Summary
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONAn epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master's Son follows a young man's journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world's most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea. NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FI... Full description
Summary: |
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONAn epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master's Son follows a young man's journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world's most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea. NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALISTDAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE WINNERLONGLISTED FOR THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION'S ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDALWINNER OF THE CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New YorkerThe Washington PostStephen King, Entertainment WeeklyThe Wall Street JournalLos Angeles TimesSan Francisco ChronicleFinancial TimesNewsweek/The Daily BeastThe Plain DealerSt. Louis Post-DispatchMilwaukee Journal Sentinel * Scott Turow, The Millions * SlateSalonBookPageShelf Awareness "The single best work of fiction published [this year] . . . The book's cunning, flair and pathos are testaments to the still-formidable power of the written word." -- The Wall Street JournalPak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother -- a singer "stolen" to Pyongyang -- and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return. Considering himself "a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world," Jun Do becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, Sun Moon, a legendary actress "so pure, she didn't know what starving people looked like." Part breathless thriller, part story of innocence lost, part story of romantic love, The Orphan Master's Son is also a riveting portrait of a world heretofore hidden from view: a North Korea rife with hunger, corruption, and casual cruelty but also camaraderie, stolen moments of beauty, and love. A towering literary achievement, The Orphan Master's Son ushers Adam Johnson into the small group of today's greatest writers. Praise for The Orphan Master's Son "An exquisitely crafted novel that carries the reader on an adventuresome journey into the depths of totalitarian North Korea and into the most intimate spaces of the human heart." -- Pulitzer Prize citation "Mr. Johnson has written a daring and remarkable novel, a novel that not only opens a frightening window on the mysterious kingdom of North Korea, but one that also excavates the very meaning of love and sacrifice." -- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "Rich with a sense of discovery . . . The Orphan Master's Son has an early lead on novel of [the year]." -- The Daily Beast "This is a novel worth getting excited about." -- The Washington Post "[A] ripping piece of fiction that is also an astute commentary on the nature of freedom, sacrifice, and glory." -- ElleFrom the Hardcover edition. |
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Physical Description: |
1 online resource |
Format: |
Requires OverDrive Read (file size: N/A KB) or Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 2634 KB) or Kobo app or compatible Kobo device (file size: N/A KB) or Amazon Kindle (file size: N/A KB). |
Audience: |
Text Difficulty 4 UG/Upper grades (9th-12) 5.7 |
ISBN: |
9780679643999 |
Author Notes: |
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