Why read Black Girl from Pyongyang?

Book cover of Black Girl from Pyongyang

Book description

The extraordinary true story of a West African girl's upbringing in North Korea under the guardianship of President Kim Il Sung.

In 1979, aged only seven, Monica Macias was sent from West Africa to the unfamiliar surroundings of North Korea by her father, the President of Equatorial Guinea, to…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Black Girl from Pyongyang as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Louise Ross

Author

Black Girl from Pyongyang is a fascinating memoir. Monica Macias tells her extraordinary story of growing up as the daughter of an Equatoguinean president, sent to North Korea as a child in the 1980s and raised there through her teenage years. What struck me most was her honest, unsentimental account of navigating between two vastly different worlds - the privilege and isolation of her unusual upbringing, and the profound loneliness of being separated from her family. She writes with such grace about identity, belonging, and resilience, never falling into self-pity despite the obvious challenges. It's a perspective on North Korea…

From Louise's 3 favorite reads in 2025.