Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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."

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.

I have been to the Far East of Siberia, Magadan, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, also in Novosibirsk, Akademgorodok, in Mid Siberia and other places, so these locations are familiar to me.
I have experienced Siberia in the middle of winter (February) - therefore I have appreciation of the depths of difficulties, when a single individual blazes the trail towards home,
even though I never had to sleep outdoors in such brutal weather, for periods of months. Also I always had food, unlike the main character in this book, also nobody chased me !

I can appreciate the mental condition of an individual, who chooses to escape, rather than stay. To stay meant certain tortureous death in the lead mines.
I would believe that very few of the readers of this book can truly measure up the degree of desperation to embark on something like this trip. Also, one must be young and full of NRG
to survive it.

If somebody from among the readers of this book would like to get an appreciation of the extraordinary undertaking of this person, he or she ought to try once walking a few miles
in really deep snow (2-3 feet deep) without skies or snow-shoes.

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While reading, I couldn't help but think; no matter how bad times have been thay pail in comparision to this mans. After reading I had an interesting talk with a fell soldier. I had stated that I found it hard to not feel sorry for the man, and that I had to stop and remined myself that he was a Nazi and earned his punishment. My comrade said something that will stick with me, and I think is worth mention. He said, not to view this man as a Nazi but as a Patriot of his country, just like all soldiers he didn't make the polices of his governmet, but he felt the need to fight for the cause of his country. It made me think long and hard about the way I veiw my enemy combatants and the treatment of prisoners of war. And the great injustice that soldiers pay the heavest price of war.
A very good book that I had trouble puting down and was disapointed at how abruptly it ended.

As Iam a reader who is interested in true to life stories I found this book to be very interesting and informative. It is well written and easy to understand. The descriptions of the areas and towns he stopped at were very clear and gave me a very good impression of what life was there for the people living there and his experiences there.

This was a book I avoided purchasing for sometime. The topic seemed to be too outlandish. But the truth of the matter is, if anything, this is a the real deal. The man who this book is based on really did walk out of a Siberian lead mine and walked nearly 3,000 miles home.

Try as I might, I can't seem to find a fault with the book or even a negative statement anywhere that suggests the story is not true. In light of that, I'm stunned, and more importantly the book opened my mind to the concept of German POWs spread around the world. Since I have read this book I have found reference to at least a dozen other soldiers who managed a similar escape, including one who escaped in the US, another by way of Canada and another Eastern Front veteran who walked out of Russia.

The book is facilitating in concept. But loses a little in translation, but that does not take away in any form from the fact the book is an excellent easy book to follow. The concept of how this man escapes, what he does to survive and his sheer will to live are totally fascinating. He is the ultimate survivor, eating snow and small game, avoiding people where he can.

The concept is fascinating. But as I mentioned truth is better than fiction. Things I enjoyed most about reading this book include the description of the vast land that is Siberia and the nature of hardy people who live there. I also enjoyed the fact the author was basically one step ahead of being captured for most of his trip. Also interesting are the personal relationships that develop over the years it takes him to escape.

If you enjoyed this book you may enjoy The Final frontiersman, the story of an American who lives in the most remote areas of Alaska. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find an history book that would be a better companion except Guy Sajar's The Forgotten Soldier.

I recently finished this book, and I found it pretty good, overall.

Yes, it lacked in some detail, especially towards the end. The ending felt a bit rushed, considering the time that was spent on the "reindeer wranglers," and the "gold miners." I felt the book could have been a bit more balanced.

Also, what happened to our protagonist after his escape?? Did he reunite with his family? Did he settle in OK? I wish those questions would have been addressed as well.

Ah, well...perhaps in a future edition, they will be addressed.

This was quite an adventure and well worth the time reading. I feel that this is a "must read" book for all generations. The author did an excellent job of describing a world of events that few will ever experience. It's a great book that hard to put down.

What a read! Couldn't put it down. Makes one hate Stalin and the USSR for putting people through such. My only wish was more details at the ending. A MUST READ adventure! MG March 2009