Never Alone

Prison, Politics, and My People

By: Natan Sharansky, Gil Troy

Narrated by: Natan Sharansky, Gil Troy, Peter Lownds

Length: 22 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

A classic account of courage, integrity, and most of all, belonging

In 1977, Natan Sharansky, a leading activist in the democratic dissident movement in the Soviet Union and the movement for free Jewish emigration, was arrested by the KGB. He spent nine years as a political prisoner, convicted of treason against the state. Every day, Sharansky fought for individual freedom in the face of overt tyranny, a struggle that would come to define the rest of his life.

Never Alone reveals how Sharansky's years in prison, many spent in harsh solitary confinement, prepared him for a very public life after his release. As an Israeli politician and the head of the Jewish Agency, Sharansky brought extraordinary moral clarity and uncompromising, often uncomfortable, honesty. His story is suffused with reflections from his time as a political prisoner, from his seat at the table as history unfolded in Israel and the Middle East, and from his passionate efforts to unite the Jewish people.

Written with frankness, affection, and humor, the book offers us profound insights from a man who embraced the essential human struggle: to find his own voice, his own faith, and the people to whom he could belong. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy (P)2020 PublicAffairs

Critic Reviews

"Admirers of Sharansky will appreciate this insider's account of Israeli politics and his independent-minded life." (Kirkus Reviews)

"This book can be read on two levels. One is the series of public issues that Natan Sharansky addresses with strong conviction: his belief that Palestinian democracy must precede Palestinian statehood; his consequent opposition to the Oslo agreement and the Gaza withdrawal, then to the Iran nuclear accord; his euphoria at the airlift of Ethiopian Jews to Israel; his distress at the rise of anti-Semitism and at the religious and political rifts among Jews in Israel and the Diaspora. The other level is more significant, at least to me, having known Natan for about forty-five years. It is the personal and intellectual journey that he describes as he explains himself. Here is an exceptional man, schooled in Soviet doublethink, then finding his Jewish identity and his ideology as a free-thinker, separated from his new wife for a dozen years and locked for nine in the Gulag before rising to high Israeli leadership. Trauma victims know that recovery often depends on good people's support. That he had, giving him power to make from his suffering a lodestar that guides his judgments. You might disagree with him here and there, but you cannot help liking him, because you cannot help looking through the issues into his heart of idealism." (David K. Shipler, a former New York Times bureau chief in Moscow and Jerusalem, is the author of seven books, including the best seller Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams, and the Pulitzer Prize-winner Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land)

"Sharansky is at his core an optimist, and one who holds an undying belief in the power of the Jewish community. He hopes this book can prove that the worldwide Jewish community is not as divided and fractured as it may seem." (The Jewish Insider)

Fantastic

Great book! Incredibly well written! A beautiful story that left me feeling filled with optimism and hope. Absolutely recommended!

Highly enjoyable, and extremely inspiring

This book is incredibly entertaining and touching while it tackles the deepest must essential issues of our times, issues that go beyond Israel and Jewish identity.

Amazing!!

Enjoyed every second of this book. Honestly there were moments when I had tears in my eyes while listening to it.

Amazing Must Read Human Rights

This is a must read or listen for anyone who cares about humanity and human rights. Compelling Storyline. Excellent Narration

What a life

Wow. The life of Nathan Sharansky is one of the most incredible on audiobook. From a childhood behind the Iron Curtain, nine years in the gulag, to a leader in Israel, it’s as compelling as it gets. There are no dull moments. The only time it drags is during long chapters on policy, but that’s all. Great narration. All around excellent read.

Listen and get perspectives and brilliance

Inspiring, education, informative, entertaining, funny, emotional, cultural, peaceful, professional, exciting, morality. The list goes on.
listen or read it.

Outstanding

This is a brilliant journey through recent history, told by a man of greatness; a true hero of the Jewish people. The narration is superb.

Brilliant, Powerful & Eye opening

For all those who believe in the absolute sanctity of human rights, for all those who believe in zero tolerance for hate, for all those who believe that we are one people - Israel and the diaspora Jews - And that we each need the other to survive and thrive, for all those who fear the rising tide of anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world - READ THIS BOOK.... and then take a seat at the table, agree to disagree, acknowledge and be tolerant of our differences, celebrate our similarities- and take part of the dialogue to lay the path for a better future for all.