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The Reluctant Communist
- My Desertion, Court-Martial, and Forty-Year Imprisonment in North Korea
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 7 hrs
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The Reluctant Communist
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Summary
In January of 1965, 24-year-old US Army sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins abandoned his post in South Korea, walked across the DMZ, and surrendered to communist North Korean soldiers standing sentry along the world's most heavily militarized border. He believed his action would get him back to the States and a short jail sentence.
Instead he found himself in another sort of prison, where for 40 years he suffered under one of the most brutal and repressive regimes the world has known. This fast-paced, harrowing tale, told plainly and simply by Jenkins (with journalist Jim Frederick), takes the listener behind the North Korean curtain and reveals the inner workings of its isolated society while offering a powerful testament to the human spirit.
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What listeners say about The Reluctant Communist
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Damian
- 14-06-20
Annoying narrator
This is a great story but genuinely letdown by the narrator who constantly mispronounces 'Pyongyang'. Then there is the heavy accent which doesn't work effectively.
Redo the narration and this would be an amazing listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 01-11-19
Brilliant
Been waiting ages for this to come out as an audio book. It was worth the wait.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- ania
- 19-12-18
A bit boring
I have read many books on North Korea, most of them very involving but this one is not. Not sure how the jurnalist author managed to make such a fascinating subject so boring.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- scott richard mack
- 14-10-21
A story of treason.
As an American I'm ashamed I spent money on this book. It's about a person who turned his back on America and has more excuses than Kim jong Un. I feel like vomiting.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-09-21
Excellent history and human story
Excellent historical perspective as well as a great human story. Super easy to stay engaged with this book. Great perspective on North Korea it’s relationship with the US, Japan and the world.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nivedita Maredia
- 04-06-21
A very complex story.
At first, I judged the author harshly for deserting his post, but now I see the human side of him.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- OB
- 03-02-22
Narrator
The narration is so bad it’s distracting. Even if I speed it up, it becomes more comical but I still couldn’t listen to the story. This must have been an early recording before they realized that the voice matters. Check the sample, that isn’t just a comic stretch of bad reading. That’s the clowns voice.