Escape from Manus Prison

One Man's Daring Quest for Freedom

By: Jaivet Ealom

Narrated by: Yusuf Zine

Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

The awe-inspiring story of the only person to successfully escape Australia's notorious offshore detention center—and his long search for freedom.

In 2013 Jaivet Ealom fled Myanmar's brutal regime, where Rohingya like him were being persecuted and killed, and boarded a boat of asylum seekers bound for Australia. Instead of finding refuge, he was transported to Australia's infamous Manus Regional Processing Centre.

Blistering hot days spent in shipping containers on the island melted into weeks, then years . . . until, finally, facing either jail in Papua New Guinea or being returned to almost certain death in Myanmar, he took matters into his own hands. Drawing inspiration from the hit show Prison Break, Jaivet meticulously planned his escape. He made it out alive but was stateless, with no ID or passport. While the nightmare of Manus was behind him, his true escape to freedom had only just begun.

How Jaivet made it to sanctuary in Canada in a six-month-long odyssey by foot, boat, car, and plane, with nothing but his instinct for survival, is miraculous. His story will astonish, anger and inspire you. It will make you reassess what it means to give refuge and redefine what can be achieved by one man determined to beat the odds.

©2022 Jaivet Ealom (P)2022 Viking

Critic reviews

“Stunning. This book should be on every reading list in the country. Stateless, without papers and too often without a drop of water to drink, Jaivet Ealom escapes Myanmar and the Rohingya genocide that continues to destroy his people. From Jakarta to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, in sinking boats and cargo planes, he lives by his wit. In this world, babies drop to the bottom of the ocean and men are caged, beaten, numbered. A chance reading of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning restores his soul enough to get him, still undocumented, to Toronto. Ealom writes, ‘The choice of how I responded, or who I wished to be, was still my own to make.’ We share Ealom’s world, and this choice is ours too. Read this book. Know who you wish to be.”—Kim Echlin, award-winning author of Speak, Silence

“An inspiring, eye-opening, harrowing, heartbreaking and triumphant journey that is testament to the resilience of the human spirit. The raw and vulnerable storytelling will touch you to your core and keep you spellbound till the last page. This book will restore your faith in the power of humanity that makes Canada the True North Strong and Free!”—Samra Zafar, bestselling author of A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose

“This incredible, heart-stopping escape story is about shameful truths and spiritual authenticity; it’s about government sanctioned torture and it’s about redemption. Thank God Jaivet Ealom recorded his saga. From the merciless tactics of a government to the lyrical writing of a man who finds goodness in the face of evil, this book astonishes because it exposes the secret deals countries make to deny justice, and it takes you into the heart of a decent man. I couldn’t put it down and was almost breathless when I read the last page. My only unanswered question: Who will play Jaivet in the movie?”—Sally Armstrong, bestselling author of Power Shift: The Longest Revolution

Astonishing, gripping story

Riveting, harrowing, inspiring and moving. The story recounts horrific struggles, cruelty and suffering but also compassion, strength and humour. It is well worth your while. The narration is good as well.