As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Escape from a Siberian Labor Camp and His 3-Year Trek to Freedom [Paperback]

Josef M. Bauer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2008

Reminiscent of Slavomir Rawicz's classic The Long Walk, an amazing narrative of escape and survival.

In 1944, German paratrooper Clemens Forell was captured by the Soviets and sentenced to twenty-five years of labor in a Siberian lead mine. In the Gulags, this was virtually a death sentence. Driven to desperation by the brutality of the prison camp, he staged a daring escape. For the next three years, Forell traveled 8,000 miles in barren, frozen wilderness, haunted by blizzards, wolves, criminals, the KGB, and the fear of recapture and retribution. Only a remarkable will to survive, and a bit of luck, allowed him to reach the safety of the Persian border. The resulting story is a rare document of the horrors faced by POWs in the Soviet Union, and a testament to the human spirit.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Josef M. Bauer was a seminary student, editor, and writer. He produced stories, a radio play, and seven novels in a career spanning forty years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (May 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602392366
• ISBN-13: 978-1602392366
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling drama, December 9, 2008

By 

Marc Genberg "WWII student" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Escape from a Siberian Labor Camp and His 3-Year Trek to Freedom (Paperback)

This story begins with the protagonists journey into imprisonment. We don't get details on the war at all but rather begin with his incarceration and brutal travels. The tale takes us to the labor camp where he works and some insight (but very little) into the details of daily life. A few incidents occur during the two years of imprisonment and then our protagonists makes his escape. The book is substantially about the journey from prison/labor camp to freedom and the events that occur along that route.

The drama of the story is compelling and reading it, I kept wanting to know how the subject of our story continued to survive, battling the brutal winter in Siberia and some of the villanous characters along the way. Throughout, this individuals courage and will to live proved inspiring.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this book. While there are some areas I would have wanted more details, the drama is compelling. The author has taken appropriate liberty to weave the story telling as he explains in the forward. Overall, a great story of survival.

29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most interesting parts are what's left out, March 5, 2010

By 

Michael P. Cronin - See all my reviews
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This review is from: As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Escape from a Siberian Labor Camp and His 3-Year Trek to Freedom (Paperback)

I read this book many years ago as a young Navy pilot. It was fascinating then. Since then I have spent six years in as a POW in Vietnam. Now I find the most interesting parts of the story are what is not in the book. What was Rost's life like after he returned to Germany? What was his family reunion like? Had they known he was alive? I was "missing presumed captured for four years before the Vietnamese admitted I was a POW, so these questions are personal with me.

I would like to speak privately to Rost and compare notes. I have no doubt that as much has been left out of his story as has been told. This is, of course, impossible. We will never know the whole truth which would be far more interesting and stranger than the fiction of the movie.

The movie was entertaining, but followed the book only in the most general sense. Although made in Germany it was strictly Hollywood with many elements that can only be understood as propaganda. The movie is a type of art and not a documentary. As George Orwell has said, "All art is propaganda."

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good read, January 26, 2009

By 

Luke Kukovica "llukee" (yes) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Escape from a Siberian Labor Camp and His 3-Year Trek to Freedom (Paperback)

a book that is hard to put down. there are several books written by survivors of the Russian death camps and this one is gripping.