The Great Read: A Family’s Daring Escape From North Korea ‘to Live and Stand Tall’
Their resolve for freedom hardened during the pandemic, when they lived through a crippling food shortage and were forced to witness frequent public executions.
The New York Times
The Great Read
July 21, 2026, 2:01 p.m. Eastern time

On weekdays and Sundays, we recommend one piece of exceptional writing from The Times — a narrative or essay that takes you someplace you might not expect to go.

Two adults, smiling and looking down, embrace two children. They stand indoors next to a window with a city view.

Woohae Cho for The New York Times

A Family’s Daring Escape From North Korea ‘to Live and Stand Tall’

Their resolve for freedom hardened during the pandemic, when they lived through a crippling food shortage and were forced to witness frequent public executions.

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