The story of Shin Dong-hyuk's miraculous escape from Camp 14, one of North Korea's labour camps.
Blaine Harden tells the story empathetically, portraying the isolation of the camp and Shin's complete detachment from the politics of North Korea and the world. Overall it is a truly shocking story - but most shocking is the initial statement that:
"Shin had a relatively comfortable life by the standards of other children in the camp" - An Myeong Chul (Former Guard and Driver in the Camps)
The gentle approach of Blaine Harden's writing style didn't blunt the edges of the scenes that Shin was exposed to and forced to endure, rather he wrote in a way that allowed me to understand the complete de-socialisation of Shin and empathise with his decisions. As the book progresses, Harden doesn't lose sight of the political state of North Korea and its tentative relationship with South Korea and China and the importance this holds to Shin's final escape.
This book is a must read, and as important as the concentration camp survival stories that children are forced to read in school.
