Za mroczną rzeką. Jak przetrwałem piekło Korei Północnej
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-02 14:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Masaji Ishikawa
- ISBN：8324078495
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Summary
Najbardziej wstrząsająca opowieść o życiu w Korei Północnej。
Masaji Ishikawa mieszka w Japonii， ale jako pół-Koreańczyk jest obywatelem drugiej kategorii。 Gdy ma 13 lat， jego ojciec daje się skusić obietnicom rządu Korei Północnej。 Na miejscu czeka ich edukacja， praca， wysoka pozycja społeczna， dobrobyt。 Wraz z rodzicami i trzema siostrami Masaji wyjeżdża do nowej ojczyzny。 Jest rok 1960。
Kolejne lata okażą się brutalne， pełne bólu i cierpienia。 Rodzinie Ishikawy będzie towarzyszyło ubóstwo， głód i ciągła doktrynacja komunistycznego reżimu。 Staną się przedstawicielami najniższej kasty społecznej。 Władze zabronią im myśleć， ale nie zdołają zabronić im kochać。 W tym nieludzkim świecie rodzinne więzi będą jedynym， co pozwoli im przetrwać。 Do czasu。
Po 36 latach Ishikawa decyduje się na samotną ucieczkę。 Wstrzymuje oddech i wchodzi do okrytej ciemnościami rzeki， której drugi brzeg obiecuje ocalenie。
Masaji Ishikawa mieszka w Japonii， ale jako pół-Koreańczyk jest obywatelem drugiej kategorii。 Gdy ma 13 lat， jego ojciec daje się skusić obietnicom rządu Korei Północnej。 Na miejscu czeka ich edukacja， praca， wysoka pozycja społeczna， dobrobyt。 Wraz z rodzicami i trzema siostrami Masaji wyjeżdża do nowej ojczyzny。 Jest rok 1960。
Kolejne lata okażą się brutalne， pełne bólu i cierpienia。 Rodzinie Ishikawy będzie towarzyszyło ubóstwo， głód i ciągła doktrynacja komunistycznego reżimu。 Staną się przedstawicielami najniższej kasty społecznej。 Władze zabronią im myśleć， ale nie zdołają zabronić im kochać。 W tym nieludzkim świecie rodzinne więzi będą jedynym， co pozwoli im przetrwać。 Do czasu。
Po 36 latach Ishikawa decyduje się na samotną ucieczkę。 Wstrzymuje oddech i wchodzi do okrytej ciemnościami rzeki， której drugi brzeg obiecuje ocalenie。
Reviews
clare moggach
，
this was a sensational memoir and so so fascinating
Eya Beldi
，
In a very very long time this is the first book that touched me so deep。 At the beginning of the book， I was sorry for the child for having an abusive father。 For some reasons， I always thought that abusive fathers exist only in my country and in the USA as most of what I read and watch are from these countries。 I was shocked that this terrible father was some from Korea。It also helped me better understand the relations between North Korea， Japan and China。Now， I finished the book and not to spo In a very very long time this is the first book that touched me so deep。 At the beginning of the book， I was sorry for the child for having an abusive father。 For some reasons， I always thought that abusive fathers exist only in my country and in the USA as most of what I read and watch are from these countries。 I was shocked that this terrible father was some from Korea。It also helped me better understand the relations between North Korea， Japan and China。Now， I finished the book and not to spoil it， I just think this is a wake up call。 I never thought someone can have such a terrible life， never。 If what he had we can call it a life。 I felt so hopeless， powerless I wanted to run out there and help him。 At every new page my heart ached more。 Please read this book， some stories need to be heard， Masaji Ishikawa’s voice represent everyone that is living under the Korean oppression。 We usually don’t get the chance to hear them。 This time Masaji succeeded， he escaped and delivered his story to us。 A hero’s story， a human who survived what we most can’t。 。。。more
Ieva Ozolniece
，
