The Liberty in North Korea organization gave a presentation to our students today. The presentation detailed the history of Korea and explained the living conditions that the North Korean people experience on a daily basis. The presentation encouraged students to help empower the North Korean people by providing funding to help refugees find freedom, develop skills, and create a bridge to those still living in North Korea.
The personal story of Danny (and others) really made me stop and remember my blessings for having been born and raised in the United States of America. I am thankful for my freedom and hope that one day we can all have freedom.
Escape From Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden
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 Stalin’s 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 Shin’s life unlocks the secrets of the world’s 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 Harden’s harrowing narrative of Shin’s life and remarkable escape, he offers an unequaled inside account of one of the world’s darkest nations and a riveting tale of endurance, courage, and survival.
Copyright © 2013 Follett Library Resources, Inc.
Check out this interview with Shin Dong-Hyuk about his escape from Camp 14.
What are you reading over the Thanksgiving Break?
Post it to the blog!