{"product_id":"madame-choi-and-the-monsters-a-true-story","title":"Madame Choi and the Monsters: A True Story","description":"A stranger‑than‑fiction true story of kidnapping, creativity, survival, and escape.\nIn Madame Choi and the Monsters, writer Patrick Spät and illustrator Sheree Domingo bring to life the astonishing real events surrounding legendary South Korean actress Choi Eun‑hee and filmmaker Shin Sang‑ok―a former power couple whose fates were upended when they were abducted by North Korean agents under orders from the future dictator Kim Jong‑il.\nIn 1978, Choi is kidnapped and taken to North Korea, where Kim―obsessed with cinema and determined to elevate his nation’s film industry―holds her captive. Six months later, her ex‑husband Shin is abducted as well. For years, neither knows the other is alive until a surreal reunion orchestrated by Kim himself in 1983.\nForced into service as the country’s star director‑actor duo, Choi and Shin are compelled to make films for the regime, including the notorious kaiju cult classic Pulgasari (1985). All the while, Kim Jong‑il works to convince the outside world that the pair has defected willingly. Under constant surveillance and unimaginable pressure, the two slowly rekindle their bond as they secretly plot their freedom.\nTheir chance finally arrives at the 1986 Vienna Film Festival, where they make a daring break for the American embassy―launching into a high‑stakes escape worthy of the dramatic films they were coerced to create.\nTold with gripping visual storytelling and meticulous historical detail, this graphic narrative lays bare one of modern history’s wildest and least believable true tales, blending political thriller, human drama, romance, and dark absurdity. Critics have hailed it as “smart, witty, shocking, compelling, romantic and… just a bit terrifying” and “one of the wildest historical stories you’re liable to hear.”\nA riveting chronicle of art under duress, propaganda, resilience, and defiance, Madame Choi and the Monsters is a must‑read for fans of true crime, graphic nonfiction, Korean cinema, and Cold War history.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1914224221\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: DBV.1914224221.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Domingo, Sheree|Spät, Patrick\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41458262343738,"sku":"DBV.1914224221.G","price":29.02,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/madame-choi-and-the-monsters-a-true-story","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}