It was a good book -well written， good story line。 About a person with no luck or happiness in life。 It's bad news all over the place。 I would have assumed that it was terrible life just after the revolution - I believe it is no small feat to set up a country and a socialist one at that。 But then why is there people dying on the street from starvation in 1996， and the country still spends loads in military and does not ask for help in anyway？ How is that event possible？ I am left here trying to It was a good book -well written， good story line。 About a person with no luck or happiness in life。 It's bad news all over the place。 I would have assumed that it was terrible life just after the revolution - I believe it is no small feat to set up a country and a socialist one at that。 But then why is there people dying on the street from starvation in 1996， and the country still spends loads in military and does not ask for help in anyway？ How is that event possible？ I am left here trying to figure out what is the real life right now in North Korea。 Can it really have been that bad in 1996？ Well， I guess so。There was no happy spot in the story。 If you hope that a bit of happiness must show up somewhere in a human life， you're up for a disappointment。 Even the luckiest moments are clouded with author's thoughts about his starving family， people dying everywhere， no hope in sight。 I guess that can be reality for some people and it is good to get acquainted with these lives - to appreciate what you have and where you've born。 But， man， this was a depressing book。 。。。more
Robert de Guzman
，
You should consider yourself lucky that you eat three times a day and that you live in a country where there is freedom and democracy。Horrible。 North Korea was a failed state。 However， much of the world couldn’t even bat an eye because they are more concerned with their diplomatic ties and of course， business and economy。The Korean migrants in Japan during the colonial era were lured to go back to Korea （North） after the war， being promised with free housing and free education。 The most shocking You should consider yourself lucky that you eat three times a day and that you live in a country where there is freedom and democracy。Horrible。 North Korea was a failed state。 However， much of the world couldn’t even bat an eye because they are more concerned with their diplomatic ties and of course， business and economy。The Korean migrants in Japan during the colonial era were lured to go back to Korea （North） after the war， being promised with free housing and free education。 The most shocking part was， the repatriation was aided by the UN and the Red Cross， and was promoted by the Japanese government themselves。 I could not imagine working so hard and still not being able to achieve a lot in life。 I may have some reservations， but capitalism is here for a purpose。 Corruption， famine， authority abuse; that is basically the life in North Korea， unless you have powerful connections。 The end was haunting though。 He managed to escape but there is still no news about his family back。 I can’t imagine dying alone in a “strange” place。 Add the fact that he won’t be able to return to Japan if he was a native， and not Korean-Japanese。Up to this day， the whole world still goes on， and no one still cares。 I guess keeping the status quo was better for them than shaking things up。 。。。more
Karl
，
Heart-wrenching story which really shows the horrible existence that is eeked out by North Koreans。 The saddest part of this book is that it is a reality and there is no happy ending for the author。 You feel his pain and the struggles of an individual who never really belonged anywhere。 A read that will make you frustrated at the dictatorship and barbarism of ruthless leaders。
Laura
，
I found this captivating from beginning to end。
Zuzka-knižníček
，
Ač knížka malá jak velikostí， tak rozsahem， přesto obří svým námětem a obsahem。 Autobiografická knížka popisující život jednoho korejsko-japonského muže nejdříve v Japonsku， pak v KLDR a pak opět v Japonsku。 Autor bez příkras popisuje své dětství， dospělost i pozdní věk， na jeden život toho zažil nesmírně moc a přináší svůj pohled na život především v KLDR， poukazuje na utrpení， chudobu a nemístné zacházení， které je tam na běžném pořádku。 Člověk má stále pocit， že je to snad myšleno a psáno v h Ač knížka malá jak velikostí， tak rozsahem， přesto obří svým námětem a obsahem。 Autobiografická knížka popisující život jednoho korejsko-japonského muže nejdříve v Japonsku， pak v KLDR a pak opět v Japonsku。 Autor bez příkras popisuje své dětství， dospělost i pozdní věk， na jeden život toho zažil nesmírně moc a přináší svůj pohled na život především v KLDR， poukazuje na utrpení， chudobu a nemístné zacházení， které je tam na běžném pořádku。 Člověk má stále pocit， že je to snad myšleno a psáno v hluboké minulosti， ale bohužel to tak není， je to nedávná minulost a stále i současnost， smutné a bolestné。 K přečtení rozhodně doporučuji。 。。。more
