Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Blaine Harden, author of Escape from Camp 14, talks to Justice Center students about his book and human rights law issues

Blaine Harden talks to students about the oppressive regime in North Korea.
Blaine Harden, author of Escape from Camp 14, one of the UAA/APU Books of the Year, spoke to Justice/Legal Studies students in classes taught by Prof. Deb. Periman, J.D., and Dr. Ron Everett, Justice faculty, on Wednesday, October 21.  Mr. Harden discussed his book and related international human rights law issues.

L to r: Dr. Ron Everett, Blaine Harden, Prof. Deb Periman, J.D.
The book tells the true story of Shin Dong-hyuk's life in a North Korean prison camp, and his escape after 20 years. Completely isolated, he knew nothing of contemporary existence - all information about history and the outside world was a stream of untruths and propaganda. Through the lens of Shin's life, journalist Blaine Harden shows the impact of information on our lives, both for good and for ill. 

Blaine Harden is an American author and journalist. For 28 years, he worked for The Washington Post as a correspondent in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, as well as in New York and Seattle. For four years, he was a local and national correspondent for The New York Times and a writer for the Times Magazine. He has also reported for PBS Frontline, The Economist, Foreign Policy, National Geographic and the Guardian. His latest book is The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot.
 The UAA/APU Books of the Year program, part of the Ford Foundation Difficult Dialogues Project, encourages faculty to integrate into their curriculum books selected for their relevance and timeliness.