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1. When and how did Yeonmi and her mother cross the border into China?

On March 31, 2007, Yeonmi and her mother were guided across the North Korean border into China by a young North Korean smuggler. They had to run across the river when the border guards were distracted.

2. In the Prologue, what did Yeonmi see and learn from her journey to be free?

Along Yeonmi's journey to be free, she saw the horrors humans could inflict on one another. She also witnessed acts of tenderness, kindness, and sacrifice in the worst circumstances. She learned that it was possible to lose part of your humanity in order to survive. She also learned that the spark of human dignity could never be completely extinguished and with "the oxygen of freedom and the power of love, it can grow again" (6).

3. What were the circumstances of Yeonmi's birth, and why was her health precarious?

Keum Sook was hauling coal across a railroad bridge in Hyesan with her husband to sell. As she crossed the bridge, she felt sharp pains in her abdomen. She was seven months pregnant. The next day, October 4, 1993, she gave birth to Yeonmi. Yeonmi weighed only three pounds. The doctor in Hyesan told Keum Sook that Yeonmi was so small there was nothing they could do for her. She would live or she would die.

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