aya
，
"Sometimes in life， you have to grab your so-called destiny by the throat and wring its neck。"Man， this book is a heartbreak。 It's a thin book， really。 Only 100-ish pages， but it left you a heartbroken， weeping mess。This book retells the story of a Japanese-Korean man whose family returned to North Korea post-World War II， as a part of North Korean propaganda。And everything just went south after that。Their family had always been marginalized in Japan， with his father being a Korean man and t "Sometimes in life， you have to grab your so-called destiny by the throat and wring its neck。"Man， this book is a heartbreak。 It's a thin book， really。 Only 100-ish pages， but it left you a heartbroken， weeping mess。This book retells the story of a Japanese-Korean man whose family returned to North Korea post-World War II， as a part of North Korean propaganda。And everything just went south after that。Their family had always been marginalized in Japan， with his father being a Korean man and the children being a half-Korean。 And in North Korea， they experienced the very same marginalization because， ironically， his mother was a Japanese and the children were half-Japanese。They lived in a poor condition， as all North Koreans did， apparently。There was not a single day passed without them starving。 Without them questioning their live choices that made them end up there。For three plus decades， the author managed to survive。Whether it's a blessing or a curse， you decide。Three plus decades， and eventually the author managed to survive。But what is life if it's not constant bitterness and disappointment？The author managed to get away from North Korea indeed， but （spoiler alert！） his life in Japan did not fare well either。Cue the ugly crying。This book is a sad， depressing， and heartbreaking one， but please everyone must read this。Please。You will not regret it。 "If you suffer long enough， it almost becomes funny， and you can find yourself laughing at the most miserable situations。" 。。。more
ShamaFarabi
，
When I chose this book to read， I thought I signed myself up for a nail-biting and thrilling experience of one man’s escape from North Korea。 But life doesn’t always turn out to be the way we want it。 I feel troubled as I wrap up this book。 I hope the author somehow found some peace in the end。 For me， this book will always be a reminder of how privileged I am to have a life as is。
Jonathan McGee
，
Brilliant book。 Couldn’t put it down。 So insightful， if you’re looking for a feel good story though this isn’t it， it’s depressing if anything。 But makes you understand how blessed you are！
Mimi Pollack
，
I thought this book did a good job of giving an eyewitness view of life in North Korea， from one man's point of view。 Of course， his pitiful experiences and life are worth five stars， because it is beyond imaginable， but the telling was perhaps too matter of fact to elicit visceral reactions。 Intellectually， I could say it was horrible。 Of course， it is admirable that he lived to write his account。 And most shocking of all really is how his story is not even two decades old - so close to our liv I thought this book did a good job of giving an eyewitness view of life in North Korea， from one man's point of view。 Of course， his pitiful experiences and life are worth five stars， because it is beyond imaginable， but the telling was perhaps too matter of fact to elicit visceral reactions。 Intellectually， I could say it was horrible。 Of course， it is admirable that he lived to write his account。 And most shocking of all really is how his story is not even two decades old - so close to our lives which we live so differently。 。。。more
Rubi
，
Brutal， cruda y dolorosa; no puedo ni imaginar el dolor de este hombre， su sufrimiento y， aunque se declare en amargura， no puedo creer que aún tenga esperanza。 Desoladora。Brutal， raw and painful; I cannot even imagine the pain of this man， his suffering and， although he pleads in bitterness， I cannot believe that he still has hope。 Desolate。
Sharon
，
