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

Every Falling Star

• Genre: Nonfiction; young adult; memoir/autobiography
• Originally Published: 2016
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 880L; grades 8-12
• Structure/Length: 26 chapters; approx. 344 pages; 9 hours, 24 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: Sungju Lee tells the story of his childhood in North Korea when he was forced to survive on the streets after being abandoned by his parents.  
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Poverty; homelessness; gang violence

Sungju Lee and Susan Elizabeth McClelland, Authors

• Bio: Sungju Lee lives in South Korea and works as a consultant at NKHR: Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights. He travels the world speaking about his experience defecting from North Korea. Susan McClelland is an award-winning author and journalist who lives in Toronto, Canada.
• Other Works: The Bite of the Mango (McClelland, 2008)
• Awards: Cybils Award (2016); Parents’ Choice Award (2016); Notable Books for a Global Society (2017)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Folk Stories and Propaganda Versus Traumatic Reality
• Brotherhood and the Power of Chosen Family
• Wealth Disparity and the “Haves” and “Have Nots” of Joseon
• Hope and Disillusionment in Institutions

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the social, cultural, and historical contexts regarding the oppressive regime in North Korea from which the protagonist, Sungju, flees.