Synopses & Reviews
The heartwrenching New York Times bestseller about the only known person born inside a North Korean prison camp to have escapedand#160;North Koreaandrsquo;s political prison camps have existed twice as long as Stalinandrsquo;s Soviet gulags and twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. No one born and raised in these camps is known to have escaped. No one, that is, except Shin Dong-hyuk.and#160;In Escape From Camp 14, Blaine Harden unlocks the secrets of the worldandrsquo;s most repressive totalitarian state through the story of Shinandrsquo;s shocking imprisonment and his astounding getaway. Shin knew nothing of civilized existenceandmdash;he saw his mother as a competitor for food, guards raised him to be a snitch, and he witnessed the execution of his mother and brother.and#160;The late andldquo;Dear Leaderandrdquo; Kim Jong Il was recognized throughout the world, but his country remains sealed as his third son and chosen heir, Kim Jong Eun, consolidates power. Few foreigners are allowed in, and few North Koreans are able to leave. North Korea is hungry, bankrupt, and armed with nuclear weapons. It is also a human rights catastrophe. Between 150,000 and 200,000 people work as slaves in its political prison camps. These camps are clearly visible in satellite photographs, yet North Koreaandrsquo;s government denies they exist.and#160;Hardenandrsquo;s harrowing narrative exposes this hidden dystopia, focusing on an extraordinary young man who came of age inside the highest security prison in the highest security state. Escape from Camp 14 offers an unequalled inside account of one of the worldandrsquo;s darkest nations. It is a tale of endurance and courage, survival and hope.
Review
“I devoured
Act of War the way I did
Flyboys,
Flags of our Fathers and
Lost in Shangri-la.” —Michael Connelly, #1
New York Times Bestselling Author
“Jack Cheeverss true account of the USS Pueblo will not only glue you to your seat, youll be stunned anyone survived at all.”—John Geoghegan, author of Operation Storm
“A riveting, superbly-researched, and revealing account of a Cold War clash at sea.”—David Wise, author of Tiger Trap: Americas Secret Spy War with China
Review
“I devoured
Act of War the way I did
Flyboys,
Flags of our Fathers and
Lost in Shangri-la.”
—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author “Comprehensive and compelling… a narrative as fascinating as any fictional spy story… Act of War is likely to be the definitive account of the Pueblo incident.”—The Virginian-Pilot
“Outstanding and necessary.”—Booklist, starred review
“Act of War is international in scope, well written, and an enjoyable read....highly recommended....[a] gripping account of personal service, tragedy, sacrifice, and perseverance of the crew that played out within the heightened international tensions of the Cold War.”—Proceedings
“Jack Cheeverss true account of the USS Pueblo will not only glue you to your seat, youll be stunned anyone survived at all.”—John Geoghegan, author of Operation Storm
Review
andquot;Hardenandrsquo;s book, besides being a gripping story, unsparingly told, carries a freight of intelligence about this black hole of a country.andquot; andmdash;Bill Keller,
The New York Times
Review
andldquo;The central character in Blaine Harden's extraordinary new book
Escape from Camp 14 reveals more in 200 pages about human darkness in the ghastliest corner of the world's cruelest dictatorship than a thousand textbooks ever could . . .
Escape from Camp 14, the story of Shin's awakening, escape and new beginning, is a riveting, remarkable book that should be required reading in every high-school or college-civics class. Like andquot;The Diary of Anne Frankandquot; or Dith Pran's account of his flight from Pol Pot's genocide in Cambodia, it's impossible to read this excruciatingly personal account of systemic monstrosities without fearing you might just swallow your own heart . . . Harden's wisdom as a writer shines on every page.andrdquo; andmdash;
The Seattle Times
Review
andquot;U.S. policymakers wonder what changes may arise after the recent death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, this gripping book should raise awareness of the brutality that underscores this strange land. Without interrupting the narrative, Harden skillfully weaves in details of North Korea's history, politics and society, providing context for Shin's plight.andrdquo; andmdash;The Associated Press
Review
andldquo;A book without parallel,
Escape from Camp 14 is a riveting nightmare that bears witness to the worst inhumanity, an unbearable tragedy magnified by the fact that the horror continues at this very moment without an end in sight.andrdquo; andmdash;Terry Hong,
Christian Science Monitor
Review
andldquo;A remarkable story, [
Escape from Camp 14 ]
is a searing account of one manandrsquo;s incarceration and personal awakening in North Koreaandrsquo;s highest-security prison.andrdquo; andmdash;
The Wall Street Journal
Review
andldquo;As an action story, the tale of Shinandrsquo;s breakout and flight is pure
The Great Escape, full of feats of desperate bravery and miraculous good luck. As a human story it is gut wrenching; if what he was made to endure, especially that he was forced to view his own family merely as competitors for food, was written in a movie script, you would think the writer was overreaching. But perhaps most important is the light the book shines on an under-discussed issue, an issue on which the West may one day be called into account for its inactivity.andrdquo; andmdash;
The Daily Beast
Review
andldquo;A riveting new biography . . . If you want a singular perspective on what goes on inside the rogue regime, then you must read [this] story. andnbsp;Itandrsquo;s a harrowing tale of endurance and courage, at times grim but ultimately life-affirming.andrdquo; andmdash;CNN
Review
andldquo;[Shinandrsquo;s] tale becomes even more gripping after his unprecedented journey . . . after he realizes that he has been raised as something less than human. He gradually, haltinglyandmdash;and, so far, with mixed successandmdash;sets out to remake himself as a moral, feeling human being.andrdquo; andmdash;Fred Hiatt,
The Washington Post
Review
andldquo;If you have a soul, you will be changed forever by Blaine Hardenandrsquo;s
