Under the Same Sky

An inspirational memoir about an abandoned young boy who escaped the devastating famine in North Korea and came to America in search of survival, freedom, and the pursuit of his wildest dreams. ¶ “Riveting.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) ¶ Inside the hidden and mysterious world of North Korea, Joseph Kim lived a young boy’s normal life until he was five. Then disaster struck: the first wave of the Great Famine, a long, terrible ordeal that killed millions, including his father, and sent others, like his mother and only sister, on desperate escape routes into China. Alone on the streets, Joseph learned to beg and steal. He had nothing but a street-hardened survival instinct. Finally, in desperation, he too crossed a frozen river to escape to China. There a kindly Christian woman took him in, kept him hidden from the authorities, and gave him hope. Soon, through an underground network of activists, he was spirited to the American consulate, and became one of just a handful of North Koreans to be brought to the U.S. as refugees. Joseph knew no English barely had an education. Yet the kindness of his foster family changed his life. He mastered English, made it to college, and, against all odds, was able to achieve the American Dream.

Author Biography

JOSEPH KIM was born in North Korea in 1990. In 2006 he came to the United States, where he completed high school. He is currently a college student in New York City. STEPHAN TALTY is the coauthor of several works of narrative nonfiction, including Captain Phillips.