SLCL's Westfall Series Presents Blaine Harden Discussion and Signing, 4/5

The St. Louis County Library Foundation's 'Buzz' Westfall Favorite Author Series is pleased to present journalist and bestselling author Blaine Harden for a discussion and signing of his book "Escape From Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West." The event will take place at Library Headquarters (1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd.) on Friday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m.

The program is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase at the event from Barnes & Noble.

The event will be an on-stage interview with KTRS's McGraw Milhaven. The program is co-sponsored by the International Institute of St. Louis.

In "Escape from Camp 14," journalist Blaine Harden tells the shocking story of Shin Dong-hyunk, the only known person born in a North Korean no-exit camp to have escaped and survived. This powerful book unlocks the world's most repressive, totalitarian state through Shin's astonishing story of endurance, courage and survival.

Although the world pays little attention, North Korea's political prison camps, which hold between 150,000 and 200,000 prisoners are clearly visible in satellite photographs, have existed twice as long as Stalin's Soviet gulags and 12 times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. Shin, who was expected to work and die anonymously in a camp the North Korean government says does not exist, escaped when he was 23-years-old. Through this harrowing narrative of Shin's life and remarkable escape, Harden offers an unbelievable inside account of one of the world's darkest nations.

Blaine Harden is a contributor to The Economist, reporter for "Frontline" on PBS and has formerly served as The Washington Post's bureau chief in East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. He is the author o "Africa: Dispatches from a Fragile Continent" and "A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia."

The program with Blaine Harden is a St. Louis County Library 'Buzz' Westfall Favorite Author Series presentation. The Westfall series features authors of politics, current issues, history, and sports. The series is co-sponsored by Jack Dubinsky and Sons; McMahon Berger; Sachs Properties; Brown Smith Wallace LLC; Royal Banks of Missouri; St. Louis Business Journal; Midwest Library Service; The Booksource; Ivey-Selkirk Auctioneers; S.M. Wilson & Co.; Arthur J. Gallagher and Co.; and Stifel, Nicolaus.

Program sites are accessible. Upon two weeks notice, accommodations will be made
for persons with disabilities. Contact St. Louis County Library by phone 314-994-3300 or visit http://www.slcl.org.