A horrifying memoir of one mans life， and escape from North Korea。 I can’t comprehend that this is someone’s reality。 Promises of abundant work and education was far from the reality he lived。 Haunting。 I really cheered forhim and his determination to improve life for him and his family。 I so wanted a happy ending。
Miguelular
，
A must readThis should be put on a must read list。 It is absolutely heart breaking。 But stories like this need to be told。
Marat Rosencrants
，
A good read。 Honestly， was a very sad book， full of destitution， but maybe that reveals what it’s like to live in North Korea。
Reda Vėla
，
Įtraukianti， sukrečianti。 Knyga， kuriai nereikia papildomų žodžių。 Pabaiga nuliūdino， bet toks gyvenimas。
Irma （Blebleteka）
，
Supykau ant šitos knygos。 Įspėju - apžvalgoje bus spoilerių。 Visų pirma - tai tikra istorija apie pabėgimą iš Šiaurės Korėjos。 O kam nesmalsu būtų pakelti uždangą ir pažiūrėti， ar ten iš tikro viskas taip baisu？ Ar žmonės tikrai neturi visiškai jokių teisių ir valgo medžių žievę？ Pasirodo， taip。 Ir ne tik medžių žievę， bet ir sakus， giles ir piktžoles， nes išgyventi įmanoma tik taip。 Visi skirstomi į kastas ir tavo likimas nulemiamas dar mokyklos suole - niekam nerūpi tavo moksliniai pasiekimai Supykau ant šitos knygos。 Įspėju - apžvalgoje bus spoilerių。 Visų pirma - tai tikra istorija apie pabėgimą iš Šiaurės Korėjos。 O kam nesmalsu būtų pakelti uždangą ir pažiūrėti， ar ten iš tikro viskas taip baisu？ Ar žmonės tikrai neturi visiškai jokių teisių ir valgo medžių žievę？ Pasirodo， taip。 Ir ne tik medžių žievę， bet ir sakus， giles ir piktžoles， nes išgyventi įmanoma tik taip。 Visi skirstomi į kastas ir tavo likimas nulemiamas dar mokyklos suole - niekam nerūpi tavo moksliniai pasiekimai - jeigu neturi pažinčių ir partijos pritarimo - esi pasmerktas visą gyvenimą skursti。 Iš tiesų， sunku buvo skaityti ir įsivaizduoti tas sąlygas， kuriomis priversti išgyventi vietiniai。 Esu kelis mėnesius gyvenusi Pietų Korėjoje， tad tai atrodo dar labiau neįmanoma， kad vienoje pusėje pasaulis civilizuotas ir itin gerai išsivystęs， o kitoje - žmonės miršta badu。 Siaubas。Tad kodėl knyga nepatiko？ Ogi dėl pagrindinio veikėjo - knygos autoriaus。 Jis - Japonijos pilietis ir į Šiaurės Korėją pateko su tėvais， kai jiems ten buvo pažadėti aukso kalnai ir pasakiškas gyvenimas。 Nuo pat vaikystės vyras vargo ir skurdo， nors kitiems pavyko šalyje šiek tiek geriau įsikurti。 Iš pradžių ėmė gailestis ir galvojau - kažin kiek dar jam gali nesisiekti。 Tačiau per savo gyvenimą užgyvenęs tris vaikus ir dvi žmonas - jis juos ne kartą palikdavo。 Nes sunku buvo žiūrėti į sunkias jų gyvenimo sąlygas。 :） Rimtai？ Išvažiuodavo padirbėti kuo toliau， galbūt šeimą remdavo， knygoje apie tai neužsimenama。 Tačiau finale - nusprendė pabėgti iš šalies vienas， kad išgelbėtų šeimą。 Man tai skamba nelogiškai。 Tarsi imsiu ir pabėgsiu iš koncentracijos stovyklos， o paskui ir jus parsivešiu。 Sakyčiau， ir vaikui aišku， kad tai neįmanoma。 Negana to - sugrįžus į Japoniją - autoriui vėl viskas negerai - vėl negali savimi pasirūpinti， nes visi susimokę prieš jį。 Žmonai pinigus pradėjo siųsti tik tada， kai sužinojo， kad ši ant mirties slenksčio ir siuntinys， žinoma， jau nebesuspėjo。 Fu fu fu。 Visa knyga man pasirodė tarsi pasiteisinimas， kiek aš dėl jų padariau ir kodėl pabėgau vienas， bet deja manęs neįtikino。 Sunku， žinoma， suprasti， kaip gali mąstyti žmogus tokiomis kritinėmis sąlygomis， bet mes juk žinome daug pavyzdžių， kai net ir pačios blogiausios sąlygos žmogiškumui netrukdo。 Reikalai kertasi su mano vertybėmis， todėl tik dvi žvaigždutės。 。。。more
Andrea
，
This was so eye-opening and raw。 I was horrified by most of this book， but it was written in a way that made you want to keep reading to see if his life improved。
Megan Schaedel
，
Heart breaking and horrific
Shane
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 If you want to read a true story about a life that got worse and worse and worse， this is the perfect book for you。 I've always known people in North Korea have a tough life but damn， it is waaaaaaaaaay worse than I could ever have imagined。 The story describes the struggle and the heartbreak really well。 It made me grateful for having the basicest of things; running water， electricity， not having to eat weeds to survive， having the freedom to think。 10/10 would recommend。 If you want to read a true story about a life that got worse and worse and worse， this is the perfect book for you。 I've always known people in North Korea have a tough life but damn， it is waaaaaaaaaay worse than I could ever have imagined。 The story describes the struggle and the heartbreak really well。 It made me grateful for having the basicest of things; running water， electricity， not having to eat weeds to survive， having the freedom to think。 10/10 would recommend。 。。。more
