Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

Sungju Lee is the author of the memoir and acts as its narrator. He defected from North Korea at the age of 16 and now lives in South Korea but is studying international relations in England. He’s served as a consultant for organizations in South Korea and beyond, wishing to help North Korean defectors like himself and aid in unification of the Korean Peninsula.

The memoir spans several years of Sungju’s childhood and adolescence in North Korea. His use of first-person narrator is meant to help readers relate to him and bring a sense of immediacy to his life story. At times during the book, he is referred to as “Chang,” an alias he takes on as leader of a gang.

Sungju’s mother is a loving figure who Sungju adores, especially in his early childhood. When the family lives in Pyongyang she holds a position as a teacher. Her anxiety as the family leaves Pyongyang is the first red flag for Sungju about their fall from grace. She also gives Sungju an important lesson about his father after Sungju witnesses the public executions in Gyeong-seong and realizes the reality of their new circumstances: that his father wouldn’t, under any circumstances, want his son to see him as a failure.