Pages read: FINISHED BOOK
Author: Blaine Harden
Hello blog readers! I recently read a fantastic, and yet brutal and bizarre book in Serbian. It is known as "Escape from Camp 14". It is about a man called Shin-Dong-Hyuk, who apparently escaped a concentration camp in his home country, North Korea, and his life story. Though at certain points very disturbing, this book is about courage and will to escape the terrible. Here is a summary of the book:
Shin-Dong-Hyuk was born in a North Korean "gulag", or labor and concentration camp. These camps were set up by the tyrannic North Korean government some 60 years ago, and their purpose is to teach the "traitors" that they are wrong. By the "traitors", I mean certain people who opposed the regime, and were later prosecuted. The estimates on the amount of prisoners vary, some say they are all a made up story, while some say millions live in them. We can defiantly not say anything for sure. What makes these camps so terrible, is a variety of factors. The first and main one, is the point that the prisoners live in isolation, and they cannot leave (unless a rare exception is made) the camp. If they do, and are caught in the attempt, they will be executed. Secondly, the living conditions are extremely poor. Prisoners live in small shacks, and eat the same food all the time. Not only that, due to the severe food shortage in North Korea, the food is rationed, and people have barely enough to survive. Thirdly, punishments are severe. The punishments in these camps are extremely brutal, and even the minor things can have big consequences. For example, when Shin worked in the camps textile factory, he accidentally dropped a machine he was about to repair, and he got a "light" punishment, which was slicing the top of his middle finger without anesthesia. Lastly, you are not allowed to speak freely in the camp, and if you are caught talking badly about the regime, you will most probably be executed. The camps are merciless places were nobody can be trusted, as you are obliged to report anyone who brakes the rules,even if it is a family member. Moving on, Shin is a normal boy in the camp, and he is treated very harshly, along with the other boys and girls. Unfortunately for him, he was very skinny and short, and so he was very sensitive to injuries, and his whole childhood was full of beatings, food shortages, and diseases. At age 13, Shin committed something that he would never forgive himself. Sick from the terrible life in the camp, Shin's brother and mother plotted a daring escape, and they never expected Shin would betray them. But, Shin knew, disobeying the rules would certainly mean death. So the night his brother and mother left, he reported them to a guard. A few months later, he witnessed his brother being executed by a firing squad, and his mother hanged. His misery continued, as he was sent in an underground prison, until he was finally released a few years later. After a few more years had past, and Shin was becoming an adult, he was sent to work at a dam next to the camp. During the months he spent their, he saw people getting killed in front him, people getting drowned, and other horrific things. Later, he went to work on a farm that supplied the food to the camp. Their, he experienced his "best" years of his life, and he even found a friend, the first true one he ever had. The man was previously a member of the North Korean "upper-class", and he lived in Pyongyang. After escaping and returning to his country, he was sent to the camp because accused of being a "traitor". During the following weeks, the two men made plans of their escape, and Shin learned what was beyond the electric fences of his camp, and he was amazed. They made a plan to go to China, then take an airplane or ship from Beijing to Seoul, were the mans uncle lived. Then, one night they risked it. The first part of there escape was successful, but after reaching the electric fence, they had no idea what to do. The man risked it, and unfortunately paid with his life. Shin then grabbed the mans corpse, and went under it and escaped to the nearby forest. After reaching the nearest town, he learned the way out of the country. Advancing from city to city, he joined bands of looters, and ate anything he could. He even earned a little bit of money. Some time later, Shin managed to reach the border to China. There, he bribed the hungry and desperate border patrol, and the following day, he was free in China. I will not continue any longer, as it would clearly spoil the book, but Shin's journey to freedom is truly impressive. I recommend that you read what happens after his escape to China.
Here are some interesting words (translated) that I found in the book, and here are the definition and examples:
1. Escapee: to slip away from pursuit or peril; avoid capture, punishment or anything threatening.
Example: In the camp, their were many ESCAPEES from the ongoing conflict.
2. Famine: lack of food; extreme hunger/starvation.
Example: Many countries have suffered terrible FAMINE's throughout their histories.
I hope you enjoyed my blog post, and I hope you read the book!
