This well-told narrative of Shin Dong-hyuk's breeding, training, family life , working conditions, torture and escape from a concentration-camp-like prison in North Korea offers a riveting account of human survival as well as instructive information about North Korean history and culture. Harden's treatment reveals the cunning, good fortune and ingenuity--not to mention physical stamina--that enabled Shin to survive and escape. It also documents the toll on him after he arrives in safe places: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, and social-cultural adjustment problems.

Harden's unadorned prose and careful research work well in conjunction with his plotting to make this a compelling read that may change the way you think not only about evolution of a human being from an animal-like existence to one including love, compassion and conscience, but also about the workings of totalitarian cultures, borderlands, and relations between the US, the Koreas, and China.

Highly recommended.