The Kim dynasty has ruled North Korea for over 60 years. Most of that period has found the country suffering under mature Stalinism characterized by manipulation, brutality and tight social control. Nevertheless, some citizens of Kim Jong Il's regime manage to transcend his tyranny in their daily existence.

This book describes that difficult but f existence and the world that the North Koreans have created for themselves in the face of oppression. Many features of this world are unique and even bizarre. But they have been created by the citizens to reflect their own ideas and values, in sharp contrast to the world forced upon them by a totalitarian system.

Opening chapters introduce the political system and the extent to which it permeates citizens' daily lives, from the personal status badges they wear to the nationalized distribution of the food they eat. Chapters discussing the schools, the economic system, and family life dispel the myth of the workers' paradise that North Korea attempts to perpetuate. In these chapters the intricacies of daily life in a totalitarian dictatorship are seen through the eyes of defectors whose anecdotes constitute an important portion of the material. The closing chapter treats at length the significant changes that have taken place in North Korea over the last decade, concluding that these changes will lead to the quiet but inevitable death of North Korean Stalinism.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

• We started tracking this book on April 11, 2011.
• This book was £14.03 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 266 times in the past 4,756 days.
• The current price of this book is £18.91 last checked 9 hours ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is £12.99.
• The lowest price to date was £3.01 last reached on December 23, 2017.
• This book has been £3.01 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was £23.21 last reached on August 14, 2016.
• This book has been £23.21 one time since we started tracking it.

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• File Size: 5,600 KB