The Great Successor: Unraveling the Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un

Marco_MR: The North Korean way of life. The way they see and perceive the World, everything through their leader's eyes. Scary and pathetic histories over 60 years of dictatorship. Excellent book

Mexico on Dec 01, 2021

Aakash: This is an excellent book for anyone interested in how North Korea has shaped up since 1945 and what the future holds.

I had limited exposure to North Korea from what I have read in the media and that the Kims (3 generations) are dictators. This book has opened my eyes to North Korea’s history - how imperialist Japan ruled Korea and carried out atrocities, how Korea was divided into North and South (basically a line drawn on the 38th parallel/latitude) without regard for what’s right for the people (reminded me of the horrible division of India and Pakistan and the massacres that took place later). Russians kept North Korea as it was bordering with them and Americans kept South - great logic ! (Not).

Initially, the Russians installed a leader for NK that would be their “man” but the first Kim had other ideas. He trained in China and came back to NK and found his way to be the leader of NK and that where they dynasty began. He had a military first approach and all the effort was put into achieving that vision. After his death the second Kim came along and took the military effort to a new level by starving his country that was going through its worse ever...

Australia on Feb 15, 2021

John W. Pearson: Looking for Christmas gifts for the readers (and listeners) in your circle? “The Great Successor” checks all the boxes and it arrives with a Christmas-red book jacket:
[x] Page-turner! Couldn’t put it down.
[x] Absolutely fascinating leadership biography!
[x] Memorable and eye-opening stories! Unbelievable! Concerning.

How will the White House team relate to North Korea and Kim Jong Un in 2021 and beyond? Stay tuned, of course—but this 2019 bio by Anna Fifield (former Beijing bureau chief for the “Washington Post”) is off-the-chart captivating. Once you read her subtitle, “The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un,” you’re hooked. How’d you like “Brilliant Comrade” on your business card?

POP QUIZ! I’m thinkin’ the best way to lure you into the book is to surprise you and your classmates with a True or False Pop Quiz. (See below.) But first…you can cram for the exam with this helpful guide to the three main characters—Grandpa Kim, Father Kim, and Grandson Kim:
• KIM IL SUNG (1912-1994) founding Supreme Leader of North Korea at age 36—ruled from 1948 to 1994. Died in office at age 82.
• KIM JONG...

United States on Dec 04, 2020

Amazon Customer: A revealing look at the actual conditions and rule in North Korea . Should be required reading for all democratic governments !!!

Canada on Jun 25, 2020

Thomak: Wenn sich jemand für Nord Korea interessiert, kann dort interessante Informationen finden, z.B. wie der erste Kim an die Macht kam, aber auch andere Dinge, wie der Markt funktioniert. Vieles findet man natürlich im Internet, aber im Buch ist es kompakt verpackt. Einiges findet man im Buch nicht, was aber nicht verwunderlich ist, das ganze Thema ist sehr umfangreich. Ich hatte Spaß am Lesen gehabt, habe neue Sachen erfahren und kann das Buch weiterempfehlen. Das Buch habe ich auf Englisch gelesen.

Germany on May 11, 2020

Jose Crisanto Gandara Eiroa: Excelente

Spain on Aug 17, 2019

Schuyler T Wallace: The mysterious North Korea, under the leadership of cartoonish Kim Jong-un, is particularly of interest to me. It has always seemed to be similar to a drunk on a skateboard, demanding the right of way while appearing to be headed for a painful spill at any minute. That’s a sight that will be spectacular to witness.

In “The Great Successor,” author Anna Fifield has tackled the unenviable job of attempting to trace a journey that has been long veiled but greatly microscoped, in large part because of the little man with a dead squirrel hairdo. This undertaking is made more difficult by the absence of reliable history and a scarcity of intimates who are willing to speak publicly about their leader. She gets the job done with a combination of bulldoggish research, reportive talent, and a great ability to provide insightful analysis to the information she uncovers.

The contradictions abound. How can a three-year old drive a car as Kim reportedly did? Why so much secrecy when North Korea has such openness due to its prominent presence in world gossip? How can a populace, starved and maltreated, retain such adulation for its leaders? How can a family of despots...

United States on Aug 04, 2019

Andy Laub: Anna Fifiield writes an extremely thoughtful, very well researched in-depth and at times shocking look behind the curtain that is North Korea and its leader Kim Jong Un that so little has been known about until The Great Successor. Anna her years of experience, talks to sources from family members, former friends and even a former chef to the "great leader" to get unprecedented insights. From Kim Jong Un's years as an eight year old student in Switzerland to his rise to power to lead the rogue North Korean regime, the killings of his Uncle and half Brother, the brink of nuclear war to his charm offensive in meeting with President Trump and summit diplomacy and yes even Dennis Rodman, Anna gives a very comprehensive view that truly captures the enigma that is Kim Jong Un and the motor of the North Korean regime.

This is of course a necessary read for anybody interested in North Korea and those in East Asian Security but also anybody interested in foreign affairs and and can learn a lot by looking behind what is truly happening in North Korea that poses an unparalleled threat to regional and global stability with its continued nuclear program. I admire Anna's hard work and...

United States on Jun 18, 2019