Just picked up Barbara Demick's book "Nothing to Envy" about life in North Korea and the deception that the North Korean government manages to perpetrate on their people by making them believe that they are the most powerful and envied country in the world. This despite absolutely miserable living conditions including famine, lack of basic utilities like electricity, and absence of any sort of freedom of expression.
A satellite photo taken over the Korea's at night is very "illuminating". She makes the point that their lack of electricity is not because they are undeveloped nation, but one that had "modern" conveniences at one time and dropped off the grid.
For me, as a political scientist and general government geek, this exploration of such a unique political culture is a fascinating contrast to ours.
