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Escape from Camp 14:

One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West
Front Cover
1334 Reviews
Viking, 2012 - Biography & Autobiography - 205 pages

A New York Times bestseller, the shocking story of one of the few people born in a North Korean political prison to have escaped and survived.

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.

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5 stars
446
4 stars
568
3 stars
255
2 stars
33
1 star
3

Good story, poor writing - Goodreads
Good, concise overview of North Korea's gulags. - Goodreads
It's brutal, gruesome and at times very hard to read. - Goodreads
A fascinating insight into life in North Korea. - Goodreads
This was hard to read and hard to put down. - Goodreads
Well researched with appropriate references. - Goodreads

Review: Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West

User Review  - Sara - Goodreads

What an amazing book, telling the journey of Shin Dong-hyuk, who was born and raised in a North Korean prison camp and eventually escaped out of the camp and out of country. The author spent over two ... Read full review

Review: Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West

User Review  - Vincent Chin - Goodreads

A look into the life a Korean who was born in one of the worst control camp in North Korea. Camp 14. This is a very good book for those who are curious on the situation in North Korea. After this ... Read full review

All 1334 reviews »

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About the author (2012)

Blaine Harden is a contributor to The Economist and has formerly served as The Washington Post's bureau chief in East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. He is the author of Africa: Dispatches from a Fragile Continent and A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

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