Escape from Camp 14 . . . Harden masterfully allows us to know Shin, not as a giant but as a man, struggling to understand what was done to him and what he was forced to do to survive. By doing so,
Escape from Camp 14 stands as a searing indictment of a depraved regime and a tribute to all those who cling to their humanity in the face of evil.andrdquo;andmdash;Mitchell Zuckoff,
New York Times bestselling author of
Lost in Shangri-La
Review
andquot;This is a story unlike any other . . . More so than any other book on North Korea, including my own,
Escape from Camp 14 exposes the cruelty that is the underpinning of Kim Jong Ilandrsquo;s regime. Blaine Harden, a veteran foreign correspondent from
The Washington Post, tells this story masterfully . . . The integrity of this book, shines through on every page.andrdquo; andmdash;Barbara Demick, author of
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Review
andldquo;In
Escape from Camp 14, Harden chronicles Shinandrsquo;s amazing journey, from his very first memoryandmdash;a public execution he witnessed as a 4-year-oldandmdash;to his work with human rights advocacy groups in South Korea and the United States . . . By retelling Shinandrsquo;s against-all-odds exodus, Harden casts a harsh light on a moral embarrassment that has existed 12 times longer than the Nazi concentration camps.andnbsp; Readers wonandrsquo;t be able to forget Shinandrsquo;s boyish, emancipated smileandmdash;the new face of freedom trumping repression.andrdquo; andmdash;Will Lizlo,
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Review
andldquo;Blaine Harden of the
Washington Post is an experienced reporter of other hellholes, such as the Congo, Serbia, and Ethiopia. These, he makes clear, are success stories compared to North Korea . . . Harden deserves a lot more than; andlsquo;wowandrsquo; for this terrifying, grim and, at the very end, slightly hopeful story of a damaged man still alive only by chance, whose life, even in freedom, has been dreadful.andrdquo; andmdash;
Literary Review
Review
andldquo;Hardenandnbsp;tells a gripping story. Readers learn of Shinandrsquo;s gradual discovery of the world at large, nonadversarial human relationships, literature, and hopeandmdash;and the struggles ahead. A book that all adults should read.andrdquo; andmdash;Library Journal (starred review)
Review
andldquo;[A] chilling [and] remarkable story of deliverance from a hidden land.andrdquo; andmdash;Kirkus Reviews
Review
andldquo;With a protagonist born into a life of backbreaking labor, cutthroat rivalries, and a nearly complete absence of human affection, Hardenandrsquo;s book reads like a dystopian thriller. But this isnandrsquo;t fictionandmdash;itandrsquo;s the biography of Shin Dong-hyuk.andrdquo; andmdash;Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
WINNER OF THE SAMUEL ELIOT MORISON AWARD FOR NAVAL LITERATURE
"I devoured Act of War the way I did Flyboys, Flags of Our Fathers and Lost in Shangri-la."--Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
In 1968, the small, dilapidated American spy ship USS Pueblo set out to pinpoint military radar stations along the coast of North Korea. Though packed with advanced electronic-surveillance equipment and classified intelligence documents, its crew, led by ex-submarine officer Pete Bucher, was made up mostly of untested young sailors.
On a frigid January morning, the Pueblo was challenged by a North Korean gunboat. When Bucher tried to escape, his ship was quickly surrounded by more boats, shelled and machine-gunned, forced to surrender, and taken prisoner. Less than forty-eight hours before the Pueblo's capture, North Korean commandos had nearly succeeded in assassinating South Korea's president. The two explosive incidents pushed Cold War tensions toward a flashpoint.
Based on extensive interviews and numerous government documents released through the Freedom of Information Act, Act of War tells the riveting saga of Bucher and his men as they struggled to survive merciless torture and horrendous living conditions set against the backdrop of an international powder keg.
Synopsis
I devoured Act of War the way I did Flyboys, Flags of our Fathers and Lost in Shangri-la.” Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
In 1968, the small, dilapidated American spy ship USS Pueblo set out to pinpoint military radar stations along the coast of North Korea. Though packed with advanced electronic-surveillance equipment and classified intelligence documents, its crew, led by exsubmarine officer Pete Bucher, was made up mostly of untested young sailors.
On a frigid January morning, the Pueblo was challenged by a North Korean gunboat. When Bucher tried to escape, his ship was quickly surrounded by more boats, shelled and machine-gunned, forced to surrender, and taken prisoner. Less than forty-eight hours before the Pueblos capture, North Korean commandos had nearly succeeded in assassinating South Koreas president. The two explosive incidents pushed Cold War tensions toward a flashpoint.
Based on extensive interviews and numerous government documents released through the Freedom of Information Act, Act of War tells the riveting saga of Bucher and his men as they struggled to survive merciless torture and horrendous living conditions set against the backdrop of an international powder keg.
About the Author
Blaine Harden is a contributor to The Economist, PBS Frontline, and Foreign Policy and has formerly served as The Washington Post's bureau chief in East Asia and Africa as well as a local and national correspondent for The New York Times and as a writer for the Times Magazine. He was also bureau chief in Warsaw, during the collapse of Communism and the breakup of Yugoslavia (1989-1993), and in Nairobi, where he covered sub-Saharan Africa (1985-1989). He is the author of three previous books: Africa: Dispatches from a Fragile Continent (Norton, 1990), A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia (Norton, 1996) and Escape From Camp 14 (Viking, 2012). Africa won a Pen American Center citation for first book of non-fiction. Escape From Camp 14 enjoyed a number of weeks on various New York Times bestseller lists, and was an international bestseller published in 27 languages. He lives in Seattle with his family. His newest book The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot will come out from Viking in April 2015.