When 10-year-old Kang Chol-Hwan arrived at the camp he was "educated" quickly about what to expect by another "kid.":(p. 56-57)

"The kid then returned to the subject of escape, which was clearly dear to his heart. Only once had he heard the sirens go off and seen the security agents form into search parties and head up into the mountains. It took a while, but they eventually came down with their prey. The escaping prisoner had been stopped midcourse, well short of the summits he had hoped might spell freedom. He was tortured for a week or two, then executed.

" ‘ The punishment for attempted escape is execution. No exceptions. The guards make the whole village come out to watch it... ‘Yeah, you gotta be really crazy to try to escape. On the other hand, sometimes you gotta be even crazier to stay, especially if you're all alone, without family or friends. The work is hard, and there's hardly ever enough food to take the edge off your hunger... You'll have to stick together, help each other out- and remember, don't trust anyone.' "

And then from the "brigade leader" in charge of orientation: "You people don't deserve to live, but the Party and our Great Leader have given you a chance to redeem yourselves. Don't squander it and don't disappoint him."

What were you doing as a ten-year-old? Can the worst of our childhood memories compare to this?