Author: Blaine Harden
Hello blog readers! I recently read a fantastic, and yet brutal and bizarre book in Serbian. It is known as "Escape from Camp 14". It is about a man called Shin-Dong-Hyuk, who apparently escaped a concentration camp in his home country, North Korea, and his life story. Though at certain points very disturbing, this book is about courage and will to escape the terrible. Here is a summary of the book:
Shin-Dong-Hyuk was born in a North Korean "gulag", or labor and concentration camp. These camps were set up by the tyrannic North Korean government some 60 years ago, and their purpose is to teach the "traitors" that they are wrong. By the "traitors", I mean certain people who opposed the regime, and were later prosecuted. The estimates on the amount of prisoners vary, some say they are all a made up story, while some say millions live in them. We can defiantly not say anything for sure. What makes these camps so terrible, is a variety of factors. The first and main one, is the point that the prisoners live in isolation, and they cannot leave (unless a rare exception is made) the camp. If they do, and are caught in the attempt, they will be executed. Secondly, the living conditions are extremely poor. Prisoners live in small shacks, and eat the same food all the time. Not only that, due to the severe food shortage in North Korea, the food is rationed, and people have barely enough to survive. Thirdly, punishments are severe. The punishments in these camps are extremely brutal, and even the minor things can have big consequences. For example, when Shin worked in the camps textile factory, he accidentally dropped a machine he was about to repair, and he got a "light" punishment, which was slicing the top of his middle finger without anesthesia. Lastly, you are not allowed to speak freely in the camp, and if you are caught talking badly about the regime, you will most probably be executed. The camps are merciless places were nobody can be trusted, as you are obliged to report anyone who brakes the rules,even if it is a family member. Moving on, Shin is a normal boy in the camp, and he is treated very harshly, along with the other boys and girls. Unfortunately for him, he was very skinny and short, and so he was very sensitive to injuries, and his whole childhood was full of beatings, food shortages, and diseases. At age 13, Shin committed something that he would never forgive himself. Sick from the terrible life in the camp, Shin's brother and mother plotted a daring escape, and they never expected Shin would betray them. But, Shin knew, disobeying the rules would certainly mean death. So the night his brother and mother left, he reported them to a guard. A few months later, he witnessed his brother being executed by a firing squad, and his mother hanged. His misery continued, as he was sent in an underground prison, until he was finally released a few years later. After a few more years had past, and Shin was becoming an adult, he was sent to work at a dam next to the camp. During the months he spent their, he saw people getting killed in front him, people getting drowned, and other horrific things. Later, he went to work on a farm that supplied the food to the camp. Their, he experienced his "best" years of his life, and he even found a friend, the first true one he ever had. The man was previously a member of the North Korean "upper-class", and he lived in Pyongyang. After escaping and returning to his country, he was sent to the camp because accused of being a "traitor". During the following weeks, the two men made plans of their escape, and Shin learned what was beyond the electric fences of his camp, and he was amazed. They made a plan to go to China, then take an airplane or ship from Beijing to Seoul, were the mans uncle lived. Then, one night they risked it. The first part of there escape was successful, but after reaching the electric fence, they had no idea what to do. The man risked it, and unfortunately paid with his life. Shin then grabbed the mans corpse, and went under it and escaped to the nearby forest. After reaching the nearest town, he learned the way out of the country. Advancing from city to city, he joined bands of looters, and ate anything he could. He even earned a little bit of money. Some time later, Shin managed to reach the border to China. There, he bribed the hungry and desperate border patrol, and the following day, he was free in China. I will not continue any longer, as it would clearly spoil the book, but Shin's journey to freedom is truly impressive. I recommend that you read what happens after his escape to China.
Here are some interesting words (translated) that I found in the book, and here are the definition and examples:
1. Escapee: to slip away from pursuit or peril; avoid capture, punishment or anything threatening.
Example: In the camp, their were many ESCAPEES from the ongoing conflict.
2. Famine: lack of food; extreme hunger/starvation.
Example: Many countries have suffered terrible FAMINE's throughout their histories.
I hope you enjoyed my blog post, and I hope you read the book!
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