Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

Introduction-Chapter 5

Reading Check

1. 1876 (Introduction)

2. 1948 (Introduction)

3. The two omens are (1) a streetlight flickers as he walks beneath it and (2) he finds a bird of prey dead on the sidewalk. (Chapter 3)

4. A colleague of Sungju’s father (Chapter 3)

5. Gyeong-seong (Chapter 4)

6. Squirrels (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. In school, Sungju is taught that Kim il-Sung made rice from sand on the shores of the Duman and Amnok rivers, which he used to feed his armies. He also turned pinecones into grenades when his armies lacked weapons. (Chapter 1)

2. Sungju believed Kim il-Sung was a descendant of Dangun, and therefore that he was part deity. Sungju does not cry at the funeral because he is shocked to learn that a deity could die—he did not think this was possible. (Chapter 2)

Chapters 6-10

Reading Check

1. Abeoji works at a factory. (Chapter 6)

2. His mother (Chapter 6)

3. His textbooks (Chapter 7)

4. Cursed ghosts (Chapter 8)

5. Praying (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. Young-bum explains that his family did not leave Pyongyang voluntarily.