53 - The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz, 273 pages, Globe Pequot,1956
WHY I PICKED IT: Picked it up in Powell's Books in Portland
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days
RATING: REQUIRED READING
The gripping tale of Rawicz' experience in the Siberian Gulags... from being arrested (for being middle class and Polish before WWII) through his torture, transport to the prisons, time there... and most gripping of all, the harrowing escape. There are portions of the story that are a little unbelievable, but mostly we fall in love with the people with whom he encounters and escapes.
Looking back on it - Given when it was initially published, I would not be surprised if the story was funded by a US Government intent on sharing stories of the evils of "Communist Russia." This doesn't take away from the gripping story that sucks you in and doesn't let go until they clear the Gobi Desert and Himalayan Mountains into India.
SPOILER ALERT (don't scroll down if you may read this book).
That he never saw his fellow escapees again, after release from the hospital in Calcutta is a bit heartbreaking. But I guess that's just life.
This blog is a simple review of every book that I read... For all books I’ll tell you why I picked it, how long it took me to read it, and give it a rating (burn it, not good, meh, good, very good, and required reading). I ask (encourage?) all readers of my blog to post their thoughts of any of the books in my comments :). Thanks!
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