Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Somewhere Inside

Somewhere inside: one sister’s captivity in North Korea and the other’s fight to bring her home by Lisa and Laura Ling 2010

If you watch CNN or other American news networks, you may recall the incident in 2009 in which Laura Ling, reporter for Current TV and sister of reporter Lisa Ling (formerly of The View television show), was captured, along with a colleague, by North Korean soldiers and tried for illegally entering the country. Laura, Euna Lee, and others were filming a documentary about North Korean defectors at the time of their capture. The incident received wide media attention, thanks to Laura’s and Lisa’s political connections, which reached all the way to the White House. After months in captivity in one of the most secretive nations in the world, Laura and Euna were tried and convicted, and sentenced to 12 years of hard labour in one of North Korea’s infamous gulags. Nothing less than a visit from former President Bill Clinton would convince its leader, Kim Jong-il, to grant them a pardon. In their book about the ordeal, we hear from Laura as to what exactly happened to her during her confinement, and from Lisa describing the many efforts that went into securing Laura’s and Euna’s release. An absolutely fascinating read, especially for those who followed the story in the news.