Somewhere inside:

One sister’s captivity in North Korea and the other’s fight to bring her home

by Laura Ling and Lisa Ling

You may (or may not) recall last year when former US President, Bill Clinton, went on a rescue mission to North Korea and brought home two journalists who had been captured by North Korean soldiers. There hadn’t been a lot of coverage by the media of the capture of the two women because, at that time US relations with North Korea were particularly sensitive. Somewhere inside tells what happened to the girls, how they were violently apprehended, charged with trespassing and other “hostile acts”, and imprisoned (separately) for nearly five months. Author Laura Ling recounts her experiences, enduring months of daily interrogations, having little contact with the outside world, and all the while not knowing where her fellow journalist, Euna Lee, was being held (or even if she was ok). From another perspective, Laura Ling’s sister, Lisa describes in alternating chapters, what was happening back in America – how the families were coping, the unrelenting efforts to secure the girl’s release using the media and social networks such as Facebook, as well as the drama involving people at the highest levels of government.

“Somewhere inside” is not just a gripping read, it is also an insight into the political game-playing of the North Korean government and, more than that, it is the inspiring story of the bond between two sisters. Awesome.

Reviewed by Jill