Christianity Today

Escape from North Korea: A Desperate Quest for Food, Love and Life Paul Estabrooks (Open Doors)

This true, riveting story documents a North Korean family's improbable journey from life under the brutal regime of the late Kim Jong-Il to freedom and newfound faith in Jesus Christ.

Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World's Most Repressive Country Mike Kim (Rowman & Littlefield)

The author vividly describes his work with refugees along the North Korean/Chinese border and Christians' role in bringing light to this dark country.

The Orphan Master's Son: A Novel Adam Johnson (Random House)

This secular narrative reveals that Christian ministries impacted Kim Jong-Il's innermost circles. It poignantly describes a woman captured smuggling Bibles who sings Jesus songs while tortured.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea Barbara Demick (Spiegel & Grau)

Demick, the Los Angeles Times's Seoul bureau chief, narrates North Korean defectors' lives over 15 years. An Open Doors colleague recommends this as a primer on the world's number one persecutor of Christians.

The Good Doctor: Bringing Healing to the Hopeless Sai R. Park, M.D. (Biblica Publishing)

This hope-filled story of a Christian Korean American doctor who built and staffed a hospital in Pyongyang offers proof that Christians can still significantly impact the people of the world's most restricted country.

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Carl Moeller is coauthor of the book The Privilege of Persecution.

Escape from North Korea, Escaping North Korea, The Orphan Master's Son, Nothing to Envy, and The Good Doctor are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, and other retailers.

Previous Christianity Today coverage of North Korea includes:

North Korean Christians Unlikely to Fare Better Under New Leader | Observers doubt world's worst persecutor of Christians will shift back toward "Jerusalem of the East." (October 1, 2010)

What Robert Park Learned in North Korea | The activist on why he entered the country & what he hopes for now. An exclusive interview. (August 30, 2010)

Feeding Hope Under a Rogue Regime | Christian outreach to North Koreans helps to keep millions from starving. (August 14, 2009)

Q&A: Carl Moeller | The president and CEO of Open Doors USA updated CT on North Korea, which the group ranks as the world's worst persecutor of Christians. (April 20, 2009)

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