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callienicole's review against another edition
4.0
I have been wanting to read this book for a while since I'm interested in reading more about the Cold War and the effects of communism, so I was happy when my book club decided to read this one!
I listened to the audiobook, and thought I enjoyed it better that way than I would have in print. The author tells the story of a man who was born in one of North Korea's political labor camps, his experiences in the camp, and how he came to escape. Interspersed is some cultural and political content, which I really appreciated. I learned so much from this book.
What I found most interesting was reading about what can happen to a person when they are forced into a situation where they are emotionally cut off from their family and have no moral direction at all. It was a trust-yourself-and-no-one-else environment, to the point where Shin lived with his own mother while mistrusting and hating her. I couldn't even imagine being that mother and having no emotional connection to my child at all, much less a child in that situation, and this is the environment that Shin grew up in. He didn't even realize you were supposed to love your mother until he got out of the camp and saw how normal families interacted.
This story was completely fascinating, and also horrifying. It's amazing how much North Koreans have suffered over so many years, and how little has been done about it. This book offers no suggestions for solutions, but I think it's so important for people to at least be aware of what is happening over there.
While Shin now struggles with immense guilt for things that he did in the camp, I was struck that he was able to develop a conscience at all after that experience. The story mentions that he tried going to church after his escape, but couldn't understand the concept of a loving or forgiving God. I don't know where Shin is now since this book was written many years ago, but I pray that he can come to realize that Jesus paid for all the sins that he committed in that camp, and that he can understand forgiveness so he can trust in Christ for salvation. That was my main thought as I finished this book.
Parental Note: Some bad language in this book, and also matter-of-fact descriptions of how many of the women were poorly clothed and slept with guards (because they were forced to, and also to get advantages in the camp), and then were killed if they became pregnant. Violence against children and murder is described, as well as the torture that Shin was subjected to and a hanging. It's not a happy read.
I listened to the audiobook, and thought I enjoyed it better that way than I would have in print. The author tells the story of a man who was born in one of North Korea's political labor camps, his experiences in the camp, and how he came to escape. Interspersed is some cultural and political content, which I really appreciated. I learned so much from this book.
What I found most interesting was reading about what can happen to a person when they are forced into a situation where they are emotionally cut off from their family and have no moral direction at all. It was a trust-yourself-and-no-one-else environment, to the point where Shin lived with his own mother while mistrusting and hating her. I couldn't even imagine being that mother and having no emotional connection to my child at all, much less a child in that situation, and this is the environment that Shin grew up in. He didn't even realize you were supposed to love your mother until he got out of the camp and saw how normal families interacted.
This story was completely fascinating, and also horrifying. It's amazing how much North Koreans have suffered over so many years, and how little has been done about it. This book offers no suggestions for solutions, but I think it's so important for people to at least be aware of what is happening over there.
While Shin now struggles with immense guilt for things that he did in the camp, I was struck that he was able to develop a conscience at all after that experience. The story mentions that he tried going to church after his escape, but couldn't understand the concept of a loving or forgiving God. I don't know where Shin is now since this book was written many years ago, but I pray that he can come to realize that Jesus paid for all the sins that he committed in that camp, and that he can understand forgiveness so he can trust in Christ for salvation. That was my main thought as I finished this book.
Parental Note: Some bad language in this book, and also matter-of-fact descriptions of how many of the women were poorly clothed and slept with guards (because they were forced to, and also to get advantages in the camp), and then were killed if they became pregnant. Violence against children and murder is described, as well as the torture that Shin was subjected to and a hanging. It's not a happy read.
autumndream's review against another edition
4.0
Memorable Quote:
"The only thing I thought was that I had to prey on others for my survival." -Shin Dong-hyuk
"The only thing I thought was that I had to prey on others for my survival." -Shin Dong-hyuk
molb8's review against another edition
5.0
An amazingly informative book, a must read if you're interested in North Korea and what it's like there.
princzukos's review against another edition
4.0
This book really opened up my mind and educated me on what’s really happening in North Korea. The story is very touching, and the author did a good job explaining the economic/political/social issues going on outside of the labor/prison camps in North Korea (though is can get annoying sometimes).
frankiekingston's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
3.25
achillesheeled's review against another edition
3.0
'I am evolving from being an animal,' he said. 'But it is going very, very slowly. Sometime I try to cry and laugh like other people, just to see if it feels like anything. Yet tears don't come. Laughter doesn't come.'
didnt really like the writing style
didnt really like the writing style