Blaine Harden, author of New York Times bestseller Escape from Camp 14, the common read at Hesston College for 2014-15, will speak about his work as a writer and human rights advocate at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 16, in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary on the Hesston College campus.  The presentation is free and open to the public. A book signing and reception sponsored by The Lincoln Perk and Hesston Public Library will follow the presentation.

The common read is leading Hesston College’s First-year Experience with the theme “Power of Choice: Changing Cultures of Oppression.” Escape from Camp 14 tells the story of Shin Dong-hyuk’s experience in and escape from a North Korean prison camp.

“The common read is a shared experience for faculty, staff and students who come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences,” said FYE co-coordinator Karen Sheriff LeVan. “It serves as a springboard for speakers, discussions, campus and community events.”

The FYE semester culminates in research projects and a presentation symposium in December focusing on subjects inspired by the theme. Bringing the common read author to campus provides an opportunity for first-person evidence. Harden is the third common read author to visit the Hesston College campus.

“Escape from Camp 14 offers an opportunity for the Hesston College community to explore and challenge the collective images, stories and memories that harm and victimize as well as those that offer freedom,” said Sheriff LeVan.

Escape from Camp 14 is Harden’s most well-known work and an international bestseller. It has been translated into 27 languages and won the 2012 Grand Prix de la Biographie Politique, a French literary award, and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.

Harden is an American author and journalist who worked for 28 years for The Washington Post as a correspondent in Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia and New York as well as in Seattle where he currently resides with his wife and two children. Harden has also been a local and national correspondent for The New York Times and a writer for The Times Magazine as well as reported for PBS’s Frontline, The Economist, Foreign Policy, National Geographic and The Guardian.