While Time Remains: A North Korean Defector's Search for Freedom in America
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- Create Date：2023-03-04 06:52:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Yeonmi Park
- ISBN：1668003317
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Summary
The North Korean defector， human rights advocate， and bestselling author of In Order to Live sounds the alarm on the culture wars， identity politics， and authoritarian tendencies tearing America apart。
After defecting from North Korea， Yeonmi Park found liberty and freedom in America。 But she also found a chilling crackdown on self-expression and thought that reminded her of the brutal regime she risked her life to escape。 When she spoke out about the mass political indoctrination she saw around her in the United States， Park faced censorship and even death threats。
In While Time Remains， Park sounds the alarm for Americans by highlighting the dangerous hypocrisies， mob tactics， and authoritarian tendencies that speak in the name of wokeness and social justice。 No one is spared in her eye-opening account， including the elites who claim to care for the poor and working classes but turn their backs on anyone who dares to think independently。
Park arrived in America eight years ago with no preconceptions， no political aims， and no partisan agenda。 With urgency and unique insight， the bestselling author and human rights activist reminds us of the fragility of freedom， and what we must do to preserve it。
After defecting from North Korea， Yeonmi Park found liberty and freedom in America。 But she also found a chilling crackdown on self-expression and thought that reminded her of the brutal regime she risked her life to escape。 When she spoke out about the mass political indoctrination she saw around her in the United States， Park faced censorship and even death threats。
In While Time Remains， Park sounds the alarm for Americans by highlighting the dangerous hypocrisies， mob tactics， and authoritarian tendencies that speak in the name of wokeness and social justice。 No one is spared in her eye-opening account， including the elites who claim to care for the poor and working classes but turn their backs on anyone who dares to think independently。
Park arrived in America eight years ago with no preconceptions， no political aims， and no partisan agenda。 With urgency and unique insight， the bestselling author and human rights activist reminds us of the fragility of freedom， and what we must do to preserve it。
Reviews
Marianne
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A sobering book for sure， by someone who knows what she is talking about。 Pity those who need to read it the most never will。
Dalton Chamberlain
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It is so interesting and humbling to hear our first world problems from from Yeonmi’s perspective。 Her parallels that she draws from her past to our modern society are spooky yet important， and points well made。 After reading her first book， it was really cool to see how Yeonmi’s level of writing increased substantially。 “While Time Remains”， is very well written and linguistically impressive for anyone， let alone English as a second language。 I really enjoyed this read， and similar to the last， It is so interesting and humbling to hear our first world problems from from Yeonmi’s perspective。 Her parallels that she draws from her past to our modern society are spooky yet important， and points well made。 After reading her first book， it was really cool to see how Yeonmi’s level of writing increased substantially。 “While Time Remains”， is very well written and linguistically impressive for anyone， let alone English as a second language。 I really enjoyed this read， and similar to the last， it was extremely powerful。 I am inspired to continue to challenge my thinking， open my perspective further， and do my best to never believe I truly know and understand everything。 There is simply so much happening in our world at the same time， that it is impossible to understand everything and everyone。 All we can do， is do our absolute best to listen and think critically。I appreciate this book as one that challenges your small perspective of the world and shows you just how much bigger the world is than YOU。 I believe this book serves an integral part of anyone’s bookshelf in order to further their perspective on humanity。 Thank you Yeonmi for your courage and continued dedication to all of us。 It is inspiring， selfless and motivational in a high regard。 。。。more
melhara
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4。5/5Yeonmi Park's previous book， In Order to Live was one of my favourite North Korean memoirs that I've read （which I've reviewed here）。 While In Order to Live was about Park's escape from North Korea， being a victim of human trafficking in China， and learning how to adapt in South Korea， this second book，While Time Remains， focuses on a completely different journey - adapting to life in America。 Since the publishing of her first book， Park has immigrated to the USA， graduated from Columbia Un 4。5/5Yeonmi Park's previous book， In Order to Live was one of my favourite North Korean memoirs that I've read （which I've reviewed here）。 While In Order to Live was about Park's escape from North Korea， being a victim of human trafficking in China， and learning how to adapt in South Korea， this second book，While Time Remains， focuses on a completely different journey - adapting to life in America。 