So part 1 in this mini series starts with a heavy one. It is the gut wrenching story of this guy named Shin (he changed his name at one point and he's referred to by his first name) who was born in Camp 14, a North Korean prison camp in the mountainous regions. He was born the second son of two adults who were given the "priviledge" of mating. He grew up in a grueling life, surviving on corn mash and cabbage, and the occasional rat. The living conditions of the people within this camp were absolutely horrible and the guards treated the prisoners like dirt that wasn't even human. Executions are a normal thing.
This book is an eye opener. Everything you thought you knew about North Korea pales in comparison to the reality of the place. The vast majority of the country is starving, not just inmates. The nation is a prison in itself. Roughly 150,000 people are interred within a dozen prison camps, each much larger than anything built by the Nazis in the 1930s-40s. These prison camps were built in the 1970s and still exist today. The majority of people in major cities have electricity for about 4 hours a day. The government for a while encouraged the populace to eat only 2 meals a day to conserve food. The real motivating factor for Shin's breakout was that he heard about the food on the outside and was starvingly hungry.
This book kept me glued to it because of the story of Shin's horrible life. It made me feel sick to my stomach but I couldn't stop reading it and actually made me feel sick to my stomach, I started losing my appetite and couldn't wait for him to get free.
I suggest everyone read Escape From Camp 14, but be warned it is heavy and hard to stomach.
But seriously, read it, then go support the plethora of groups trying to liberate the starving people of this nation.
-Horace
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