Resiliency of the Human Spirit

Yeonmi demonstrates the resiliency of the human spirit as she rebounds from all of the negative, discouraging situations she encounters to become a spokesperson for those in North Korea and China. Yeonmi’s first challenge to her success was her life in North Korea where she believed she had no future. In China, Yeonmi and her mother were tricked and sold in the human trafficking market. Even when Yeonmi was on the verge of earning her freedom, pastors and teachers discouraged her with their doubts she would succeed. Despite these discouragements, Yeonmi became an activist for others who had been in similar situations.

Yeonmi had no hope of having a happy life in North Korea, a situation amplified by Chun Guen’s plans to marry her. While it seems like it would have meant a good future for Yeonmi to be courted by a...