Since the publishing of her first book， Park has immigrated to the USA， graduated from Columbia University with a degree in economics， started a YouTube channel， and gave birth to a son。 While it seems like she has completely integrated into 'normal' society， it is not without its challenges。 Park's experience in America is not dissimilar from that of other conservative Asian immigrants but this was still a very interesting memoir as it details how Park's life in America is both completely different and yet strangely similar， to life in North Korea。 She offers a no holds barred critique of the USA （particularly the dangers of woke/cancel culture that seems to be on the rise）， from the viewpoint of both an immigrant and a North Korean refugee。I don't agree with all of the opinions that she's presented in this book but she brings up a lot of great points and offers a lot of food for thought。 Also， the comparisons that she was able to draw between woke/cancel culture and North Korean dictatorship and propaganda were very interesting。 Audiobook Comments:I personally would have preferred if the audiobook was narrated by Park herself （I find her Korean accent charming） but suspect I that the editors opted for a narrator with an American accent to make the audiobook more palatable to the general population。 。。。more
Nineteen90
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This is the kind of book I get excited about to one day share with my children。 This is the kind of book that should make it’s way into the hands of every entitled， wanna-be oppressed， chronically complaining American who needs a wake up call as to what exactly they have; the privilege of being a citizen of one of the greatest countries in the world。 Yeonmi’s tale of personal hardship and perseverance to make it to America is incredible and impressive。 Her examples of the glaring similarities be This is the kind of book I get excited about to one day share with my children。 This is the kind of book that should make it’s way into the hands of every entitled， wanna-be oppressed， chronically complaining American who needs a wake up call as to what exactly they have; the privilege of being a citizen of one of the greatest countries in the world。 Yeonmi’s tale of personal hardship and perseverance to make it to America is incredible and impressive。 Her examples of the glaring similarities between what The North Korean propaganda spreads to its citizens and the nonsense espoused by a specific group of people in our country are jarring and should be taken seriously。 Her book is a warning to us all that if we don’t fight for the values that make our country great we will lose it to those who are happily watching it crumble and benefiting from its destruction。 。。。more
Lily Yu - Books by Starlight
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Adding this book to my to-read shelf after watching this clip。 https://youtu。be/ehXdsxRlMuE Adding this book to my to-read shelf after watching this clip。 https://youtu。be/ehXdsxRlMuE 。。。more
Piper Winchester
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What a great followup to her first book。
Leigh
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This book brought up many emotions。 Fear， anger， frustration， and some hope。 The hope comes from hearing others of many ages expressing their frustration。 Carrying on from her previous book Yeonmi Park finds herself in America at last enjoying the freedom she never dared dream of in North Korea。 But that joy was short lived。 With each speech she delivers she's met first with people wanting to help only to be shut down when told they have to go against China， a big no no among western elites。 Sta This book brought up many emotions。 Fear， anger， frustration， and some hope。 The hope comes from hearing others of many ages expressing their frustration。 Carrying on from her previous book Yeonmi Park finds herself in America at last enjoying the freedom she never dared dream of in North Korea。 But that joy was short lived。 With each speech she delivers she's met first with people wanting to help only to be shut down when told they have to go against China， a big no no among western elites。 Starting school was a a frustrating and horrifying experience too。 Books like Jane Austen as white supremacist propaganda and show white male privilege， she is berated for calling someone by the wrong pronoun even though she is a new arrival to the country and not a native English speaker I mean I speak English and I still can't figure out the pronoun thing。 The book is written as a plea from someone who has actually lived in a dictatorship and seen what the loss of freedom is actually like。 While people from everywhere do have struggles I would think that someone being called the wrong pronoun or being offended by everything is not as bad as being trafficked in China， or living in fear that anyone could report on you and have you sent to a camp or worse。 Or living in a war zone。 We have it easy here by comparison and this book illustrates that we would all be better to acknowledge just how comfortable and free our lives truly are。 。。。more
Reena Sarkar
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This was a really good read and definitely makes you think。 I do want to say I agreed with a lot， almost everything， that she said。So my small criticism:I did take off one star since I felt like she went and talked about her DPRK experiences to belittle some of the American experiences - obviously life in America cannot be compared… Americans still struggle though， there are still issues here。 Sometimes in her writing I felt like she was trying to take away from that
