• The Long Walk

  • The True Story of a Trek to Freedom
  • By: Slavomir Rawicz
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,627 ratings)

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The Long Walk  By  cover art

The Long Walk

By: Slavomir Rawicz
Narrated by: John Lee
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Publisher's summary

Twenty-six-year-old cavalry officer Slavomir Rawicz was captured by the Red Army in 1939 during the German-Soviet partition of Poland and sent to the Siberian Gulag. In the spring of 1941, he escaped with six of his fellow prisoners, including one American. Thus began their astonishing trek to freedom.

With no map or compass but only an ax head, a homemade knife, and a week's supply of food, the compatriots spent a year making their way on foot to British India, through 4,000 miles of the most forbidding terrain on earth. They braved the Himalayas, the desolate Siberian tundra, icy rivers, and the great Gobi Desert, always a hair's breadth from death. Finally arriving, Rawicz reenlisted in the Polish army to fight the Germans.

©2006 Slavomir Rawicz (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

  • Nominee, 2008 Audie Award, Solo Narration - Male

"Positively Homeric." (London Times)
"One of the most amazing, heroic stories of this or any other time." (Chicago Tribune)
"It is a book filled with the spirit of human dignity and the courage of men seeking freedom." (Los Angeles Times)

What listeners say about The Long Walk

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspiring and absorbing

To me, a great audiobook must contain both great writing and great narration/interpretation. This one has both. The story is absorbing, uplifting, inspiring and educational. In addition, the narrator nails the mood, pace, tempo and inflection. There is some dispute as to the veracity of the story (the book has been around for about 50 years), with some saying it can't possibly be true and others questioning only some episodes. I have done enough research to have a fairly high confidence level in the general truth of the story, but that is really beside the point. It is a great yarn, an inspiration worth your time.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Wish it Were True

Like so many others, I was absolutely enraptured by this wonderful story of survival, human endurance, and perseverance. I couldn't stop listening.

After I was finished, I learned through a small amount of research that this story is completely fake. There is plenty of documentation showing that the author could not have been where he said he was, that he never escaped from a POW camp, and that he never made the journey described in this book. This has been known for a long time now. There are even contemporary accounts of fellow polish soldiers attending the author's speeches in the 50's just to stand up and yell "I served with you in the Army the whole time, Rawicz. You're lying. This never happened to you". Much research has been done even up until the current decade, and all of it arrives at the same conclusion: this didn't happen. Yet, this work is still filed under "non-fiction" for some reason.

The only literature I read are non-fiction books-- many of them about survival, adventure, and great journies. Unfortunately, this one author's selfish actions will now make me forever question the wonderful dedication and human spirit described in all such stories.

This book should not be allowed to have "based on a true story" printed on its cover or in its description. I feel completely duped. The only reason I awarded it two stars instead of one is that in an audio book format, one is not only reviewing the author, but the narrator as well, and the narrator in this case did a fine job.

I would not spend money or credits on this book unless you are looking for a fictional novel. If that's the case, this book is a decent story and you may enjoy it.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good story, well read

This is a very gripping adventure story. There seem to be grave doubts about its truth, however. My guess is that it is a compendium of different stories, including that of the author, and that the gaps and other oddities in the book resulted from the ghostwriter's transitions from one story to another. Still well worth reading!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Survival Story

I have always been fascinated by survival stories, and this is one of the best. I can't even imagine what kind of drive it took for these men to leave Siberia, and walk the 4000 miles to India. They hiked through Siberia and the south of Russia, through Mongolia, across the Gobi Dessert, through Tibet, over the Himalayas, and finally after 12 long and uncertain months, arrived in India where they were rescued by the British army. The word "miraculous" does not do this story justice. Just the act of escaping the Siberian work camp during a driving snow storm is nothing short of incredible. What a heart breaking, heart warming story. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Narrator John Lee is one of the best. I have heard him narrate several books and have never been disappointed in his ability to tell a story.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

unbelievable tension

I could not wait to get back in my car and resume listening to this title. If you enjoy non-fiction and history; this is the title for you! How the characters survived their tremendous journey had me yelling at my mp3!! Don't miss it.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Spoiler Alert! DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW

Okay, people who read my reviews on Amazon know what's coming. I hate "true stories" or historical pieces that are not TRUE.

I was enjoying this listen very much though at times it gets a little 'made up' sounding. Almost like the writer is sort of winging it. So, about 3/4ths through, I start doing some research only to discover the whole thing is a fabrication. It's a lie. Well, so what if it's a good story? That can be up to you. For me, it confirmed what I was sensing in the writing. This guy just wasn't there.

From then on, it was very hard to listen to the story knowing it was all a fake. Then I hit the chapter on their encounter with the abominable snow man. Okay, that was just over the top nonsense.

It is a fun listen if you don't care or don't know it's a complete fake.

I am being generous with the stars. I do not care much for John Lee. Everyone sounds like Dracula regardless of accent. He's better than many, however.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A good narrative. To bad none of it's true.

The story is gripping, and the narration seems true to the experience. It's too bad none of the experience is true. A 2006 BBC documentary film proved that Rawicz's story was made up.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Adventure story

From being tortured by the communists, surviving prison camp in Siberia, and then escaping with 6 prisoners who walked from Siberia through Tibet and onto India, this was an incredible story. The adventure and pace never slackens and it reads like fiction. I know that some people question the veracity of the book, but with the level of detail given, I can’t believe that any of it was made up. This is worth your time for the story’s sake, but truthfully I never really got that attached to the characters.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Book; Excellent narrator !

The story kept my interest all the time, even having seen the movie previously. The audiobook provides an excellent opportunity to understand better the survival strategy, as well as to know additional important details this of epic adventure. Moreover: Five stars for the narrator.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Slow to start but kept my attention

First: Funny enough, I listened to this just after I took up walking around my neighborhood. I was interested with the telling of the initial scenes up until they seemed to be so detailed that I found myself wishing I had a clearer way to play the audio at x2 speed.

Next scene: Eventually the scenes move to the migration of the prisoners to Siberia, which, even though I hadn't read the book yet, I could have guessed that was where they were going.

Queue the prison: I'm still walking, listening, hoping for the 'good parts to make a cameo' and wondering how long I have to listen to this book before we get to walking this long walk the title hints at like a whistling tea kettle. It is getting a little better, and more interesting as the makings of a plan develop and by the time the plan is hatched, I'm hooked.

Let's run then walk: The break from the prison feels like a penultimate climax, the booms you hear before the finale at a 4th of July fireworks display. I won't give away what happens through the walk, but it is more like navigating a mine filled bay, with low sounding, deep thuds, creating deeper impacts to the story than a flash of sparks in the sky.

Near the end of the book, there is a mention of folklore that I took away from the credibility of the story.

I fully recommend this book if you like semi-true stories of hardship and trekking experiences through Siberia, the Gobi, and mountanous regions. It is a little slow to start but I am (unfairly?) comparing this book to Louis L'Amour's "Last of the Breed" which I read ever 5 years or so just because it is so good.

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5 people found this helpful