Becoming Kim Jong Un: A Former CIA Officer's Insights into North Korea's Enigmatic Young Dictator by Jung H. Pak (Goodreads Author)

First of, I would like to thank you the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book for review in exchange of my unbiased opinion.

As of writing this review 6/16/2020, the latest news from Korean peninsula is that of North blowing up a diplomatic office located in the demilitarized zone. That makes the timing of this book very relevant for anyone interested in understanding current state of affairs about North Korea. I am no history buff when it comes to Koreas and that was the reason I decided to read this book cover to cover partly in order to fill in gaps in my knowledge about the history and partly to understand where we stand on North Korea Question. The book is interesting and informative and takes the reader from history of birth of North Korea, its leaders to most current transactions  of North with its neighbors and its sworn enemy the US. The focus is obviously on its current Chairman Kim who at 26 inherited the nation and of whom the world knows little about. It's not really an insight into his hobbies or his personal life etc but decoding him as a leader of North Korea and its 25 million people. The book is not  just hearsay but a thorough analysis from data gathered by CIA and other think-tanks. Overall, its an interesting book for any history buff or  anyone who wants to familiarize themselves with the North Korea issue from political standpoint and what to expect if history is any indication from it's Chairman Kim.  It is a semi-quick read with simple language and well investigated facts.