ESCAPE FROM CAMP 14

Author:  Blaine Harden

Genre:  Memoir, Standalone

Published:  2012

Personal Rating:  4.25/5 (very good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Blaine Harden

Yearly Count:  47

From Goodreads:

North Korea is isolated and hungry, bankrupt and belligerent. It is also armed with nuclear weapons. Between 150,000 and 200,000 people are being held in its political prison camps, which have existed twice as long as Stalin's Soviet gulags and twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. Very few born and raised in these camps have escaped. But Shin Donghyuk did.

In Escape from Camp 14, acclaimed journalist Blaine Harden tells the story of Shin Dong-hyuk and through the lens of Shin's life unlocks the secrets of the world's most repressive totalitarian state. Shin knew nothing of civilized existence-he saw his mother as a competitor for food, guards raised him to be a snitch, and he witnessed the execution of his own family. Through Harden's harrowing narrative of Shin's life and remarkable escape, he offers an unequaled inside account of one of the world's darkest nations and a riveting tale of endurance, courage, and survival.

Whoa.  This was another eye-opener, even though I knew about North Korea's reputation.  Some of the story is beyond comprehension.  And, even though Shin is not very personable (understandably so), my heart still broke for him and all the other prisoners in that country.  

Thoughts of Joy