The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Reader Reviews & Ratings

Patience772026-10-22 04:10

A truly heartbreaking story about how quickly happiness can vanish forever.

Ivy2026-10-01 08:28

Hearing how the fish tanks died broke my heart completely.

Theresa2026-09-27 01:04

The story of the fish tanks dying is heartbreaking and sad.

Nikki2026-09-19 17:04

Reading this memoir about a boy losing his fish tanks in Yodok prison camp was truly heartbreaking.

Marc952026-09-10 00:47

Reading about the boy's fish tanks turning into empty, dead tanks in Yodok made me feel the crushing loss of innocence and childhood completely.

Curt072026-09-07 13:32

Reading about the fish tanks dying in Yodok made me feel the crushing weight of losing everything.

Adel2026-09-04 20:16

The guilt he felt about leaving his sister behind is a heavy burden that stays with him forever.

Piper232026-09-03 00:08

Devastating and true.

Ruth2026-08-31 23:14

Understanding why his grandparents made that mistake helps me see how trauma and longing can trap people in bad choices.

Marcus022026-08-31 02:20

Kang's story of losing his fish tanks in Yodok camp feels heartbreaking. The detail about the fish dying while the family was stripped of everything shows how the regime destroyed not just lives but childhood innocence, making the memoir deeply painful to read.

Israel2026-08-30 09:25

Reading about the empty fish tanks broke my heart and made me understand how fragile happiness really is.

Ursula2026-08-24 18:24

Hearing how his fish died while he was sent to the camp made me feel the loss of his childhood deeply.

Laurel2026-08-15 02:14

The way his family chose to return based on false hope makes me feel their pain and regret strongly.

Lamar32026-08-15 01:31

The part about the grandmother finding socialism as a lifeline after sleeping on cold sidewalks really stuck with me. It made the whole choice to move to Pyongyang feel less like blind obedience and more like a desperate attempt to find belonging. It's a complicated grief that runs through the whole book.

Clint882026-08-13 08:56

The moment the fish tanks were left to die in the camp, I felt the weight of Kang's lost childhood crush me completely.

Uno2026-08-10 17:47

Hard to read but honestly powerful. The story breaks my heart.

Xavier992026-08-09 21:37

This memoir shows how ideology and fear can trap even good people in a place that destroys their humanity completely.

Hailey2026-08-07 04:14

It is a heartbreaking story about a boy losing his fish tanks.

Darcy2026-08-04 18:02

The story of the fish tanks breaking my heart in a way I did not expect. 3/5 stars.

Buck2026-08-04 03:33

Reading this memoir felt like watching my own childhood dreams shatter into dust as the reality of Yodok slowly replaced the fish tanks.