When it comes to North Korea, most media outlets focus on the missiles that Pyongyang frequently fires into the East Sea, or the cigarettes, hairstyle, weight and fashion of leader Kim Jong Un. It can be easy to lose sight of the lives of the DPRK’s 25 million people, the vast majority of whom are not allowed to leave the country or learn about the outside world.

“The North Korean Conundrum,” a new book featuring essays from around a dozen authors, seeks to address this imbalance by considering human beings rather than nuclear weapons. And it achieves this goal with professional, well-researched contributions.