The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz

The True Story of a Trek to Freedom

This is definitely one of the most fascinating books I ever read.  Do not start to read it unless you have a lot of free time ahead, as it is difficult to put down. The author was a Polish prisoner of war in Siberia at the start of World War II.  His suffering at the hands of the Soviets is mind-boggling.  I wouldn’t believe that humans could be so cruel, except that there are unfortunately many, many other documented cases of similar cruelty.  

His narrative accounts his time in prisons, mockery of a trial, and tortuous journey to Siberia.  Part of the latter was an over forty day march in bitter winter conditions with only inadequate clothing.  The prisoners were all chained in rows behind the soldiers’ trucks.  Each night they camped in the open.  Finally arriving at the destination, he was not long in deciding that he could not bear to spend twenty-five years there, and must escape.  After much planning, he and a small band of fellow-prisoners escaped, and the “long walk” began.  Without giving too much away, they went south through Siberia, Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, Tibet, and over the Himalayas.  In contrast to the cruelty of the Soviets, they met kind and generous people on their way.  Unfortunately, they often went days with food, though, as villages were few.  Their endurance and suffering is incredible to read.  I highly recommend this book.  If you are feeling the slightest bit as though your life is too tough, this book will change your perspective!  It certainly will give you new definitions of the limits of human endurance.