Camp 14 Book Report

1. Camp 14 was written by Blaine Harden about one man's journey to freedom. Shin Dong-hyuk is the first child born in a North Korean political prison camp to escape from a camp. The novel starts with comparing the differences between Kim Un Jong, the main character, and the injustice in North Korean's society and justice system. The author describes Kim Jong Un as living above the law as a communist prince because of his parentage, and Shin living below the law because his blood was tainted by the perceived crimes of his father's brothers. The life Shin was expected to have was terrible, "His state-prescribed career trajectory was hard labor and an early death from disease brought on by chronic hunger-- all without a charge or a trial or an appeal, and all in secrecy." Then, stories about his childhood were being described. Love, family, or forgiveness did not mean anything to him, and he had never heard of God. Once, when Shin was in school, the teacher searched all of the student's pockets for stolen food, and when he found five corn kernels in a little girl's pocket, he ordered her to the front of the class were she was beaten to death with a stick to the back of her head. The teacher did not stop until she was unconscious with blood oozing out of her nose and lumps puffed up on her skull. Around the age of five, Shin looked at his mother as a source of extra food during lunch time. He did not only steal …show more content…
Camp 14 takes place during the 21st century in North Korea. North Korea is constantly asking for food and money from other countries, but also threatening them of nuclear warfare. If North Korea would stop the prison camps, treat their people and other nations with respect, and allow interaction with the outside world, then this country would slowly build their economy, be able to prove food, healthcare, and resources for their citizens, and become a 1st world country. The recent war between South Korea and North Korea is on pages 1957-1961 in our