Escape from Camp 14 #1

This semester I chose to read Blaine Harden's Escape from Camp 14. The book documents Shin Dong-hyuk's escape from the most brutal North Korean political prison camps. Shin is the only person documented to have been born in a political prison camp and escape. Shin's parents were selected to have a child; they were not married or in love. In North Korean political prison camps, three generations of prisoners are kept. For example, if I were a North Korean citizen and my grandparents were viewed as a threat, I would be imprisoned. This is called "three generations of punishment."

I don't know much about North Korea. I know that North Korea is an incredibly secretive country. I am not really interested in international affairs. However, I am interested in human rights and making sure that humanity is safe. The North Korean political prison camps have been around twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. 

The difference between Shin's story and most escape stories is that Shin began in a prison. His sense of normal was what most people would consider inhumane. He was born into snitching. He was born into a life of grueling labor and torture. 

Despite Shin escaping and sharing his story, North Korea claims that Camp 14 and other political prison camps don't exist.