Resurrecting a very old thread (over 13 years, do I win a prize?).
I just found this book in a used book store a couple weeks ago. Read it in a couple days. It is truly an amazing story of the ability of the human spirit to survive what should not be possible.
I was amazed at how these escapees managed to walk such a great distance with essentially no supplies and not a great deal of survival knowledge. They learned as they went and were incredibly driven to succeed.
I was amazed that these men walked through the searing Gobi desert going for 12 days without any water while walking 20-30 miles per day in the searing heat. How is that even possible? They crossed the Himalayas in winter and suffer from altitude sickness.
The only negative I had from the book was that it ends rather abruptly after they complete their journey and recover. I really wanted to know what happened to those amazing men afterwards.
If you can find this book I highly recommend you read it as it is an incredible story.