Recommendations based on The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Storyby Hyeonseo Lee

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

    by Barbara Demick
    Exploration of the lives of North Koreans during the famine and repression of the 1990s.

    Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the ... (Goodreads)

  2. In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom

    by Yeonmi Park
    A young woman's harrowing escape from North Korea and her struggle to survive and thrive in a new country.

    Human rights activist Park, who fled North Korea with her mother in 2007 at age 13 and eventually made it to South Korea two years later after a harrowing ordeal, recognized that in order to be ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

    by Daniel James Brown
    An inspiring story of a rowing crew battling against the odds to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

    This novel is about the University of Washington eight-oared crew that represented the United States in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and narrowly beat out Italy and Germany to win the gold medal. The ... (Wikipedia)

  4. An Invisible Thread

    by Laura Schroff
    A miraculous story of an unlikely friendship that changed two lives forever.

    From #1, New York Times, bestselling authors Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski comes the young readers edition of an unbelievable memoir about an unlikely friendship that forever changed the lives ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History

    by Katy Tur
    A journalist's firsthand account of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, from the campaign trail to the White House.

    A New York Times Bestseller “Compelling… this book couldn’t be more timely.” – Jill Abramson,, New York Times Book Review, Called "disgraceful," "third-rate," and "not nice" by Donald Trump, NBC News ... (Barnes & Noble)

  6. The Sound of Gravel

    by Ruth Wariner
    A memoir of growing up in a polygamist cult in Mexico, and the author's journey to escape and find her own path.

    An instant, New York Times, bestseller “A haunting, harrowing testament to survival." —, People Magazine, “An addictive chronicle of a polygamist community.” —, New York Magazine, “Unforgettable” —, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. My Beloved World

    by Sonia Sotomayor
    Autobiographical account of a Latina's path to the Supreme Court, overcoming personal and systemic obstacles.

    The first Latinx (Puerto Rican) and third woman appointed to the US Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Now, with a candor and intimacy never undertaken by a sitting ... (Goodreads)

  8. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers

    by Loung Ung
    An inspiring true story of survival and resilience during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.

    From a childhood survivor of the Cambodian genocide under the regime of Pol Pot, this is a riveting narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her ... (Goodreads)

  9. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  10. I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

    by Caitlin Alifirenka
    True story of the meaningful friendship between an American teen and a girl from Zimbabwe, sparked by a letter.

    The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's ... (Goodreads)

  11. Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman

    by Lindy West
    A humorous and honest memoir about growing up as a woman, challenging societal norms.

    Coming of age in a culture that demands women be as small, quiet, and compliant as possible–like a porcelain dove that will also have sex with you--writer and humorist Lindy West quickly discovered ... (Goodreads)

  12. Twelve Years a Slave

    by Solomon Northup
    A man's journey of survival and resilience after being kidnapped and sold into slavery in the antebellum South.

    Twelve Years a Slave, sub-title: Narrative of Solomon Northup, citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington city in 1841, and rescued in 1853, from a cotton plantation near the Red River in ... (Goodreads)

  13. Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West

    by Blaine Harden
    True story of a man who escaped from a North Korean prison camp and his journey to freedom.

    A, New York Times, bestseller, the shocking story of one of the few people born in a North Korean political prison to have escaped and survived. North Korea is isolated and hungry, bankrupt and ... (Goodreads)

  14. Hidden Figures

    by Margot Lee Shetterly
    The untold story of the African-American women who made invaluable contributions to NASA's space program in the 1960s.

    The #1 New York Times Bestseller. Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space ... (Goodreads)

  15. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

    by Susannah Cahalan
    A journalist's journey of survival and recovery from a rare autoimmune disorder.

    An award-winning memoir and instant New York Times bestseller that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman’s struggle to recapture her ... (Goodreads)

  16. Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

    by Marcus Luttrell
    A riveting account of a heroic mission gone wrong, and the courage and strength of the Navy SEALS who faced impossible odds.

    On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader ... (Goodreads)

  17. A Long Way Home

    by Saroo Brierley
    Autobiography of a man's journey to find his family after becoming lost in India as a child.

    When Saroo Brierley used Google Earth to find his long-lost home town half a world away, he made global headlines. Saroo had become lost on a train in India at the age of five. Not knowing the name ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

    by William Kamkwamba
    An inspiring tale of a young boy from Malawi who, against all odds, invents a windmill to power his village.

    Now a Netflix Film, Starring and Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor of 12 Years a Slave William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

    by Dale Carnegie
    Advice on overcoming worry & anxiety and living a happier, more fulfilled life.

    The book 'How to stop worrying & start living' suggest many ways to conquer worry and lead a wonderful life. The book mentions fundamental facts to know about worry and magic formula for solving ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride

    by Daniel James Brown
    A harrowing tale of survival, of a young woman's journey to the Sierra Nevada mountains.

    From the #1 bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat comes an unforgettable epic of family, tragedy, and survival on the American frontier “An ideal pairing of talent and material.… Engrossing.… A ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea

    by Sebastian Junger
    A harrowing account of a fishing boat's journey into the heart of an epic storm.

    "Takes readers into the maelstrom and shows nature's splendid and dangerous havoc at its utmost". October 1991. It was "the perfect storm"–a tempest that may happen only once in a century--a ... (Goodreads)

  22. Kisses from Katie

    by Katie Davis
    A young woman's journey of faith, service, and love in the slums of Uganda.

    What would cause an eighteen-year-old old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, Tennessee, to disobey and disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother’s ... (Goodreads)

  23. A House in the Sky

    by Amanda Lindhout
    A memoir of Amanda Lindhout's 15-month captivity in Somalia, and her journey towards forgiveness and healing.

    The dramatic and redemptive memoir of a woman whose curiosity led her to the world’s most beautiful and remote places, its most imperiled and perilous countries, and then into fifteen months of ... (Goodreads)

  24. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

    by Jon Krakauer
    A gripping narrative of the 1996 expedition on Mount Everest that resulted in tragedy.

    When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. ... (Goodreads)

  25. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

    by Alfred Lansing
    True story of a remarkable Antarctic expedition, a testament to the power of courage and tenacity.

    The harrowing tale of British explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole, one of the greatest adventure stories of the modern age. In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest ... (Goodreads)

  26. A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II

    by Sonia Purnell
    The incredible true story of Virginia Hall, an American spy who worked undercover in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

    A, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER,Chosen as a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by, NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, the, Seattle Times, the, Washington Independent Review of Books,, PopSugar, the, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

    by Anna Funder
    An exploration of life in East Germany before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

    In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell; shortly afterwards the two Germanies reunited, and East Germany ceased to exist. In a country where the headquarters of the secret police can become a museum literally ... (Goodreads)

  28. A Girl Named Zippy

    by Haven Kimmel
    A charming account of growing up in rural Indiana, exploring the joys and hardships of life.

    When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965 in Mooreland, Indiana, it was a sleepy little hamlet of three hundred people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would bolt around the house, this small girl was ... (Goodreads)

  29. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

    by Richard H. Thaler
    A groundbreaking exploration of how subtle influences can shape decisions and improve people's lives.

    From the winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Economics, Richard H. Thaler, and Cass R. Sunstein: a revelatory look at how we make decisions,New York Times bestseller,Named a Best Book of the Year by, ... (Goodreads)

  30. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

    by Atul Gawande
    An exploration of the human experience of mortality and the importance of end-of-life care.

    In, Being Mortal, author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern ... (Goodreads)