{"title":"Barbara Demick","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBarbara Demick\u003c\/strong\u003e offers profound insights into lives shaped by political turmoil and displacement. Her narrative style blends meticulous reporting with deeply personal stories, illuminating the human experience behind headlines in works like \u003cem\u003eNothing to Envy\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDaughters of the Bamboo Grove\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders drawn to Biography \u0026amp; Memoir as well as Politics \u0026amp; Current Affairs will find her books a compelling exploration of resilience, identity, and the complex realities faced by individuals in divided societies.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"nothing-to-envy","title":"Nothing to Envy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNothing to Envy\u003c\/em\u003e by Barbara Demick is a poignant and eye-opening exploration of life in the elusive and mysterious country of North Korea. Through the detailed accounts of six ordinary citizens, Demick sheds light on the daily experiences, dreams, and struggles of those living under one of the world's most oppressive regimes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWINNER OF THE 2010 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eImagine a society where every aspect of your life is controlled by the state, where the vibrancy of life is reduced to black and white, except for the stark red letters of propaganda signs. This chilling reality, reminiscent of George Orwell’s dystopian vision in \u003cem\u003eNineteen Eighty-four\u003c\/em\u003e, is what Barbara Demick reveals through her meticulous reporting. In North Korea, the government keeps a watchful eye on its citizens, policing their thoughts and ensuring conformity. Here, dissent is a danger and loyalty to the regime is enforced under fear of persecution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNorth Korea remains the only country globally that has deliberately chosen to sever its connection to the Internet, maintaining a veil of secrecy. The citizens are subjected to an unending stream of state-sanctioned information, unable to turn the dials of their radios away from the government's broadcasts. Against this backdrop of surveillance and propaganda, 22 million North Koreans strive to lead lives that could only be dreamt of in another world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBarbara Demick, an experienced journalist, dedicated a decade to uncovering the complexities of North Korean life, beyond the grim façade projected by its leaders. Her narrative journey began with a young defector named Mi-ran, who offered glimpses into her life in North Korea. Through Mi-ran's memories, readers learn about a time when cinemas still operated, electricity was sporadically available, and tender romances could bloom despite the harshness of the regime. Mi-ran’s story provided a rare, human perspective on the realities of North Korean existence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eNothing to Envy\u003c\/em\u003e, Demick delves deeper, recounting the lives of Mi-ran and five other defectors. The book paints a hauntingly intimate portrait of North Korean society, following these individuals as they fall in love, cultivate personal ambitions, and grapple with the dire challenges of survival and betrayal. Each story is a testament to resilience and offers profound insights into the human spirit's capacity to endure in the face of adversity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThrough these narratives, Demick invites readers into a world that is often obscured, providing a poignant and captivating account of the high cost of life under an authoritarian regime. \u003cem\u003eNothing to Envy\u003c\/em\u003e not only enlightens but also compels readers to reflect on the strength and perseverance of those whose voices are seldom heard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45686245425388,"sku":"9780732292843","price":24.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780732292843.jpg?v=1725464682"},{"product_id":"daughters-of-the-bamboo-grove-by-barbara-demick-9781923058521","title":"Daughters of the Bamboo Grove","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExcellent...entrancing and disturbing.\u003c\/em\u003e The New York Times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the world's best investigative journalists tells the true story of Chinese twins forcibly separated as babies through adoption trafficking, raised on opposite sides of the globe and only reunited as teens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2000, a Chinese woman gave birth to twins in a bamboo grove, trying to avoid detection by the government because she already had two daughters. Two years later, an American couple travelled to Shaoyang to adopt a Chinese toddler they thought had been abandoned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir understanding had been that China's brutal one-child policy was leading to hundreds of abandoned girls, desperate for the care of adopted parents. What they didn't know—and what award-winning journalist Barbara Demick uncovered in 2007, while working as a correspondent in Beijing—was that their daughter had been snatched from her beloved family and her identical twin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUnder China's one-child policy, hundreds of poor Chinese were giving up their children due to soaring fines and threats of violence. More sinister still, international demand for adoptees was sky-rocketing, and local officials were forcibly seizing children and trafficking them to orphanages, who were selling them abroad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDaughters of the Bamboo Grove\u003c\/em\u003e tells the gripping story of separated twins, their respective fates in China and the USA, and Barbara Demick's role in reuniting them against huge odds. Painting a rich portrait of China's history and culture, it asks questions about the roots, impact, and consequences of China's one-child policy, the ethics of international adoption, and, ultimately, the assumptions and narratives we hold about the quality of lives lived in the East and the West.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePRAISE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThere were times when I almost forgot to breathe....the very best kind of nonfiction.\u003c\/em\u003e Observer UK\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA thrilling narrative.\u003c\/em\u003e LA Review of Books\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDemick has written with impeccable empathy for everyone involved, Chinese and western.\u003c\/em\u003e The Times (UK)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCompelling and gripping.\u003c\/em\u003e Literary Review\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLucid and poignant...beautifully written.\u003c\/em\u003e Literary Review on \u003cem\u003eEat the Buddha\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA superb storyteller, Demick melds the personal, the historical and the political seamlessly.\u003c\/em\u003e New Internationalist on \u003cem\u003eEat the Buddha\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA vivid, exhaustively researched, and ground-level view of the impact of history on people's lives... Compelling.\u003c\/em\u003e New Statesman on \u003cem\u003eEat the Buddha\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46627079979244,"sku":"9781923058521","price":36.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781923058521.jpg?v=1751878563"},{"product_id":"eat-the-buddha-by-barbara-demick-9781925498783","title":"Eat the Buddha","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn unprecedented exploration of contemporary Tibet, one of the world's most inaccessible places, geographically and politically, and one of its most misunderstood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA gripping portrait of contemporary Tibet, from the bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eNothing to Envy\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the 1930s, Mao's Red Army fled to the Tibetan plateau to escape their adversaries in the Chinese Civil War. By the time the soldiers reached remote Ngaba, they were so hungry that they looted monasteries and ate religious statues made of flour and butter—to Tibetans, it was as if they were eating the Buddha. These experiences would make the town a hotbed of Tibetan resistance for decades to come, culminating in shocking acts of self-immolation in recent years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEat the Buddha\u003c\/em\u003e chronicles the tragic history of modern Tibet through the lives of award-winning journalist Barbara Demick's subjects. Among them are a princess whose family is wiped out during the Cultural Revolution, a young nomad who becomes radicalised in a monastery, and a schoolgirl forced to choose between her family and the lure of Chinese money.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIlluminating a society long romanticised as deeply spiritual, Demick reveals what it is like to be Tibetan today, trying to preserve one's culture, faith, and language against the depredations of a seemingly unstoppable, all-seeing force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47460713431276,"sku":"9781925498783","price":38.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781925498783-eat-the-buddha.jpg?v=1774951506"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/barbara-demick.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}