Comments (42)

Escape From Camp 14

One Man's Remarkable Odyssey From North Korea to Freedom in the West
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Feb 17, 2023Daylight62 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Very shocking but after I read this, I found out that he had recanted some of the contents as not true.
Jan 26, 2019redtayres rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
As our current president flirts with the idea of treating North Korea's leader with respect and love, this book makes clear that the leader of North Korea deserves nothing of the sort. This short (200 page) book provides an account of a…
Aug 28, 2018Nightshade7206 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in North Korea, Prison Camps and or the atrocities that can be dealt to human beings by human beings. I have a tremendous amount of empathy for the People of North Korea. I…
htliang
Jun 16, 2017htliang rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is a truly unsettling book. Later changes to Shin's story as revealed on the author's website add to the confusion as to what is real & what is fabricated. How much of this story is accurate is known only to Shin. He does, however,…
Apr 26, 2016McBainF1 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I have not read a more tragic story. An unimaginable life. there is no doubt that Shin has been tortured inside and out. Updates to the book can be found on the author's website and make the book even more tragic because of the…
Mar 15, 2016heidiup1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Very well written. There are some unresolved controversies, but Harden partly dealt with those in this edition.
bibliotechnocrat
May 14, 2015bibliotechnocrat rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Imagine growing up in an enormous prison, guilty not because of something you've done, but because your uncle committed the terrible crime of moving to another country. Welcome to the warpo world of North Korea where guilt by association…
Dec 30, 2014SusannahElf rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
I wish I could have read this book to the end but the writing was appalling. In a single sentence the author makes reference to the past, present and future, rather than present the facts in a straightforward manner. The story came across…
roddubé
Dec 15, 2014roddubé rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Riviting. Shocking and horrific. Well contextualized with political and historical detail. Frequent evaluation of the veracity of the facts of the story.
Oct 22, 2014notthatjenn rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Escaping the inescapable North Korean prison camps is an incredible story, but this narrative suffers from a lack of pathos. I don't know if it's the writer who failed to convey the true horror or Shin Dong-hyuk who was unable or unwilling…
Sep 12, 2014stewstealth rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The story of an inmate born into a North Korean prison camp for the sins of his fathers. A harrowing tale that should be read by everyone to shine some light on a brutal regime.
Jun 27, 2014
See modestgoddess's review below. I whole-heartedly concur, and encountered the same thoughts and feelings. If you want to know what things are really like in the secret state of North Korea, read this book.
dairyqueen
May 21, 2014dairyqueen rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very engaging memoir from a young man who escapes Camp 14 in North Korea.
May 19, 2014
Escape From Camp 14 is a book based off a true story about a man who was born in a North Korea labor camp who has no knowledge of life outside the camp and his journey to escape the hard labor he is forced to do every day. This book is…
Apr 03, 2014modestgoddess rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is like a scary fairy tale for adults - all the horrible, worst things you can think of that could happen, seem to happen in North Korean labour camps. I would put the book down for the night and turn out the light and lie there in…
Mar 03, 2014simonbrenden rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A shocking book about the dictatorship in North Korea and the way that this regime has dehumanised so many of its people. Individuals who have escaped the camps find it so hard to settle into a democracy and blame themselves for things…
Jan 24, 2014
I read this for a school project, and it's one of those books that makes you feel guilty for sitting around in your pyjamas eating breakfast while reading it. Absolutely unbelievable atrocities are going on that I never knew about until a…
Dec 15, 2013Jeroman rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Simply outstanding.
Nov 24, 2013Thai5357 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent book! I could not put this down. Very interesting, and informative. Another book I'd like to recommend on NK life is "Nothing to Envy" by Demick.
Nov 14, 2013jtkretzschmar rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
What a book! It was so powerful, and so horrifying that I actually became desensitized to the atrocities that North Koreans are subject to. The book is well cited, and the protagonists admission to the things he participated in make the…
JeanCaraRyan
Jul 12, 2013JeanCaraRyan rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Heart wrenching and emotionally difficult to comprehend. Shares great insight into NK prison camps and life in NK as well as SK.
Jul 08, 2013lledomik rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An amazing story that will have you shaking your head each time you have to remind yourself that it is true and not fiction. It is a story that everyone should read in order to understand the world better and be greatful that they live in…
Jun 04, 2013briar_rose rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Interesting read. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't know about the concentration camps in North Korea. It's sad that it seems many people are uninterested in the human rights violations in this country. Nuclear warfare seems to be the…
SkycycleX2
Jun 04, 2013SkycycleX2 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent telling of the incredible journey and escape from a North Korean concentration camp. Of course it's a horrible story but is very compelling and ends with some reserved hope. The author also writes about North Korea's…
BrigidScott
May 06, 2013
2013