Black Girl from Pyongyang: In Search of My Identity

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 be educated under the guardianship of his ally, Kim Il Sung. Within months, her father was executed in a military coup; her mother became unreachable. Effectively orphaned, she and two siblings had to make their life in Pyongyang. At military boarding school, Monica learned to mix with older children, speak fluent Korean and handle weapons on training exercises. Reaching adulthood, she went in search of her roots. Spending time in Madrid, Malabo, New York, Seoul and finally London, at every step she had to reckon with others' perceptions of her adoptive homeland. Optimistic yet unflinching, Monica’s astonishing and unique story challenges us to see the world through different eyes. –––––––––––– PRAISE FOR BLACK GIRL FROM PYONGYANG 'A fascinating glimpse into life in North Korea' New Statesman 'Extraordinary' Daily Telegraph 'An incredible insight into a woman whose life is beyond imagining... and a fascinating insight into the North Korean regime' Rory Stewart 'Monica's is an evocative memoir of a remarkable childhood followed by a decades-long search around the globe for her identity. But beyond that, it is a stunning treatise on politics, power and culture' Florence Olajide, bestselling author of Coconut