna Lee talked about her Daughter and Husband constantly. You could tell that she had so much love for the both of them and one of her biggest Loves was the one with God. She stated in the book that she promised God to speak about her ordeal at church. This was hard for her because she is an introvert. Wow, I loved this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The World Is Bigger Now?

Knowing when something was up, when her favorite Guard was back to see her and granted some requests.

Which character – as performed by Janet Song – was your favorite?

The Main Character Euna Lee

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book made me cry especially when she talked about the love she has for her daughter.

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3 people found this helpful

Great story from an amazing woman.

I'm surprised that I'm the first reader to rate this book and write this review. I wanted to know more in what happen when they got caught in North Korea. Euna Lee side of her story is very powerful and spiritual. Her believe in God got her through her ordeal. She is very strong woman. I am looking forward at reading Laura Ling's story, "Somewhere Inside".

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3 people found this helpful

Much more than "talk therapy"

I hesitated buying this book for several weeks because of Matt's nasty review. But only a bully would challenge how "incorrect" or correct is Euna Lee's portrayal of her own experience of captivity.

This book is more than a retrospective account of Ms. Lee's capture (on Chinese soil) by North Korean soldiers, and the subsequent interrogations, trial, sentencing, and eventual pardon. First-hand, contemporary accounts about life in the world's last remaining Stalinist regime are scarce. For those of us who have become fascinated with the DPRK after reading "Nothing to Envy," "The Aquariums of Pyongyang," "The Orphan Master's Son," and "Escape from Camp 14," this volume adds slivers of new information.

Ms. Lee is a high-achieving adult immigrant from Seoul who frankly expresses her deep Christian faith yet retains her traditional culture (Confucian) and who discloses how torn she is between her newly blossoming career and her role as a wife and mother. Admittedly shy, she nonetheless reveals her self questioning and her struggle to maintain mental and physical health as the long, lonely, boring, degrading days accumulate. Of course, she knows she had it easy in comparison to the brutality of the hard labor camp to which she is sentenced.

Ultimately, Matt's contemptuous review reveals more about him than this book. This volume is well worth your time. I am going to listen to it again.

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8 people found this helpful

Delivers on what's promised. Read full title.

What did you love best about The World Is Bigger Now?

The beginning, where we learn about the experiences of the North Koreans who've made it to China. Frankly, this was much more interesting then the arrest, captivity, trial, and release of the two Americans.

Any additional comments?

If you want to learn about North Korea, there are better books -- Nothing to Envy and The Aquariums of Pyongyang. Here, you learn a lot about Euna Lee -- her childhood, her family, her faith -- and not so much about North Korea. I'd prefer that it were reversed, but that's on me. The book delivers what it advertises. When it says it's "a story about faith, family, and forgiveness" it's not kidding. If, like me, you're an atheist, you'll do a bit of eye rolling all the times God is mentioned.

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4 people found this helpful

Really great book - Sadly lots of religious jargon

Would you try another book from Euna Lee and Lisa Dickey and/or Janet Song?

I believe this story is a one-off for this author so I likely won't look any further.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The World Is Bigger Now?

The sentencing itself almost brought me to tears.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes

What else would you have wanted to know about Euna Lee and Lisa Dickey ’s life?

Honestly, I would have liked to heard more about North Korea itself.

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3 people found this helpful

Amazing story, had to keep listening

Would you consider the audio edition of The World Is Bigger Now to be better than the print version?

Never read the print version but the audio version was great.

What other book might you compare The World Is Bigger Now to and why?

I haven't read or listened to many non fiction/memoir type stories so can't really say.

What does Janet Song bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her expressions seemed to be spot on.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I only paused this book a couple times and spent a day off just listening straight through while doing chores.

Any additional comments?

I remember the story of these 2 female journalists being captured by North Korea and their subsequent release in the news. I was always curious as to what their experience was "behind bars". I don't recall them having any tv interviews afterwards and they wanted to bring more attention to the North Korean refugees instead. This book was surprisingly exciting to listen to from beginning to end. I'm not Christian but the repeated talks of her family and of her devotion to God were not at all a negative to this book.

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2 people found this helpful

Never trust a reporter

She practically thanks the North Koreans for kidnapping her and at tge end almost apologizes for probably killing some of the defectors she identified in China with their sloppy security and flat dishonest promises to protect those she interviewed by carrying tapes of their faces and voices into North Korea. If you can ignore the damage she did to other people and Stockholm Syndrome affecting her storytelling it's kind of entertaining as a story. She does come across as delusional when she claims the handlers assigned to her wanted to help her.

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An honest heartfelt account

Euna Does a good job of recounting her experience. She expresses the depths of her despair and yet throughout it all she kept her love for her family strong. It was interesting how she also through her experience had a shift in priorities for her life. I read this book first and then the story written by Laura and Lisa Ling which were complementary stories to this one.

Her honesty was refreshing and she really poured out her feelings about what she went through. No doubt, that must have been difficult to relive such a horrible time of her life.

The narration was very good.

This book inspires us all to remember what are the truly important things in life.

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Talk therapy for the author

This book seems to be primarily the author's method of dealing with her own guilt in this situation. Cliche-ridden and over-dramatized, the author demonstrates a level of naiveté and foolishness that should embarrass anyone calling themselves a journalist. It doesn't appear that any research was done post-release to verify the bad information and incorrect assumptions of the author. I am sorry that I spent any time listening to this at all as the portrayal of North Korea and captivity is on such an elementary level in the few instances when it is correct, that the author's network should be held responsible for turning someone so unprepared out into the world and risk capture in the first place.

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3 people found this helpful