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Writing this novel has been a ten-year journey of research, hard work, conversation, and reflection, especially on the subject of identity. I'm a white American whose own identity was profoundly shaped by moving from New Hampshire to South Korea in 1960, when I was seven years old. Korea, where my parents worked as medical missionaries, was our family's home base for twenty-one years.

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I speak fluent conversational Korean, spent my junior year of college at a Korean university, and have returned to Korea many times throughout my adulthood. Korea is "home" to me, even as my connection remains that of an outsider-insider. But prior to this book, my sphere of personal knowledge, experience, and interest in Korea had never included the North. Even when I was a child and teenager in South Korea, the country occupying the other half of the peninsula seemed unknowable, foreign and menacing - a feeling exacerbated by the bellicose threats and posturing of the DPRK, and its 1968 assassination attempt on South Korean President Park Chung-hee.

Ten years ago, a chance interview question about reunification led to the idea for a novel about two American kids on the run in North Korea. I did some reading and daydreaming, but I felt uncertain about my connection to the material until I met Reverend Peter Yoon, a member of the Council on Korean Studies of Michigan State University. In 2007 he had traveled into the DPRK from China by train and had an hour and a half of video footage of the countryside between Sinuiju and Pyongyang. The images were spellbinding, and to my surprise, they were familiar.

Rural North Korea in 2007 - wide plains filled with rice fields, farmers planting in flooded paddies, people pushing carts and riding bicycles, clunky concrete apartment buildings painted pink and blue - looked exactly like the South Korean countryside of the 1960s where I grew up. I realized the DPRK was not unknowable and foreign; despite its government, it was part of a land I knew and loved. Over the years of research and writing that followed, North Korea came into focus more and more as a place of enormous complexity and contradiction, and most of all a place full of real people.

Indeed, contrary to the popular image of a country shrouded in mystery about which we know almost nothing, I've found an extensive amount of information available about the DPRK.
More About Growing Up in Korea:
Of Longing and Belonging (Korean American Story)
Considering North Korea (Korean American Story)

Thanks to Jade, who sent me this note:

In the Shadow of the Sun is a really good book. One of my favorites. I think the fact that this book takes place in North Korea is one reason why it makes the book good and mysterious in a way. I'm reading your book again! ... I know people say never to judge a book by its cover, but I think the cover of your book explains the story pretty well! I like this book because of how you make the girl interested in Korea and the boy is more eh about going to Korea. North Korea! I think this book is suspenseful, sad, and in the end happy.

Thanks to reviewer and middle school librarian Lynn Rutan, in

Looking for a heart-thumping thriller? Anne Sibley O'Brien's In the Shadow of the Sun (2017) was already a great choice, but then the political situation with North Korea got even worse, heightening its timeliness and intensity.

Twelve-year-old Mia Andrews and her surly older brother Simon-who we learn has been "mad since August"-are touring North Korea with their aid-worker father, who wants the family to see where he works and share some quality time. Mia and Simon find this a very odd vacation destination, and their father is soon arrested. Tension mounts when Mia discovers that a package she received contains a phone with extremely dangerous photographs stored in it.

The siblings set about to save their father and themselves by getting the phone across the Chinese border. Somehow, these teenagers will have to traverse one of the most repressive countries in the world with little money, no allies, and a scant understanding of the language. Throw in Simon's all-American looks, and this proves an almost-impossible undertaking.

Life-or-death adventure and a nothing-is-as-it-seems plot would be enough to make this a promising read for middle-schoolers. O'Brien, however, supplies a lot more to take away. She juxtaposes Mia's experiences as a South Korean adoptee in a largely white Connecticut town against her trip experience where she looks like everyone else. She depicts Mia and Simon's sibling relationship wonderfully: Mia feels, rightly, that Simon dismisses her abilities, thoughts, and potential contributions, so watching Mia's personal growth and increasing self-confidence becomes all the more satisfying. Interspersed throughout the adventure are the reflections of various North Korean citizens, which help provide a greater understanding of the country and its suffering people.

O'Brien, who grew up in South Korea, has delivered a nail-biter of an adventure that is also outstandingly researched and packed with fascinating information and insights. Buckle your seat belts, this one's a wild ride!

On considering the humanity of the people of North Korea:

Thanks to Amanda Kang, who wrote this review:

In The Shadow Of The Sun by Anne Sibley O'Brien
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I am 13 years old going into the 8th grade, and felt that it was a good fit (part of that may have come from the fact that Mia's character and I have a lot of similarities, being Korean-American, about the same age, having to go to Korean school/한글학교, etc). In general, I enjoy these kinds of books about semi-hardcore survival (like The Boxcar Children) because it's exciting to read about people my age staying alive due to their resourcefulness.

I myself have only ever been to South Korea, although my grandpa was born in Pyongyang and my dad has been on the other side of the border twice. I learned some valuable information by reading this book, whether it's how heavily a family's fate depends on the time that one of their children flips her card at a performance, how accidentally dropping an important person's portrait could send you to reeducation camp, or simply how dangerous it is to be associated with someone/something that the North Korean officials do not approve of. It's scary, especially at this time. On the bright side, it's helpful to know that I could change the meaning of my middle name if I wanted to. That's not something many of my friends can do.

Of course, there is also the element of Simon and Mia's relationship. I liked how the whole experience of being stuck there brought them closer together, the way they should be as siblings (but who am I kidding? I never get along with my sister). It was nice to see how their working together was what saved them in the end.

Anyhow, I am glad that I read this book and will give it four or five stars on goodreads as soon as it's published (I also don't think I mentioned that I have never read an advance uncorrected proof before, so this is a first for me). "), I believe that it's really important, especially for people who assume ideas based only on what they hear in the news about places like North Korea (a kid asked me on the playground "why are you reading a book? That's where Kim Jong-un is from, and we don't like to read this book and books like it, because then they'll have a better idea of why these things happen while still reading from an outsider's perspective. Speaking of perspectives, I really appreciated those grey sections in between the different chapters, because it is better to have multiple viewpoints in a complicated story. I am also glad that those parts-while short-connected to the main story, because otherwise you would just have random parts mixed in with the plot and you wouldn't get the background of the tertiary/secondary characters that you meet briefly in the narrative.

Because of this book, I now have a better understanding of the more misunderstood side of the country that my family is from, and for that I am grateful.

In October I'll be traveling from my own Maine island to make author visits at three schools on the islands of Islesboro, North Haven and VinalHaven, hosted by Island Readers & Writers (IRW).

In preparation, IRW has created this wonderful activity guide for In the Shadow of the Sun, including discussion questions, art and writing prompts, companion titles and resources for further exploration.

Here's one prompt:

Date: Tuesday, October 24 - 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Rines Auditorium, Portland Public Library, Portland, Maine

Audience: Adults, Teens

North Korea: The Stories Behind the Conflict

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On Thursday, August 24, Consular General Song Jun Ohm hosted a Book Talk featuring In the Shadow of the Sun, at the Korean Consulate in Newton, Massachusetts. An audience representing the Korean American community of Boston, including academics, activists, business people, policy analysts, and others with deep interest in North Korea, were invited to share their expertise and reflections. In his opening remarks, Consul General Ohm said,

As a diplomat, my interest in [Anne's] novel is about the promotion of understanding Korea and North Korea among Americans... Questions arise such as why North Korea is obsessed with nuclear weapon; why North Korea is attempting to make threats directly to the United States; what is the origin of North Korean hostility to the United States, etc.

... I suggest that we need to see the North Korean people as human beings and see them differently and separate from the dictator and his subordinates. This novel provides me with the new and fresh perspective, because South Koreans also need to understand North Koreans better, and that will be possible when they meet by people to people, not when they see solely through news media or official channel.

I gave a short talk about my childhood in South Korea, the inspiration for the novel, the process of writing it, and the ways in which empathy for the people of North Korea gradually became my focus. Wellesley English professor Yu Jin Ko and Reverend Sung-hyuk Kim followed with reflections on themes in the novel, with Professor Ko emphasizing that "to recognize the humanity of the other" must be the basis for reunification. Audience members responded with their own observations on the importance of a "human-centric" approach to North Korea.

I was deeply honored and humbled by the event, and felt buoyed by the foundation of guidance and support as I communicate the themes of the novel to a wider audience.

BostonKorea.com wrote about the event here.

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Writing this novel has been a ten-year journey of research, hard work, conversation, and reflection, especially on the subject of identity. I'm a white American whose own identity was profoundly shaped by moving from New Hampshire to South Korea in 1960, when I was seven years old.

