The Long Walk cover art

The Long Walk

The True Story of a Trek to Freedom

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of 900K+ titles.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto-renews for $8.99/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Long Walk

Written by: Slavomir Rawicz
Narrated by: John Lee
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $23.58

Buy Now for $23.58

About this listen

 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. Military Wars & Conflicts War Inspiring Cavalry China Soviet Union Red Army Russia

What the critics say

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)
All stars
Most Relevant
I was sad that it ended even though I was so happy that it ended.

amazing feat of human endurance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I don’t know whether the story is true but the hardships humans can endure one after another and yet still forge through is very inspiring. You could almost feel their experience as they walked the harsh environments to look for freedom. I would listen to this story again.

Fascinating and Inspiring

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Surely showed the power of man’s will to survive, as well as the cruelty of men, who hold their beliefs and needs take precedence over all others, regardless of the cost.

Excellent, inspiring story of an amazing journey!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Against the growing evil and despair of our own time, this story is an inspiring tale of decency and courage. It's also an exciting adventure.

A wlome inspiration!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a great story and narrated very well but this is a work of fiction. The real Slavomir never escaped from a camp and it's really disappointing to learn this is all a lie, even if it is a good one

buyer beware

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews