North Korea, a dangerous, unknown land isolated from the rest of the world loomed over my mind. The prison-like environment of a regime with absolute and unchecked authority controlling every aspect of life stirred my interest as I felt immersed in this surreal world along with Suki Kim in her memoir, Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea’s Elite. Kim’s experience of teaching English to establishment sons at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) in 2011 afforded her a unique perspective of North Korean society. Gone are the fabricated glamours of the country displayed in government-censored tours or the recollections of defectors who are usually commoners. Kim’s view allowed me to glimpse the life of confinement, surveillance, and propaganda, but also the hidden world of elite college students. 

Throughout the book, I saw how profoundly the concept of “the Great Leader” shapes the students of PUST. Their world revolves around either the main godlike figure Kim Jong-il or the “prosperous nation” mantra. Government leaders’ portraits are displayed all over the country, from the pins worn by every student to every wall in the school. The films, radio shows, songs, monuments, and achievements that surround them all celebrate “the miraculous achievements of the Great Leader.” The title of the memoir, Without You There Is No Us, is a song where you signifies Kim Jong-il. This autocratic country brainwashes and shapes the students’ mindsets to think in a uniform way and “learn not to ask many questions.” Even their most intimate conversations are monitored and all of their actions surveilled. North Koreans unfortunately do not have freedom of speech, freedom of thought, or freedom of religion under the tyrannical rule of their “Great Leader.”

The favored sons are depicted as “soldiers,” marching three times a day and “chanting songs in military fashion.” It is difficult to envision this ritual and not dismiss these youthful elites as unsympathetic and selfish future autocrats. These scenes of fanatical devotion make it all the more surprising that the young men also reveal human traits similar to those of any other college students of their age. For example, they are curious about the outside world, tease each other about girls, and play basketball. The curiosity and playfulness exhibited by these privileged students made me realize that an authoritarian regime can dictate how one acts on the outside but is unable to reach the inside, where some traces of human nature remain intact. By dispelling these misconceptions, this memoir pushed me to see the students as companions and illustrated the importance of avoiding the dehumanization of others, because they are just like you and me.