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We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance |  | Author: David Howarth
Creator: Stephen E. Ambrose
Publisher: Lyons Press
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $9.19
as of 7/31/2010 18:13 MDT details
You Save: $7.76 (46%)
New (22) Used (13) from $7.13
Seller: clidstrom
Rating:  96 reviews
Sales Rank: 8153
Media: Paperback
Pages: 232
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 1599210630
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.547243
EAN: 9781599210636
ASIN: 1599210630
Publication Date: June 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
If this story of espionage and survival were a novel, readers might dismiss the Shackleton-like exploits of its hero as too fantastic to be taken seriously. But respected historian David Howarth confirmed the details of Jan Baalsrud's riveting tale. It begins in the spring of 1943, with Norway occupied by the Nazis and the Allies desperate to open the northern sea lanes to Russia. Baalsrud and three compatriots plan to smuggle themselves into their homeland by boat, spend the summer recruiting and training resistance fighters, and launch a surprise attack on a German air base. But he's betrayed shortly after landfall, and a quick fight leaves Baalsrud alone and trapped on a freezing island above the Arctic Circle. He's poorly clothed (one foot is entirely bare), has a head start of only a few hundred yards on his Nazi pursuers, and leaves a trail of blood as he crosses the snow. How he avoids capture and ultimately escapes--revealing that much spoils nothing in this white-knuckle narrative--is astonishing stuff. Baalsrud's feats make the travails in Jon Krakauer's Mt. Everest classic Into Thin Air look like child's play. In an introduction, Stephen Ambrose calls We Die Alone a rare reading experience: "a book that I absolutely cannot put down until I've finished it and one that I can never forget." This amazing book will disappoint no one. --John J. Miller
Product Description
A World War II chronicles of Jan Baalsrud's escape from Nazi-occupied arctic Norway. We Die Alone is an astonishing true story of heroism and endurance. Like Slavomir Rawicz's The Long Walk, it is also an unforgettable portrait of the determination of the human spirit.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 96
 Escape drama between fjords of Norway. July 14, 2010
Wojciech Langer (Toronto, Ontario)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book has still being printed after 55 years! How brave, resourceful and dedicated were those who eventually saved Jan's life! Today they are not among living and I express total homage to their heroic efforts. Engrossing story that will keep you thinking about life and death long after reading it.
Book does not contain maps of places and route of Jan's movement from island to island and from village to village till the border with Sweden. This is a drawback, but I was able to google it base on mentioned names of dwellings.
 Inspiring Adventure! June 5, 2010
D. Porter (UT USA)
As humans we consistently underestimate our own capacities. This story illustrates this misconception.
Set in WWII, the book tells the story of Jan Baalsrud, a Norwegian who after receiving training in Britain attempted to return to Norway to undermine the German occupation of his homeland. Intercepted by the Germans before they even were able to unload their cargo (in disguise as a fishing vessel) Jan was the only of his team to evade capture, escape to neutral Sweden and ultimately go back to Britain.
Although he was injured in his escape, Jan is able to seek out help and evade capture as he makes his way towards freedom. Ultimately, Jan's condition deteriorates and he is forced to rely on others to carry him to his final destination. Those assisting him take on great risk to themselves and their families as they hide him and provide what care they can. Jan is frequently required to spend extended periods of time both alone and exposed to the Arctic elements, isolated from those assisting him and unsure of their status or even eventual return.
An inspiring story of not only a man surviving the seemingly impossible (Jan lost half his bodywieght in the ordeal), but also those who had little to gain risking it all to save this one man.
We Die Alone May 15, 2010
Robert Chasse (West Palm Beach, Florida)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
B00k was received in a timely manner and was in excellent condition.
Five stars!!!
An epic struggle April 19, 2010
Phil Evans (Pasaena, CA, US)
An awesome exploration of humankinds will to live and the compassionate people it takes to fulfill beating the odds.
A real page turner couldn't put it down April 5, 2010
Jerome Paulson (Lancaster, PA USA)
It is amazing to realize the resilience and tenacity of the human spirit and will to survive. Although written decades ago, and so much history has gone by since, it is still a vivid portrayal of one man's desperate travels to freedom. Imagine lying helplessly in a snowbank for weeks, totally relying on the kindness of strangers for survival.
A true story, carefully compiled by the people Jan met along his incredible journey, it would be considered unrealistic, and impossible if written as fiction. It is really difficult to consider the circumstances where one would carefully amputate his own toes, with a few drops of brandy as an aesthetic.
Impossible to put down, it races through a journey few can imagine. A must for everyone to read.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 96
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