The riveting story of Kim Il Sung’s rise to power and the young North Korean fighter pilot who dared to defy him.
In the aftermath of World War II, Kim Il Sung plunged North Korea into war against the United States while the youngest fighter pilot in his air force was playing a high-risk game of deception—and escape. As Kim ascended from Soviet puppet to godlike ruler, No Kum Sok pretended to love his Great Leader. That is, until he swiped a Soviet MiG-15 and delivered it to the Americans, not knowing they were offering a $100,000 bounty for the warplane (the equivalent of nearly one million dollars today). The theft—just weeks after the Korean War ended in July 1953—electrified the world and incited Kim’s bloody vengeance.
During the Korean War the United States brutally carpet bombed the North, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians and giving the Kim dynasty, as Harden reveals, the fact-based narrative it would use to this day to sell paranoia and hatred of Americans. Drawing on documents from Chinese and Russian archives about the roles of Mao and Stalin in Kim’s shadowy rise, as well as from never-before-released U.S. intelligence and interrogation files, Harden gives us a heart-pounding adventure and an entirely new way to understand the world’s longest-lasting totalitarian state.
Amazon picks Great Leader as a best book of 2015:
“The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot expertly melds geopolitics with personal struggle, creating an exciting and illuminating account of a chapter of world history that still resonates today.” — Amazon’s Jon Foro
Overseas Press Club of America awards Great Leader a citation (meaning 2nd place) for best non-fiction book on international affairs in 2015.
Reviews
New York Times: “fascinating” and “artful.”
The Economist: “A gripping account of the battle fought in the skies [during the Korean War] and its lasting significance.”
Christian Science Monitor: “an impossible-to-put down thriller.”
The Daily Beast: “an eminently readable picture of our most under-remembered war.”
The LA Review of Books: “rigorously researched and entrancing tale of the Korean War.”
South China Morning Post: “makes excellent use of recently declassified material to tie the cold war strands together in a compelling tale.”
Washington Times: “skillfully crafted”
Watch an excellent video about Great Leader.
Library Journal (starred review): “An enjoyable read that is highly recommended for those interested in Cold War or North Korean history, or for anyone who likes a strong narrative.”
Excellent radio interviews with me and the North Korean fighter pilot who stole the Great Leader’s MiG: CBC’s The Current. PRI-The World.
Amazon and The Christian Science Monitor pick The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot as a best book of March.