Separated at Birth : How North Korea Became the Evil Twin

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Summary: An easy to read textbook
Review: I appreciated your opinions and chuckled at the various ways you termed Kim, Jong Il. The final chapter, with your ideas on what could happen next was well-done. I read your book like a novel--but it was actually an excellent teaching text book to me; filling in gaps that I hadn't understood.

I want to say THANK YOU for writing your book. It was filled with excellent historical facts and how history explains the current situation among China, N.Korea, S. Korea and Japan ...and the US. The book is now filled with underlines and comments. One comment I wrote was in respone to your question, "Convincing him of the futility of his position is a major challenge. Are there other steps that might help him make up his mind?" How about a visit from Jesus Christ Himself??? This is my prayer for him. THEN, Kim will know WHO is the Lord and the Great, Dear Leader!


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Summary: Delhi Chief
Review: Excellent and informative reading on the current problems facing all of us in regard to the Korean Peninsula and the World Stage. Gordon also proves validity for fighting the "Forgotten" Korean War and praise for a job well done by its veterans. The exposure of the horrendous crimes taking place in North Korea should be a wake up call to all civilized people.This book should be required reading for all High School/College students.


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Summary: well distilled ideas presented less skillfully
Review: I believe the thesis and facts because the author is so evidently a straight shooter. This book is my introduction to the North/South Korea topic and I'm sure will serve as a very solid cornerstone.

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Summary: Why I enjoyed and recommend "Separated at Birth"
Review: I like the clarity of the writing. And the fact that Cucullu pulls no punches regarding the behavior of North Korea past and present. He also delivers a good look into the culture of these people. It is a timely read, given the problems that loom with North Korea.

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Summary: The One Book to Read re the NORK Crisis
Review: I picked up a copy of "Separated at Birth" this morning and finished it this evening. I've lived in Seoul since November 1994 and, as a foreign investor in Korea, have followed events here and the commentary thereon closely. This is simply the most succinctly accurate account of, and the most compelling prescription for dealing with, the challenge posed by NK, that I've read in ten years.

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Summary: Great Book
Review: The best book I've read on the subject! Based on the writer's personal experiences, he truly has an excellent understanding of the past, present and future situation in Korea. A very interesting and informative read.

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Summary: Preaching to the Choir
Review: This is not a bad book. However, it could be better.

Mr. Cucullu attempts to show us how North and South Korea have developed since the end of the Korean War and looks a little into possible futures. He does an excellent job in telling the story of South Korea's transformation from an authoritarian/Third World nation into a representative democrary with a well developed economy. The good colonel peppers the standard historical run down with personal experiences while serving many years in Korea with the US Army. Making you actually feel the transformation of the Republic of Korea into a modern society is a real treat.

The author doesnt do a very good job explaining North Korea. In fact, his discussions of the DPRK are really just tirades that boil down to the fact that living in North Korea is unpleasant and the Kim regime sucks. Hey, Im on board with this. But I would like to have seen more analysis. Also, he makes a few of what I call "wild eyed" statements. First, he posits that North Korea killed prisoners in South Korean army uniforms in June 1950 to produce evidence to justify the Korean War. This is plausible, but where is the evidence? Also, he claims Kim Jong Il has taken family members of senior DPRK officials hostage to keep them in line. Again, I wouldnt be at all surprised if this were true. That said, Id like to see some proof.

One final comment. The Publishers Weekly review notes Cucullu is critical of revisionist historians but doesnt consider their arguments. The arguments of the likes of Bruce Cummings are not really worth commenting on as they have been utterly and completely refuted. Its pretty safe to assume North Korean society is dysfunctional and the Kims are horrible leaders.

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Summary: Drawing back the curtain
Review: This is the most interesting, understandable book I've ever read on the complicated, timely subject of North Korea. Author Cucullu uses a comparison method to hold up the horrors of North Korea and its decadent regime against the growing democracy that is its 'good twin,' South Korea. I have studied Korea my entire life and have never seen a work that provided such clarity and understanding to a complex culture and history - and made reading it enjoyable also.
I enthusiastically recommend Separated at Birth to anyone who is at all concerned with current affairs and the threats persented by North Korea. Cucullu makes it all clear and then adds a nice conclusion that shows how the situation can be resolved without military action. This is a must read book for everyone.

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Summary: A fascinating book of grave importance to our future.
Review: This work by Gordon Cucullu is sure to be very valuable to those of us who follow the world situation with serious thought and, let's face it, worry!

It's a very enlightening summary of the development and present-day status of one of the world's most secretive and most disastrous areas. Such insight can only be presented by one who spent many years living and working in close proximity of the people and the events which engulfed an innocent nation in almost unimaginable calamity.

I learned a great deal from Cucullu's keen observations regarding the history, development and extensive suffering of the Korean people. It touched me very closely, because I find their fate similar in many ways to that of my native Hungary. Maybe that is another reason why I felt so sympathetic to their terrible struggle and awful situation with the communist North.

This analysis of the geopolitical importance of the North Korean threat is not only excellent, but it brings home the extremely serious nature of that threat. The danger of a maniac such as Kim Yong Il doing something totally devastating is not only very real, but even likely, if he feels threatened to the point of no return.

Cucullu's suggestions on how to deal with the threat are very serious and can have not only far-reaching, but life saving effects on the Free World. It also contains a fascinating analysis of the South Korean role in all this which, I'm sure, is very little understood by those who aren't close to the situation. I can only hope that our present leadership will take the necessary steps in proving our country's strength, endurance, will-power and courage to face the threat posed by North Korea.

This book is a must-read for those of us who are seriously concerned with the security of our nation and the Free World.



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Summary: North Korea's 20th century history is explored in full
Review: With North Korea rising to become the new 'evil' in the world in its pursuit of nuclear weaponry, a book such as Gordon Cucullu's Separated At Birth becomes even more essential, providing a history of North and South Korea with a new emphasis on just how North Korean became the 'evil twin' of the two. North Korea's 20th century history is explored in full in Separated At Birth: from its initial separation from the south and changing relationships with China, Japan and the U.S. to its growing role as a nuclear force. The focus on Kim Jong-Il, ruler of North Korea, provides many condemning visions of the dictator and his approaches, but most importantly, Separated At Birth analyzes world concerns, options, and realities in working with the 'rogue' nation. Cucullu is a former Special Forces Green Beret colonel, serving over 20 years in the military in Asia: his analysis is personal - and astute.