There's a stark nature to how he relays his story, an almost eerie poetry that makes everything resonate with the reader. Long Road Home, however, is written by the man who experienced these things. Shin's story is told through the eyes of an American and, though the story remains powerful, there's an element of disconnect that comes with it, bridging on pandering. Why did Escape from Camp 14 only merit 3 stars from me, then, while this one merited 5?Īfter reading this book I can't help but reiterate my problem with Escape from Camp 14. You will want to do something, ANYTHING, once you read these books. Both stories are fascinating, tragic, and terrifying. Shin had no clue who Kim Il-sung or Kim Jung-il were Kim was loyal to the point of despair. Shin grew up in Camp 14 Kim had spent most of his life living privileged and free in North Korea. Although both of these individuals spent some time in Camp 14 (also in Camp 18 in Kim's case) they are very different. I was compelled to read it in one sitting and highly recommend it.Įscape from Camp 14 is a book I finished fairly recently. Like the work of Solzhenitsyn, this rare portrait tells a story of resilience as it reveals the dark forms of oppression, torture, and ideological terror at work in our world today. Presented here for the first time in its entirety, his story not only testifies to the atrocities being committed behind North Korea's wall of silence but also illuminates the daily struggle to maintain dignity and integrity in the face of unbelievable hardship. As he worked a constant shift 2,400 feet underground, daylight became Kim's new luxury as the months wore on, he became intimately acquainted with political prisoners, subhuman camp guards, and an apocalyptic famine that killed millions.Īfter years of meticulous planning, and with the help of old friends, Kim escaped and came to the United States via China, Mongolia, and South Korea. 14 in Hamkyeong province, North Korea's most notorious labor camp. Kim Yong was thrown into a world of violence and terror, condemned to camp No. When accusations of treason stripped Kim Yong of his position, the loose distinction between those who prosper and those who suffer under Kim Jong-il became painfully clear. He also encountered corruption at all levels, whether among party officials or Japanese trade partners, and took note of the illicit benefits that were awarded to some and cruelly denied to others. He owned an imported car and drove it freely throughout the country. Long Road Home shares the remarkable story of one such survivor, a former military official who spent six years in a gulag and experienced firsthand the brutality of an unconscionable regime.Īs a lieutenant colonel in the North Korean army, Kim Yong enjoyed unprecedented privilege in a society that closely monitored its citizens. Although it is known that gulags exist in North Korea, little information is available about their organization and conduct, for prisoners rarely escape both incarceration and the country alive. Kim Yong shares his harrowing account of life in a labor camp-a singularly despairing form of torture carried out by the secret state.
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