Laura
，
A hard but very illuminating read， this is the heartbreaking story of a half-Korean， half-Japanese man whose Korean father moved the family to North Korea during a 1950s mass repatriation program in which Koreans living in Japan were induced to “return” （although many were born in Japan and had never been to Korea at all） with promises that they would be living in “heaven on earth。” Needless to say， that’s not what they found in Kim Il-sung’s North Korea。 The saddest thing about this is that Kor A hard but very illuminating read， this is the heartbreaking story of a half-Korean， half-Japanese man whose Korean father moved the family to North Korea during a 1950s mass repatriation program in which Koreans living in Japan were induced to “return” （although many were born in Japan and had never been to Korea at all） with promises that they would be living in “heaven on earth。” Needless to say， that’s not what they found in Kim Il-sung’s North Korea。 The saddest thing about this is that Koreans were and are discriminated against in Japan， which lead them to believe they’d be better off in Korea。 But when they arrived， they found that “returnees” were treated by North Koreans as the lowest class of citizen。 People can be so terrible， all over。 If you’re looking for an inspiring story about heroism and altruism or the like， look elsewhere。 。。。more
soph
，
heartbreaking。
John Soares
，
This is a book that I believe everyone ought to read at least once in their lives。 It's a hauntingly tragic memoir of one man whose life was forever changed the day his Korean father decided to take his family with him to North Korea from Japan。 They were promised a "worker's paradise" under communism， but what they instead got was a totalitarian nightmare in which you had to always be on your guard lest you anger the powers that be。 For if you did anything to step outside the bounds in North Ko This is a book that I believe everyone ought to read at least once in their lives。 It's a hauntingly tragic memoir of one man whose life was forever changed the day his Korean father decided to take his family with him to North Korea from Japan。 They were promised a "worker's paradise" under communism， but what they instead got was a totalitarian nightmare in which you had to always be on your guard lest you anger the powers that be。 For if you did anything to step outside the bounds in North Korea， you might find yourself sentenced to a labor camp to live out the rest of your days; if you were especially unlucky， your entire family might be forced to make the same trip。What Mr。 Ishikawa endured in the decades he spent living in North Korea is almost impossible to believe。 How can such atrocities be permitted to occur？ But his story is not the first to emerge from North Korea， as many others have managed to flee the country against all odds and have reported the ungodly conditions they and their families endured on a constant basis。 This is how millions of people have lived and are continuing to live to this day。 Reading this book truly made me appreciate that I live in a country where we are relatively free and don't have to fear being sent to a labor camp for something as innocuous as criticizing the country's leadership。 It also reinforced my beliefs that we must always question and challenge authority， lest we find ourselves signing away our freedoms and living in a so-called "worker's paradise。" Take note， my friends， anyone who promises paradise or some kind of utopia is NOT to be trusted。 Chances are， they're a tyrant in the making and anything they say or promise should be treated with the utmost suspicion。Mr。 Ishikawa has a message for the world and I pray that more of us heed it; there is a nation that still exists to this day wherein the civilian populace is literally being held hostage。 This book is one that I truly think should be on everyone's bookshelf。 Mr。 Ishikawa's sacrifice and the sacrifices of his family should not ever be forgotten。 。。。more
