A dramatic account by one of the few survivors born in North Koreas infamous political prison camps describes the brutal conditions that have forced prisoners to turn on one another, his witness to his familys executions and his harrowing escape. By the author of A River Lost. 30,000 first printing. Presents a dramatic account by one of the few survivors born in North Koreas infamous political prison camps, describing the brutal conditions he was forced to endure as a child, his witnessing of his familys executions, and his final, harrowing escape. Twenty-six years ago, Shin Dong-hyuk was born inside Camp 14, one of five sprawling political prisons in the mountains of North Korea. This is the gripping, terrifying story of his escape from this no-exit prison-- to freedom in South Korea. 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 Stalins 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 Shins life unlocks the secrets of the worlds 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 Hardens harrowing narrative of Shins life and remarkable escape, he offers an unequaled inside account of one of the worlds darkest nations and a riveting tale of endurance, courage, and survival. 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 Stalins 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 Shins life unlocks the secrets of the worlds 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 Hardens harrowing narrative of Shins life and remarkable escape, he offers an unequaled inside account of one of the worlds darkest nations and a riveting tale of endurance, courage, and survival.