The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz

In 1941, the author and six fellow prisoners of war escaped a Soviet labor camp in Yakutsk—a camp where enduring hunger, cold, untended wounds, and untreated illnesses, and avoiding daily executions were everyday feats. Their march—over thousands of miles by foot—out of Siberia, through China, the Gobi Desert, Tibet, and over the Himalayas to British India is a remarkable statement about man’s desire to be free. 

I picked this book up when I heard about the movie coming out. It sounded like an amazing book and I am always intrigued by stories like this.

Slavomir Rawicz was captured by the Russians in 1939 and eventually sent to a labor camp deep in Siberia. While there, and with help from an unexpected source, he plans his escape. In 1942, he gets 6 other men to join him and they set their plan in motion. After their escape they make an incredible journey through Siberia, the Gobi desert and the Himalayas, eventually walking 3,000 miles to British India and their freedom.

This is an incredible story. Rawicz's accounts of what happened in the Gulag then later when he was sent to the labor camp are amazing and heartbreaking. He endured so much torture and physical suffering it is remarkable that he made it through. The writing, though, can be very monotonous and leaves a lot of drama and suspense out that should be there from the events that take place. It is told as if he is emotionally detached from the entire thing, which is hard to believe when you think of all he went through. I devoured the first 100 pages or so but struggled off and on after that.

After reading it I wasn't quite convinced it was all real. Some of the accounts are unbelievable and not in the way that makes books hard to put down. I did some research and there seems to be a great debate whether these things really happened to Rawicz or not. There are reports that another man came forward and said it is really his story and the BBC has even reported that there are documents stating Rawicz was actually released early in 1942.

Whether the story is true or not it is a fascinating story. If you read the synopsis and it peaks your interest, read it. If it doesn't strike a chord with you, pass it up.

3 out of 5 stars

BUY IT HERE:  The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz