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Title: The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz, Bernard Mayers ISBN: 0-7861-0197-0 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Pub. Date: December, 1990 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 8 List Price(USD): $56.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.43 (201 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: May Freedom Reign, in Poland and Tibet
Comment: I highly recommend this book. The best part about it is the contrast between the insane society under totalitarian Stalin and the compassionate society seen in Tibet and Tibet-influenced Mongolia and Buryatia.
Now, as to the truth of the account: Some aspects of the book ring true:
1.) As someone who has walked over 2000 miles in a 6 month period, I can say that the distances covered in the book (20-30 miles/day) are reasonable. 2.) Descriptions of Tibetans, Mongols & Buryats ring true with my experience & knowledge. 3.) Description of incarcerated life seems quite real & perhaps is hard to fake in detail.
However, some things don't quite jibe: 1.) I'm told its almost impossible to live beyond 3-5 days with out water. (Weeks with out food is not problem however) 2.) What about the other members of the journey. They could not go home so they are in free countries with free media who would be glad to tell their tale. Especially the American (conveniently named "Smith") would have come to light by now, unless, of course, he really was a spy.
The most likely scenario in my opinion is that some sort of escape through Tibet took place, but that the escapees were much less innocent than described in the book. Some of the escapees may have died in other ways, and indeed Russians may have been killed by the desperate prisoners to avoid capture. Note that when the woman is discovered, the prisoners initially say "we will have to kill him" Something like this may have happened in real life.
In spite of likely creative remembering above, in the end we should probably let bygones be bygones and appaud Rawicz for (rightfully) pointing out the sad fate of fogotten Poland at the hands of communist invaders. His cry for freedom is as applicable today as in 1941, especially when we consider the genocidal repression under which Rawicz benefactors, the Tibetans, now live.
One Irony, had the prisoners chosen to enter Lhasa (as I think they should have) they might have met up with fellow escapee Heinrich Harrier (author of "Seven Years in Tibet")....
Rating: 1
Summary: this is a work of fiction (its a fake)
Comment: This book is total fiction. Nothing about the author's
life before he wrote the book or any detail of the journey
has ever been independently confirmed. And a great many
people have tried very hard to do so since the 1950s. Nothing
about his life can be confirmed before he arrived in england
and started telling his story.
Many people have read this book and wanted to believe him. They
have tried to check out the story but most have ended up
totally frustrated by the author's lack of cooperation
if not outright dishonesty. It can't be confirmed that he
was ever a polish officer, that he was in the soviet union,
or that he was ever in India or palestine. "I dont remember"
will work for the details of his trip through China, but
"I dont remember" doesn't work when he says it with regard
to his entire life before the 1950s.
Slavomir Rawicz is likely not even his real name.
This isn't a conclusion that I'm happy to have come to, but
Mr. Rawicz has not ever been able to provide even one tiny
bit of supporting evidence for his account of his life
independent of the actual trip itself.
Rating: 5
Summary: An Epic Tale
Comment: The Long Walk should be required reading for amy who would question the depth of the human spirit. This book literally takes your breath away. That these men could endure so much is a testimony to their courage, inner strength and endurance.
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Title: We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth, Stephen E. Ambrose ISBN: 1558219730 Publisher: The Lyons Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson ISBN: 0060730552 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: January, 2004 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing ISBN: 078670621X Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: April, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard ISBN: 0786704373 Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: April, 1997 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger ISBN: 0140095144 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: March, 1985 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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