Rawicz arrived home, Poland, to a hero's welcome, only to be thrown into a Soviet prison and tortured. Surviving the interrogation was only the beginning. After a mock trial, Rawicz marched, chained to other prisons for weeks through Siberia to a work camp where he was to spend the next 25 years. Rawicz had other ideas.
With six other prisoners he escaped the camp. On foot, they slogged through Siberia, Tibet and China, even through the Gobi Desert and over the Himalayas to India. Existing on minimal food and water, carrying lice and other diseases, they constantly moved forward, fixed on their destination.
The power of the narrative lies in the quiet, steel resolve of Rawicz and the others. The telling is sparse, factual, lacking in drama which serves to highlight the struggle, and makes it our story. Absolutely epic, the book works because it is the story of daily survival. Amazing!
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