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mtmarriott's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
caity_c's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t think it is really my place to say what Charles Robert Jenkins future should have looked like. Even after reading the book I don’t have a solid feeling about his crime, whether I sympathise or not. Fascinating book and most certainly made me grateful for the life I lead. We all make mistakes is the main message given.
sleightoffeet's review against another edition
3.0
I have read a lot of books about people who have escaped North Korea. Though I have read no other books about Americans over there, I have read books about Japanese Koreans being coerced into going over and finding themselves unable to leave. This story is unlike any of those.
I have a hard time empathizing with Jenkins, as compared to every other account I've read from that country, he was living in the lap of luxury. Sure, compared to most western countries it was bad, but it was far from being treated as a POW and much better than North Korea treats most of its citizens. I know he suffered, and I understand that he made a mistake (crossing the DMZ) when he was still almost a kid and had to pay for that decision for much longer than most people pay for their younger selves impulsiveness, however, knowing how most people are treated over there, he really was lucky.
Despite all of this, it is probably one of the best written books I've read about escaping North Korea. Many are written as translations of first hand accounts, this was written by a journalist, so it makes the first hand account less dry than some of the others. It is a very interesting perspective, and I encourage others to read some of the other North Korean accounts first, before delving into this one.
I have a hard time empathizing with Jenkins, as compared to every other account I've read from that country, he was living in the lap of luxury. Sure, compared to most western countries it was bad, but it was far from being treated as a POW and much better than North Korea treats most of its citizens. I know he suffered, and I understand that he made a mistake (crossing the DMZ) when he was still almost a kid and had to pay for that decision for much longer than most people pay for their younger selves impulsiveness, however, knowing how most people are treated over there, he really was lucky.
Despite all of this, it is probably one of the best written books I've read about escaping North Korea. Many are written as translations of first hand accounts, this was written by a journalist, so it makes the first hand account less dry than some of the others. It is a very interesting perspective, and I encourage others to read some of the other North Korean accounts first, before delving into this one.
probableereading's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
fdterritory's review against another edition
4.0
Jenkins produces a fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day workings of the North Korean government, especially in terms of the lives of "average" citizens. He writes in an engaging, down-to-earth style that makes for fast reading while still answering all of the questions that the average reader would want to know about why an American soldier would cross the DMZ one day and what his life would be like as a result. It's an engrossing story that's very much worth your time.
graventy's review against another edition
3.0
Escape from Camp 14 lead me to this book, about a US soldier serving in South Korea along the DMZ, who got drunk one night and defected to North Korea. There he stayed for 40 years, until the Japanese government worked to free his Japanese wife, and, eventually, the rest of his family.
Read Escape from Camp 14. This is more about the drudgery of everyday North Korea, and it's just kind of boring.
Read Escape from Camp 14. This is more about the drudgery of everyday North Korea, and it's just kind of boring.
jensteerswell's review against another edition
4.0
I've been reading too many North Korea books this year. I have North Korea on the brain.
val_halla's review against another edition
5.0
I was very impressed by how insightful and succinct this memoir was. At first, I was disappointed that it was so short, because it didn't seem like someone could describe 40 years under an oppressive regime in so few pages. But Charles Jenkins doesn't seem to see himself as an exceptional person, just a dumb kid who made a mistake that affected the rest of his life. His perspective is crucial to understanding the situation in North Korea, since he is one of the few outsiders to survive to tell it.