▪️As the first American to ever study in North Korea, Jeppesen tells his experience of living, traveling and studying in the hermit kingdom. This book is a portrait of the country in the Kim Jong Un era.

▪️From the beginning it felt like I too was embarking on this journey and the feeling stayed until the very end. I attribute that to Jeppesen’s unpretentious writing style, making the reader an insider instead of an outsider to this experience.

▪️Although I’ve already learned so much about North Korea from other books, this one brought so many unique insights and perspectives that I would recommend as a great first book if you are interested in getting to know more.

▪️Although by now I don’t get as surprised as before by some of the facts, still some were shocking.

▪️Most of the places the author visited are not included in the general North Korea tours so it was interesting to be able to go there with him even if in a literary way.

▪️Definitely one of the best books I’ve read about North Korea and certainly one of the best I’ve read this year!