He was there. World War II Korea. Japan-dominated Korea. Korean War Korea. The early Kim Il Sung Years. The Christian persecution. The underground. The flight south. He was there, and saw it all. His name is Chulho Awe. His escape to South Korea and subsequently to the United States gave him the liberty to pass his story on to us in 1965. And personally, I'm so glad he did.

It's an old book and not exactly in circulation now, but "Googling" Amazon.com will turn up a way to purchase it for only a few dollars. At least it worked for me.

Not sold yet? I quote from the book's jacket:

Decision at Dawn is the personal story of young Chulho Awe, who lived through the Communist brutalities in North Korea. The son of aristocrats, he had been thrown into prison because he refused to give up his Christian faith for Communism. His mysterious release and the terrible months that followed read like the story of a young Christian in the days of Nero. There are the same tensions, the same terrors and self-sacrifice, that existed for Christians in those long-ago days.

This is also the saga of the Korean agony- the blood and tears, the hunger and cold, and the shining beauty of abiding faith. All of the things the people in this little-known [in 1965] , far-off land endured and survived are here.

When Korea was liberated from the Japanese following World War II, its people were naively convinced that now their troubles were over. Now, they thought, there would be no more tyranny, no more poverty, no more hunger. They soon learned how terribly wrong they were. Under Communist rule in North Korea they live cat-and-mouse existences in mortal fear even of lifelong friends and neighbors in spy-ridden communities.

Not all of Decision at Dawn is a tale of hardship. The author gives a warm and vivid picture of family life in Korea- the filial ties, the ancient customs, even the kinds of food they eat. There is a delightful chapter describing Christmas festivities in a Korean Christian home which will enchant the American reader with its glimpse into another world.