Imagine a world where every minute of your life is watched, where your days are filled with hard labor for more than 14 hours but where you are perpetually hungry, where your diet only consists of the same two things everyday, where punishment consists of not just denying these meager meals, but further physical assault including beating, cutting off of fingers, slapping, kneeling on your knees in extremely cold weather for hours on end or even having to hang upside down from the ceiling till you are forced to confess to crimes that you may or may not have committed. Imagine having the best moments of your childhood being those few moments when your belly is full, albeit with rats or snakes or whatever you could find that did not attract punishment. What if I told you that in this world, that the words 'mother' or 'father' did not elucidate any love or affection but anger and resentment, and where you view your parents as competitors for food and shelter and those who must be watched carefully and reported if caught doing anything abnormal? Furthermore, what if in this world, you would be oblivious about the existence of telephones, internet, technology or modern means of transport? Where the only two things you felt were fear and hunger? Does this not sound like an extreme form of 1984, magnifying George Orwell's extreme fears? Or maybe a concentration camp at the height of the Nazi rule? Now what if I told you, that this situation exists. Today. Playing out as you read, in a corner of the world that people choose to either pity or ignore or worse still, are unaware of its existence - a prison camp in North Korea.
Escape from Camp 14 is a chilling account of life in a prison camp in one of the most oppressive countries in the world. Several documentaries (like this one and this one) from the recent past, have made the world aware of what life looks like in North Korea. In 2009, the North Korean News Agency issued a statement that read, "There is no "human rights issue" in this country, as everyone leads the most dignified and happy life." However, any mildly aware person would know that the truth is far from it and that under the garb of a caring state, the military-led government and the first family control every aspect of life and dictate where one lives, what one does for a living and where one is allowed to travel. A state where everyone is subject to repeated brainwashing of the extreme kindness and greatness of 'The Great Leader' Kim Il Sung and 'The Dear Leader' Kim Jong Il, repeatedly violates every aspect of basic human rights, much to the chagrin of human rights agencies world-wide. The book however opens our eyes to something deeper and far worse than our wildest dreams and exposes us to the life of one person who was born and bred in a prison camp - Camp 14, but who managed to escape from there, and through his eyes, paints a vivid picture of life in the camp. While the existence of these camps have been repeatedly denied by the North Korean establishment, the utter breakdown of not just human rights, but even basic human values is appalling.
Shin's life is one of horror - born of a forced marriage orchestrated by the camp establishment between his mother and father, who were themselves paying for the "crimes" of their relatives, Shin is doomed to an existence within the camp's boundaries. Shin's boyhood and teenage years are described in shocking detail through his eyes and shows how terrorizing living in a world where schooling is just a sham, where children are encouraged and even rewarded to report on their parents' and each others' wrongdoings and where kids had to invent lies just to avoid harsher punishment, or worse, be denied meals, can be. When all the things that make us human - our ability to think and empathize, our ability to feel powerful positive such trust, love and affection break down, we become worse than animals. Driven by constant hunger and fear of punishment, we become slaves to the establishment and are willing to spill on anyone, even our own kith and kin, if it comes with the mere possibility of a few more scraps of food or easier work. Shin's is a remarkable story that portrays courage, action and extremely good luck and takes us through his journey from near death to escape through the electrified fences to China, the United States and South Korea. The book also beautifully describes the emotional journey of the man who gradually evolved from mere animal instincts to feel happiness, confidence and also extreme guilt. Shin's years in the camp marred him for life as he still struggles to cope with life in a free world today. This book written in a lucid and gripping style is highly recommended to anyone who wishes to know more about North Korea or oppressive regimes, but above all, I would recommend this book to everyone who cares about human rights and values and most of all, being human.
