Barbara Demick
Barbara Demick was born in 1959 and is currently 66 years old. Barbara Demick was born in Ridgewood, NJ, USA. Demick attended Yale College where she received a BA in Economic History.
Barbara Demick is an American author and journalist who has established herself as a renowned expert in insightful reporting from authoritarian regimes and conflict zones.
Her first job as a journalist was as a correspondent for Eastern Europe, working for the
Philadelphia Inquirer. Between 1993 and 1997, she reported on the
Bosnian War. During this time, she produced an award-winning series that documented the lives of residents on Logavina Street in Sarajevo.
Barbara Demick joined the
Los Angeles Times in 2001 and became the bureau chief in Korea. While in Korea, she reported on internal human rights abuses, especially of women and refugees from North Korea.
Demick’s reporting on North Korea won her several awards, including the
Laurie Dine Award, the
Overseas Press Club’s Joe, and the
Osborn Elliott Prize by Asia Society.
She has been a visiting professor at Princeton University, where she taught courses on reporting on repressive regimes. Demick has also been in the 2005 documentary
Press Pass to the World, in which she highlighted her work in global journalism.
In her work
Nothing to Envy, Barbara Demick details the lives of half a dozen defectors from North Korea over fifteen years as she reports on momentous events such as a deadly famine, the rise of Kim Jong Il, and the death of Kim Il Sung.
Using careful reporting and intimate interviews, she exposes the harsh realities of life under a dictatorship where casual remarks could result in a prison sentence, informants are all over, and prison sentences are very real.
The dissidents, once loyal to the regime, slowly became disillusioned by the failures of their government, offering a glimpse into the physical and emotional struggles of ordinary people who live under one of the most repressive regimes in the world.
Barbara Demick’s
Eat the Buddha is set in Ngaba, a remote town in Tibet, which was a hotspot of resistance against Chinese occupation.
She tells the stories of a schoolgirl, a princess, a poet, and a monk as she chronicles the town's history, from the present-day crackdowns to the Red Army's invasion. Demick showcases the brutal cultural suppression the villages have to endure, in addition to spiritual challenges.
She showcases their fight for survival as they face the choice between conforming to or resisting China's overwhelming technological and political power.
In Daughters of the Bamboo Grove, Barbara Demick changes gears as she tells the story of how two sisters were kept apart due to the one-child policy that China ruthlessly enforced.
Shuangjie and Fangfang were born in 2000 as twin sisters and had to be separated to evade government restrictions. Fangfang ended up in China, living with a Christian family while her sister remained in China.
Demicj tells a story of resilience, loss, and the quest to reunite the two sisters divided by fate and politics.
Barbara Demick: Lists & Other Mentions
- Eat the Buddha was a New York Times: 100 Notable Books in 2020.
Related Authors
The most common authors followed by users who also follow Barbara Demick are:
- J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
- J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings Series.
- Ray Bradbury, author of the novel: Fahrenheit 451.
- Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
- Andy Weir, author of the novel: Project Hail Mary.
Barbara Demick: F.A.Q
When was Barbara Demick Born? How old is Barbara Demick?
Barbara Demick was born in 1959. Barbara Demick is currently 66 years old.
Where was Barbara Demick Born?
Barbara Demick was born in Ridgewood, NJ, USA and is American.
What was the first book Barbara Demick wrote?
The first book written by Barbara Demick was Logavina Street, published in 1996.
What was the most recent book Barbara Demick wrote?
Her most recently released work was Daughters of the Bamboo Grove on May 20th, 2025.
Will there be any more books by Barbara Demick?
Barbara Demick does not have any upcoming books with a set publication date within the next few months at this time.
How many books has Barbara Demick written?
Barbara Demick has written 5 books. All of her books are Non-Fiction Books.