Escape from Camp 14 is a biography of Shin-Dong-hyuk written and told by Blaine Harden. The book was published by Penguin Books in New York City in 2013. A new edition of the odyssey was published in 2015 with a new foreword. The gripping story is centered around Shin-Dong-hyuk, a North-Korean boy born and raised in a labor camp. Shin’s story begins when his mother gave birth to him inside a North Korean political prison camp. Shin’s mother and father were put together by the camp guards for good behavior. Together, his parents had two children, Shin and his older brother. Shin’s experience within the camp was suddenly altered when he overheard his mother and brother planning as escape. Shin, who was raised on principles that practically put
…show more content…
He now claims that his family and him were part of Camp 18, a slightly less brutal political prison. He said he escaped twice. The first time he escaped was from Camp 18. He was later caught and transferred to Camp 14, where he was tortured and treated brutally. Later, he managed to escape Camp 14. These changes to his story completely differ from what he had told journalists, government officials, and human-rights activists. If Shin had told the truth from the start, the book would certainly be less confusing and more informative about the reality of North Korea. More or less, the book does accurately disclose much more information besides Shin’s story. Telling’s of the famine in North Korea in the 1990’s, the history of the regime, and stories of other North Korean defectors. My overall opinion of the book is that it is defiantly an eye-opening revelation. In our modern society of media and news, many stories can be heavily biased and altered. We often receive information that is told from a first-world, capitalist, democratic point of view. Hearing Shin and other North Korean’s stories was refreshing from what I often hear from the media which tends to be heavily biased and not always accurate. Although, Shin’s change of story did make the book less informative than what it could’ve been. Overall, the story was enlightening to see a neutral glimpse into what North Korea is like. The writing was something I would defiantly recommend, especially to someone wanted a clear look into what the reality is for the millions of Koreans stuck in a country that is dangerous, dictatorial, and propagandized on the daily
He now claims that his family and him were part of Camp 18, a slightly less brutal political prison. He said he escaped twice. The first time he escaped was from Camp 18. He was later caught and transferred to Camp 14, where he was tortured and treated brutally. Later, he managed to escape Camp 14. These changes to his story completely differ from what he had told journalists, government officials, and human-rights activists. If Shin had told the truth from the start, the book would certainly be less confusing and more informative about the reality of North Korea. More or less, the book does accurately disclose much more information besides Shin’s story. Telling’s of the famine in North Korea in the 1990’s, the history of the regime, and stories of other North Korean defectors. My overall opinion of the book is that it is defiantly an eye-opening revelation. In our modern society of media and news, many stories can be heavily biased and altered. We often receive information that is told from a first-world, capitalist, democratic point of view. Hearing Shin and other North Korean’s stories was refreshing from what I often hear from the media which tends to be heavily biased and not always accurate. Although, Shin’s change of story did make the book less informative than what it could’ve been. Overall, the story was enlightening to see a neutral glimpse into what North Korea is like. The writing was something I would defiantly recommend, especially to someone wanted a clear look into what the reality is for the millions of Koreans stuck in a country that is dangerous, dictatorial, and propagandized on the daily