I will preface my short paragraph on my thoughts with this. Harden did his job in bringing out Shin's struggles. I don't like putting ratings on books like this, as I don't feel comfortable rating information about someone's life. The 5 stars are merely given in hopes maybe someone will see this and pick it up and read it themselves.

This is an eye opening book. I had always known of labor camps in North Korea, but never really knew about the extent of some of them. We have all heard stories of defectors and political prisoners going to labor camps or being executed. I can say I never knew of the harsher camps that don't just punish the accused, but multiple generations going forward. This book is a descriptively graphic one as you learn about Shin's life growing up and the things he suffered personally and witness. As Harden and Shin go about telling his tale, it is shocking and hard at times to read these events. With North Korea becoming more prominent in the news these past few years, this book is a must read for anyone taking an interest in what is unfolding.