My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth

I chose this book because, after reading "Aquariums of Pyongyang," "Nothing to Envy," "Escape from Camp 14," "The Reluctant Communist" and others, I was yearning for a bit of a different perspective on North Korea. However, this book leaves me a bit conflicted. I wanted to like the author and I wanted to like it (Hell, I think if she and I sat down for coffee, I think we could be friends), but there were many instances were I think the author needed to take the "when in Rome..." approach. Yes, this is a communist police state, yes this is a high-context culture, yes concentration camps still exist in this country - do you really want to piss your handlers off by arguing with them about bugs or elephant tusks? Just smile and nod, please!!! That said, there is a bit of a culture clash showcased in the book beyond the normal "North Korea is Insane" type stuff. Yes, North Korea is very different to say the least. Did you really expect that they would let you roam off-leash? Out of sight of their dear heavenly leader? No...God no. Considering it's illegal for American citizens to go there (it's illegal, but you are not unable...), I'm wondering how much the author actually read about North Korea before going there. For example, I once spent 30 days in South Korea on a student study abroad experience. Given South Korea is much, much different from North Korea. I was on day about 27 before I hit the goofy "OMG another english speaker!!!" phase while she was on about day 7 of a 10 day trip. Yes, she wrote this book on a 10-day holiday and managed to piss one of her handlers off on day 1. *Facepalm* She justifies the experience of writing the book by saying that most people don't stay in North Korea for 10 days to visit. Well, I will say this. When I was in college, I lived in South Korea for 30 days, I don't think it was enough to judge South Korea by. In fact, I had to write a thesis on it and was even docked because 30 days isn't that long (I think writing a book about 10 would be even worse...). After I read her justification for writing a book on a 10-day experience, I thought to myself "Well, I once spent 14 days on Oahu, could I write a book?" I may be able to write about my experiences, but my experiences would not give justice to the people or a greater social situation. When you are around the same few people over the course of a week or two, your experiences and perspective is limited - of course, this is the point of being on North Korea's guided tours - but understand that this book is about personal interactions, NOT in-depth analysis of the country itself - socially, culturally, or economically. The writing style is a bit disjointed - not unreadable - if you have read "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell," it's more like that. Details about certain situations are lacking. If you are looking for some really light reading, it's okay. I finished it in about 2 days. On another note, towards the end the author mentions she has been managing people "her entire career" and that comment struck me as odd. Okay, did the author get hired from college into a management role? Never had to work retail your entire life? Never worked as support staff in an office? Never. Ever. Once? Jeezus. Then she mentions she (paraphrases) feels she needs to be an ambassador to people who have never seen a white single woman or a Jew. Really? But she will go out of her way to make a scene to shoo a bug out of a car in a country where people have to use their own waste as manure. Hmm. When you go to a foreign country - especially North Korean - you can't take your New York State of mind with you. Please leave that at the baggage claim along with your human rights.

Wendy Simmons has traveled the world but has never made it to the closed country of North Korea, until now. Being a foreigner in North Korea is strange enough, but being an "American Imperialist" is a whole different story. As she tours the country with an array of "handlers" that both guide her around the sights and translate for her, she is subjected to the same anti-American propaganda that the North Koreans themselves are subjected to, lied to at every turn, and paraded around from empty amusement park to empty soccer stadium to empty food factory to empty hospital with little to no electricity, no running water, and no idea what's going on. Packed with loads of pictures from the suppressed country, humor, and insight, My Holiday in North Korea offers a rare glimpse into a country that few tourists will ever experience.Most complaints from other reviewers focus on Wendy Simmons' attitude during her travels, and I have to admit, it was pretty glaring to me, too, as I was reading: Wendy is kind of a bitch. Then again, as another "American Imperialist," I have to say that I get it. I mean, this is a country that brainwashes their citizens from birth to hate everything about us. They're incessantly lied to, suppressed, and left to starve while their failed political system is touted as "the greatest country on earth." Wendy steps into this country and while her guides are telling her how awful the Americans are and force-feeding her the same false propaganda they've heard all their lives, she's standing there questioning, "Why aren't there patients at this hospital? Why do you confiscate all the twins and triplets born in this country and hide them away in state-run orphanages? Why are the schoolchildren so miserable? Why isn't there running water? Where are the books in this library? Where are the stores? How do people buy groceries? " While most have criticized her attitude towards the North Koreans as being insensitive and rude, and I agree, I have to say that given the favorable way she describes the rest of her world travels and the unique situation of North Korea being pretty damn crazy, her unfavorable attitude towards the North Koreans is probably a one-off thing. I tried to not get bogged down by it and actually found a lot of her commentary funny, given the ludicrosity of her circumstances. Even in my own experiences, where I was taking classes in the Middle East and the professor told me that a woman is worth 1/4 of a man, I couldn't help my American attitude escaping and shutting that argument down.Lately I've been super interested in North Korea and have read a lot of fascinating books about the harrowing escapes of some of their citizens, but this book brought a new look at the country from a tourist's perspective, and I found myself highly entertained. There were many, many pictures included in the book, too, that I found absolutely fascinating. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a funny travel memoir (maybe along the lines of Chelsea Handler's Uganda Be Kidding Me) and isn't easily offended.

I read this book before my own visit to North Korea, and waited until my return to write my review.The book reminds me of that old adage that, wherever you go, you take yourself with you. The writer didn't have a great time, but I believe that's down to her attitude to the guides with whom she travelled. I did go with a group, fourteen of us, which probably helped, but all of us were respectful with the guides. In return, we were given quite a bit of freedom with our photography (express permission was given to take photos from bus windows) and flexibility was shown when we asked for changes in our itinerary.[...]Although North Korea is a challenging country to visit, I'm glad I went. I had some wonderful interactions with locals and moments of real breakthrough which I'll always treasure.

I saw this and though it would be a good read and it was excellent.A real incite into a rather strange world and I’d recommend it to anybody interested in North Korea

I don't think this is so much a book on North Korea - more on the author's reaction to the bits that she was allowed to see. Obviously, we aren't really told about the real North Korea through her eyes because Wendy wasn't truly shown it.Wendy was very frustrated, particularly because of the intensity of the tour and being in the restrictive company of the handlers, who were either very brainwashed or in total survival mode (probably both). She struggled also with the level of constant lying. However, how can anyone expect anything different from people native to North Korea? If that is how people are socialized and then later on it also subconsciously becomes a survival mechanism then there needs to be some understanding and patience with the Emperor with No Clothes reactions and responses. After all, Wendy was going home the following week, but the North Korean people who frustrated her have to keep on dealing with it.I also did wonder if there would be consequences for the handlers if they were ever identified. I hope not.The photos I think is the best part of the book.

The author describes in detail her experience of being an ordinary tourist whose visit to North Korea is programmed to the minute and constantly chaperoned. While I greatly enjoyed the book, I thought that her flippancy and sense of American superiority detracted from what could have been a greater effort to look beyond appearances at the very different way of thinking of North Koreans.

I think this writer has entirely missed the point. She only experiences the stage managed capital of North Korea which she finds mostly amusing. She should read other books like Dear Leader, and many accounts like it about the reality of people facing desperate situations before she turns her "holiday" into a self important sneer at a people in a crisis of poverty and hunger.Lacking cultural awareness, and any real empathy, the writer smugly puts down requests for charity from a Monk. One might imagine what the life of that person is really like.Appalled.