Marta Magdalena Stepien
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Jesus。 Christ。
Nairie
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3。5* I wanted more。 She does go into the history of things， pandemic， BLM， China， etc。 I’m glad she exists and is using her voice to advocate。 Keep fighting the good fight。
Lainee Mathews Cox
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Hard to hear the continual struggles， but also eye openingly hopeful， kind， and wonderful to see the growth and appreciation of a freedom loving woman。
Drew Taylor
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I've been DYING to read this book， and I am so thankful my friend told me about Scribd where I was able to access this audiobook for a low price per month （though on my free trial right now！）This is a MUST READ for all people around the world， but particularly for U。S。 Americans。 Yeonmi Park tells of her life in North Korea/China and warns of the eerie correlations between the two dictatorships and the not-so-fringe ideas of Leftism within the USA。 I was left in tears at her story， and of course I've been DYING to read this book， and I am so thankful my friend told me about Scribd where I was able to access this audiobook for a low price per month （though on my free trial right now！）This is a MUST READ for all people around the world， but particularly for U。S。 Americans。 Yeonmi Park tells of her life in North Korea/China and warns of the eerie correlations between the two dictatorships and the not-so-fringe ideas of Leftism within the USA。 I was left in tears at her story， and of course， the urge to help in any way that the Good Lord will allow me to。 To start， I want to scream about this book from the rooftops。 You need to read this。 Find a way to get your hands on it。 She has another book （that is next up on my list）， and I know I will learn so much more。 Also， Jane Eyre fans， you might enjoy her nods to the classic throughout the book ;） 。。。more
Marc Gerstein
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This is the second book by North Korean defector Yeonmi Park。 Her first， In Order to Live， is a memoir that describes her life （to the extent it can be called a “life”） in North Korea and her escape to the U。S。 via China， the Gobi desert （on foot） and South Korea。 It’s pretty harrowing and a must-read。In this book， Park shares lessons based on her experience as a student at Columbia University and in general in the U。S。 It’s harrowing too but in a different way。 The material conditions of Park’s This is the second book by North Korean defector Yeonmi Park。 Her first， In Order to Live， is a memoir that describes her life （to the extent it can be called a “life”） in North Korea and her escape to the U。S。 via China， the Gobi desert （on foot） and South Korea。 It’s pretty harrowing and a must-read。In this book， Park shares lessons based on her experience as a student at Columbia University and in general in the U。S。 It’s harrowing too but in a different way。 The material conditions of Park’s life now seem pretty good， and she expresses much gratitude for the U。S。 and the freedoms and lives people here can enjoy。 But she’s worried， very worried， about an intellectual climate that would seem to put us on a path wherein we could eventually lose it。 Specifically， she criticizes the progressive left and， let’s call it for what it is， the US-hating attitude they preach under the guise of a quest for “woke” justice。 I won’t describe Park’s criticisms。 She’s quite clear on her own and other commentators share and also express similar views。I’ll add though that what she describes has been around in the U。S。 much longer， perhaps， than she realizes。 I entered college in September 1968 just after graduating high school。 This was the first semester after a set of massive student demonstrations， led by Mark Rudd and SDS （Students for a Democratic Society） closed Columbia in the spring of 1968。 Ostensibly， it targeted the university’s plan to build a new gymnasium that would disrupt the Morningside He Heights community。 But its real agenda was – looking back on it from today – the launch of the sort of US-hate Park describes today。 （The SDS chant was “Ho， Ho， Ho Chi Minh。 Columbia strike is gonna win！”。）Not surprisingly， the activism spread and we had plenty of it during my first two years of college， culminating， eventually， in the riots the followed the killings by Ohio National Guardsman of four Kent State protesting students。 Another set of big things revolved around the Chicago protests surrounding the 1968 Democratic convention。But the carryover linking those openly violent times to the intellectual riot-free world into which Park entered at Columbia was basic thought control。 I remember to this day a class incident in which the professor cleared the floorspace in the middle of the room and then asked students who support then-NY City Mayor John Lindsay to go to one side and those who oppose him to go to the others。 Now， this was a big deal。 Lindsay was extremely controversial and was， essentially， that generation’s Bernie Sanders/Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez， a hard-left pioneer who paved the way for the likes of Sanders， AOC and her “squad” to eventually become mainstream elected officials。