The Orphan Master’s Son

Probably the best book I’ve read over the past couple of years.  Funny and compelling, you don’t even realize how much you’re learning about the country until you’re done.  The story takes place in North Korea during the Kim Jong Il years.  The book’s protagonist, Jun Do, rises through the ranks, doing whatever it takes to survive and introducing us to jobs we (or at least I) never knew existed.  Tunnel soldier anyone?  How about learning the ins and outs of kidnapping the Japanese?   The portrait Adam Johnson paints of the country is devastating, but he does it with such humor and wit that you want to keep reading into the wee hours of the morning.