The Ice Road

An Epic Journey from the Stalinist Labor Camps to Freedom

By: Stefan Waydenfeld

Narrated by: Ken Kliban

In a forgotten chapter of history, 1.5 million Polish civilians - arbitrarily arrested by Stalin as enemies of the people following the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939 - were deported to slave-labor camps throughout the most inhospitable forests and steppes of the Soviet Union. The Ice Road is the gripping story of young Stefan Waydenfeld and his family, deported by cattle car in 1940 to the frozen wastes of the Russian arctic north.

©1999 Stefan Waydenfeld; 2005, 2010 Alice Faintich. Historical Horizon and Reading Group Guide, 2010 Aquila Polonica Ltd. (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

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Is there anything you would change about this book?

I loved this book the author's introspection about his childhood and experiences in the labor camps. I would change the narrator... Ken Kliban is not a great choice, and I can't put my finger on why.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

He paused in funny places, especially when switching from English narration to Russian or Polish terminology. I picked up this book and put it down several times, hoping I could get through it, but I can't get past the narration.

Any additional comments?

Read this amazing chronicle in print; skip the audio.

A compelling slog to the finish

A child with a tough row to hoe. This story is impressive in its detail. The pace n be slow for some but the story is nothing if not harrowing.