Sarah Bryans
，
Fantastic， necessary but heartbreaking read。 You feel utterly helpless reading his memoir。 And the devastating way in which the Japanese and North Korean governments treated his and many more lives。 However， this is a story of hope and that is the strongest and most impressive part of this story。
Anna Laura Cumani
，
3。5 starsFirst， I really enjoyed the voice that narrates the audio version。 Second， it was a short and to-the-point recounting of the life of Mr。 Ishikawa but as powerful and thought-provoking as the other memoirs I read of North Korean escapees。 It was an interesting change of perspective， going from female to male， and of the time period。 In fact， this memoir sheds a light on the hard and miserable life of most Korean returnees that were promised a paradise and had to endure hardships and disc 3。5 starsFirst， I really enjoyed the voice that narrates the audio version。 Second， it was a short and to-the-point recounting of the life of Mr。 Ishikawa but as powerful and thought-provoking as the other memoirs I read of North Korean escapees。 It was an interesting change of perspective， going from female to male， and of the time period。 In fact， this memoir sheds a light on the hard and miserable life of most Korean returnees that were promised a paradise and had to endure hardships and discrimination。 It's a book that made me angry and very sad that governments are given the power to treat their citizens this way and moreover， that other countries did/do nothing to help in this situation， to keep the status quo。 。。。more
nana
，
Serfdom is freedom。 Repression is liberation。 A police state is a democratic republic。 And we were “the masters of our destiny。” And if we begged to differ， we were dead。 What is it with me repeatedly picking up upsetting non-fiction book to read？ This book is disturbing in its own way you would've thought this is a dystopian fiction。 I went through so many emotions reading this - helplessness， despair， grief， you name it。 I cannot imagine putting myself in his shoes。 It is a powerful memoir an Serfdom is freedom。 Repression is liberation。 A police state is a democratic republic。 And we were “the masters of our destiny。” And if we begged to differ， we were dead。 What is it with me repeatedly picking up upsetting non-fiction book to read？ This book is disturbing in its own way you would've thought this is a dystopian fiction。 I went through so many emotions reading this - helplessness， despair， grief， you name it。 I cannot imagine putting myself in his shoes。 It is a powerful memoir and very educational in a lot of ways。 。。。more
Jeannie Tremblay
，
A horrible， devastatingly sad memoir of one man's life in North Korea。 Made me so thankful for the life I have been blessed to live。 A horrible， devastatingly sad memoir of one man's life in North Korea。 Made me so thankful for the life I have been blessed to live。 。。。more
Louis
，
Pfiou。
Mayank Kumar
，
Read this masterpiece a month back。 The story revolves around the struggles of Mr Masaji Ishikawa that he faced in North Korea。 It made me think about how we take things for granted in our lives。。。。 whether it is more than enough food on my plate or the freedom to learn and grow （which was not the case with Ishikawa）。 This book has exposed me to the glimpses of the worst human society has to offer。 The best learning from Ishikawa's experience is never to give up and to sustain till the end。 It Read this masterpiece a month back。 The story revolves around the struggles of Mr Masaji Ishikawa that he faced in North Korea。 It made me think about how we take things for granted in our lives。。。。 whether it is more than enough food on my plate or the freedom to learn and grow （which was not the case with Ishikawa）。 This book has exposed me to the glimpses of the worst human society has to offer。 The best learning from Ishikawa's experience is never to give up and to sustain till the end。 It is unnecessary to revolt against the wrong at every instant; you might not be capable enough to survive， but what's important is to think， strategize and act accordingly。 。。。more
Ankit Rathore
，