I grew up in a fairly conservative blue-collar home。 It wasn’t Archie Bunker-conservative。 My father had a strong sense of social justice and was very much against the war in Viet Nam。 But Lindsay and his allies had much larger agendas than that。 Like I said， he was a progenitor of the modern anti-US socialist left。 And my family despised that， as did I。In intended to go to the “oppose” side of the room。 But I immediately saw that everybody else was going the other way， to the “support him” side。 As a freshman going through my first experience outside my sheltered neighborhood， I wasn’t about to start picking fights。 I just kept quiet and joined everybody else on the “support-him” side。 I’m sure if Park reads this review， she’ll understand， especially since her stakes were so much higher。Another classmate， a recent immigrant from Castro’s Cuba， was told by classmates that he and his family made a big mistake coming here because the U。S。 is a very repressive country。 It took enormous self-control for him to refrain from throwing punches as opposed to merely calling them idiots。 （I assume， at least， that nobody Park encountered was dumb enough to tell her that she made a mistake coming for North Korea to the US。） 。。。more
Sarah Sale
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Intelligent and moving。 I loved it。 Such a great follow-up to her first book。
Violet
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insightful and Inspiring Such wisdom and insight from a woman who has lived such a big life in a short period of time。
Tom
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Yeonmi exposes the harsh truths of North Korea and the way all tyranny uses mind control to gain power over people。 And yes there are people here in the United States that wish to do the same。 Our government and media has many liars that twist truths and stories to intentionally manipulate peoples thoughts。 Her story is heart breaking and should remind all，of us just how lucky we are to have been born here in America。
Elham Sarikhani
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A courageous tale of resilience and hope！
Kimball
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If you didn't read the first book In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom， Yeonmi gives a very brief synopsis of her escape from North Korea。 The book included a good forward by Jordan Peterson。 I liked how she called out the Left/Elite especially at her alma mater Columbia University。 But I wished she had done it more and to have named names。 So many of the Elite were at first interested in her story and even naively asked how to help， but when she mentioned China they scurri If you didn't read the first book In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom， Yeonmi gives a very brief synopsis of her escape from North Korea。 The book included a good forward by Jordan Peterson。 I liked how she called out the Left/Elite especially at her alma mater Columbia University。 But I wished she had done it more and to have named names。 So many of the Elite were at first interested in her story and even naively asked how to help， but when she mentioned China they scurried back into the shadows。Her and her sister didn't talk for two years。 I wish she went into detail about that。Notes:"If a man is afraid of commitment he's probably frightened of being responsible and loving。""Feelings of devastation come from how we think of the problem， not necessarily the problem。"She's hot。 。。。more
Alyssa McKeone
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It’s always amazing to me the insights Park has since she left North Korea。
Christa JoAnna
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Just as great as her first book - exceptionally thoughtful woman。 The audio book should have been read by Ms Park - not as impactful with a Native American speaker
Ben M
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The ghostwriter here inserts their own woke propaganda into the book， not sure if Yeonmi agrees or even knows this happened。 For example， the word "Black" is always capitalized and the word "white" is always lower case， to demonstrate that black people are inherently better and more equal than white people。 Also， the book tells the explicit lie that George Floyd was an innocent person who did nothing wrong， which isn't true。 Again， these were likely slipped in by the woke publisher and ghostwrit The ghostwriter here inserts their own woke propaganda into the book， not sure if Yeonmi agrees or even knows this happened。 For example， the word "Black" is always capitalized and the word "white" is always lower case， to demonstrate that black people are inherently better and more equal than white people。 Also， the book tells the explicit lie that George Floyd was an innocent person who did nothing wrong， which isn't true。 Again， these were likely slipped in by the woke publisher and ghostwriter but it's important to understand that they blemish a near-perfect book。It obviously gets 5 stars because it tells objective truths about how Chinese-style communists like the Democrat Party and North Korea （two indistinguishable terrorist organizations） and does so with a compelling personal narrative of strife， hardship， and the will to live on。 And， because someone who isn't a Chinese bot needs to offset the review-bombing funded by Amazon。 。。。more
Tessa
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