Every Falling Star

This memoir recounts Sungju Lee’s childhood in North Korea. After a comfortable early life in Pyongyang, he and his parents move to Gyeong-Seong after his father loses his military job. Sungju sees severe poverty and later experiences it himself as the family’s savings disappear. His father leaves for China to earn money and does not return; his mother leaves to seek help and also does not return. At twelve, Sungju must survive on the streets, joining other homeless boys who steal and fight rival groups for places to stay and work.