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North Korea has issued a furious response to the latest round of international trade and energy supply sanctions from the UN Security Council.

Han Tae Song, North Korea's Ambassador to the UN, has warned that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was prepared to use a form of "ultimate means" to safeguard its independence.

Mr Tae Song told a conference in Geneva: "The forthcoming measures by DPRK will make the US suffer the greatest pain it's ever experienced in its history.

"The Washington regime finally opted for political, economic and military confrontation, obsessed with the wild dream of reversing the DPRK's development of nuclear force which has already reached the completion phase."

As tensions continue to flare in the region, here is a look at threat of war and where North Korea is located in the world.

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Where is North Korea?

Kim Jong-un's communist regime occupies the upper half of the Korean Peninsula.

The Korean Peninsula itself is divided roughly along the 38th parallel, with a heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) splitting the landmass in half.

To the north, Korea is directly bordered by its biggest ally China along the Yalu Rover. North Korea also shares a very small border with Russia in the northeast.

North Korea's capital Pyongyang is located within striking distance of the South, around 90 miles from the DMZ and about 120 miles from the South's capital Seoul.

Further to the east, some 600 miles beyond the Sea of Japan, there are the four main islands of Japan.

North Korea is a mostly mountainous country with a humid climate characterised by short, hot summers and harsh snowy winters.

A 2017 UN report said that about 24.9 million people live in North Korea. A vast majority of the population are believed to be impoverished and dependant on handouts.

About four to five percent of the population is thought to be in active military duty, according to a a 2015 US Military and Security report. This makes its army the fourth largest in the world.

North Korea hosts a lavish banquet in honour of the country's nuclear weapons developers
Wed, September 13, 2017
A gala banquet celebrating last week's hydrogen bomb test, which was so powerful it caused an earthquake

Could war break out?

As the verbal conflict between North Korea and the US continues to escalate, there are fears that Pyongyang could respond to the latest sanctions with a new missile test.

Pyongyang reportedly issued quasi-war status earlier this week, with some residents fearing a "major provocation" could be at hand.

Last month North Korea stunned the world when it fired a missile over Japan, a move that Japan's Prime Minister decried as an "unprecedented and grave threat".

South Korea and Japan have now committed themselves to ramping up pressure on Kim Jong-un's regime in a bid to stop its nuclear weapons programme.

China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyia has also called for the regime to stop its nuclear armament and to "take seriously the expectations and will of the international community".

We are not looking for war. The North Korean regime has not yet passed the point of no return

Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations

US President Donald Trump, who has been engaged in war of words with Kim since taking office, has brushed off the significance of new sanctions.

"We think it's just another very small step, not a big deal," Mr Trump told reporters during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday.

"I don't know if it has any impact, but certainly it was nice to get a 15-to-nothing vote, but those sanctions are nothing compared to what ultimately will have to happen."

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, meanwhile tried to deescalate the tension by making it clear that the US is not looking for conflict.

"We don't take pleasure in further strengthening sanctions today," she said on Monday.

"We are not looking for war. The North Korean regime has not yet passed the point of no return. If it agrees to stop its nuclear programme, it can reclaim its future."

The big question that remains now is whether or not there is a possibility that war cold actually break out.

Most experts agree that a full on WW3 scenario is unlikely and that Kim is trying to be taken seriously by the international community.

North Korea celebrates national day
Sat, September 9, 2017
North Korea celebrates the 69th anniversary of it's national day with dancing and flower offerings.

Michael Morell, the former deputy director of the CIA, thinks that Kim is trying to scare the US into backing off from Pyongyang's internal affairs.

Speaking on CBS on Sunday, Mr Morell said: "The message he is trying to send is, I can deter the United States of America from attacking me, I can deter them from trying to change the regime.

"That's the message he is trying to send."

He added that North Korea's missile tests are a way of demonstrating that the regime has the power to strike a US city with a nuclear weapon.

This fear tactic could be used to ward off any perceived threat off outside influence from Washington.

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North Korea map: Where is North Korea? Will World War 3 break out?

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North Korea has issued a furious response to the latest round of international trade and energy supply sanctions from the UN Security Council. Han Tae Song, North Korea's Ambassador to the UN, has warned that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was prepared to use a form of "ultimate means" to safeguard its independence.