Roadtrip Book Review - Part I

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Our trip this year was a mishmash of locations.  First up was Las Vegas.  Neither David nor I are gamblers, so our time was mostly spent trying to hit all the "sights" of Vegas.  This included the Shark Reef, Hoover Dam, NYNY's rollercoaster, at least one show (we chose the Beatles' Love), the plethora of shopping opportunities and David's favorite-the infamous buffets.  We gorged a bit.  I might have gained 5 pounds in the two days we were there, in fact.  Luckily, I burned it all off hiking over the next few days.  Here are a couple pics from our excursion in the one and only Sin City.

After we left Vegas, we took a drive up to Yosemite National Park.  During this drive I read this book aloud for our entertainment.  Yes, I like to read aloud and yes, I know it's weird.

I read a blog recently that recommended a bunch of books regarding the situation (both past and present) in North Korea.  Since David ONLY likes to read non-fiction, I figured this might be a good place to start on our mini-road trip.

The premise of this book revolves around the author, Mike Kim's, life while volunteering his time trying to assist North Korean refugees.  He spent a year in California preparing for this opportunity and then spent two years predominantly in China trying to help in every way he could.  This book documents these three years.

The book is broken up into chapters documenting everything he saw and learned from the Korean brain-washing educational system, sex trafficking, Christianity in North Korea, the horrific gulags to the Asian underground railroad (much like American's prior to the Emancipation Proclamation).

After reading this book, I felt so thankful for our way of life here in America.  And it really does make you want to get up and help these poor people in North Korea that need all the help they can get...but, can't due to the current political situation.  I pray and hope that someday soon the people of North Korea will be freed from their bondage of famine, brain-washing, oppression and physical torture.  There are some true heroes that Kim highlights towards the end of this book and I know that more and more will rise to the occasion and help free these people some day.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you've never read anything about North Korea and are curious to read something that gives a good overall summary of the situation the people are dealing with there.