A harrowing escape from tyranny and into a new life of advocacy, from North Korean defector and human rights activist Yeonmi Park



　　Yeonmi Park is only 21, but she has emerged as a leading spokesperson for North Korean human rights. Born into the Korean “middle class,” she grew up believing that Kim Jong-Il could read her mind. Park’s entrepreneur father was imprisoned and tortured by the North Korean regime. This terrible turn of events sent the family into sudden abject poverty, forcing on them a drastic decision: escape from their homeland or perish. Yeonmi and her mother fled to China, where they were sold into slavery. Eventually, they escaped by walking across the freezing Gobi Desert, following the constellations in the night sky to reach freedom, ultimately arriving in South Korea. There, Park has begun to make a name for herself as an outspoken critic of North Korea.



　　In Order to Live, which will be written together with bestselling writer Maryanne Vollers, will share her extraordinary life with the intention of bringing the changing story of North Korea and its human rights struggle to an even wider audience.