In the Absence Of Sun
by Lee, Helie
A breathtaking true story of a rescue mission undertaken by a young woman and her family in one of the most repressive countries in the world.Helie Lee often had heard her grandmother speak of an uncle, lost decades ago when he was a child during the family's daring escape from North Korea. As an adult, he was still living there under horrid conditions. When her grandmother began to ail, Helie became determined to reunite her with her eldest son, despite tremendous odds. Helie's mission became even more urgent when she realized that her first book, the bestselling novel Still Life with Rice, about the family's escape, might have angered the North Korean government and put her uncle in danger. Pushing through rivers and forests, fighting the cold, bribing and manipulating border guards, gangsters, and secret service agents, Helie and her father finally achieve their goal. But there are many hurdles. Her uncle is forced to make a harrowing choice: leave his North Korean family behind or continue to live in oppression and starvation away from his beloved mother. And Helie has to face her deep, sometimes ambivalent, emotions about her identity in the family and as a Korean American woman. Unmarried and outspoken, she struggles in Korea, where women marry early and keep silent, and writes eloquently about the landscape there, both literal and cultural. She comes through a heartbreaking love affair only to face an intense and confusing relationship with the Guide--the man who, despite being crude and macho, ultimately helps to save her uncle and eventually his extended family through several daring acts of heroism. In the Absence of Sun is a riveting adventure story and a powerful tale of family bonds and reunion."An eerie fear crawled through my flesh as I stood on the Chinese side of the Yalu River, gazing across the murky water into one of the most closed-off and isolated countries in the world. I couldn't believe it. Even as my boots sank into the doughy mud, I had trouble coming to terms with the fact that I was actually standing there. . . . I was not prepared for the kind of despair and insane fear I felt that day. My wizened old uncle looked nothing like the sweet-faced teenager in the faded photograph that Halmoni kept pressed between the pages of her Bible. That day, at the Yalu River, staring helplessly into his terrorized face, I hadn't fully realized what a dangerous thing I had done the year before. I had placed him and his family in danger. By including details of my uncle's life in a book, I had alerted North Korea's enigmatic leadership to the identity of my relatives in a nation where it was better to remain invisible." --From In the Absence of SunFrom the Hardcover edition.
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In the Absence of Sun : A Korean American Woman's Promise to Reunite Three Lost Generations of Her Family
by Helie Lee
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Crown Publishing Group, The, 2002. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps… Read more about this item Item Price
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by Lee, Helie
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In the Absence of Sun: A Korean American Woman's Promise to Reunite Three Lost Generations of Her Family
by Lee, Helie
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New York: Harmony, 2002. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Fine/Fine. A pristine book, inscribed by the author. ¿In the Absence of Sun is an amazing real-life family story that reads like a thriller. Helie Lee has shown incredible personal bravery in both taking responsibility for the cost her previous book took on her family left behind in North Korea… Read more about this item Item Price
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In the Absence of Sun: A Korean American Woman's Promise to Reunite Three Lost Generations of Her Family
by Lee, Helie
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New York: Harmony Books, 2002. First edition. First Edition [stated]. Hardcover. Very good in very good dust jacket. Signed by author. Inscription signed on title page.. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. [10], 342 p. Illustrations. Map. Family Tree "In the Absence of Sun" tells what happened after Lee's last book "Still Life with Rice." Skirting the Chinese border… Read more about this item Item Price
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