
Looking for Mr. Smith
The Quest for the Truth Behind The Long Walk, the Greatest Survival Story Ever Told
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Kate Reading
-
By:
-
Linda Willis
About this listen
For the first time, the truth behind the best-selling adventure narrative The Long Walk.
Since 1956, The Long Walk has been, for many, the symbol of an immense love of freedom and has become one of the greatest true-life adventure stories of all time. The harrowing story about a group of POWs who escaped a labor camp in Siberia and walked to freedom in India during WWII deeply affected thousands of its readers, and Linda Willis was one of those moved by the story. But she had questions about its authenticity: Was it all true? What happened after their arrival in India? Were there others involved in the story? Who was Mr. Smith?
Though she was not a trained researcher, Willis felt compelled to look at some of the most powerful aspects of the story and to try to dig to the core of the truth behind The Long Walk. Willis’ investigation took her down unforeseen byways with many hours spent unraveling facts, truths, half-truths, rumors, and the like. She waded through archives, wrote and spoke to hundreds of people, and continued to seek out and verify the details of the greatest adventure narrative ever written. The path of Willis’ research will be a model for anyone attempting a similar search and who has ever thought about the story behind a book. No one who reads Looking for Mr. Smith will ever think of The Long Walk in the same way.
©2010 Linda Willis (P)2013 Audible, Inc.Editorial reviews
Kate Reading’s affable narration of Linda Willis’ investigation into the beloved best seller The Long Walk creates an intimate atmosphere. Willis had long admired the story of a group of prisoners of war who escaped Siberia and walked to India during the Second World War. Yet, she questioned whether everything in the book - first published in 1956 - was true. What really happened upon their arrival? She set off on a quest to prove the veracity of the account, which led her to interview scores of people and to scour archives. This audiobook presents her findings.
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Trade Winds
- By: Christina Courtenay
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sweden, 1732. Strong-willed Jess van Sandt knows only too well that it's a man's world. She believes she's being swindled out of her inheritance by her stepfather and she's determined to stop it. When help appears in the unlikely form of handsome Scotsman Killian Kinross, Jess finds herself both intrigued and infuriated by him. In an attempt to recover her fortune, she proposes a marriage of convenience.
-
-
Fabulous narrator
- By Britgrrl on 02-08-19
-
The Elgin Affair
- The True Story of the Greatest Theft in History
- By: Theodore Vrettos
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This story of the Elgin marbles re-creates in full detail "the greatest art theft in history." Almost 200 years after they were "purchased" from Greece, the finest and most famous marbles of antiquity still remain a burning issue. This compelling, controversial story of the Elgin marbles re-creates in full and colorful detail "the greatest art theft in history", a steamy tale of obsession, intrigue, adultery, and ruin.
-
-
Fascinating
- By Robyn on 09-23-15
By: Theodore Vrettos
-
The Long Walk
- The True Story of a Trek to Freedom
- By: Slavomir Rawicz
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Inspiring and absorbing
- By A. Millard on 05-30-07
By: Slavomir Rawicz
-
Midnight Son
- By: James Dommek Jr., Josephine Holtzman, Isaac Kestenbaum
- Narrated by: James Dommek Jr.
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
James Dommek, Jr., an Alaska Native writer and musician, sheds new light on a real-life mystery that pits Native American folklore against the US justice system. In the vast Alaskan Arctic, legend has it there once lived a mythic tribe—Iñukuns—that only existed in rumors and whispers. This changed forever when an actor-turned-fugitive, Teddy Kyle Smith, had an encounter that brought Iñukuns from myth to reality. Smith was an aspiring actor with a promising career until it all came quickly crashing down with a gunshot, a manhunt, bloodshed, and other frightful events.
-
-
It’s an Inuit Thing. You possibly don’t understand it.
- By Amazon Customer on 11-13-19
By: James Dommek Jr., and others
-
Flowers for the Dead
- By: Barbara Copperthwaite
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a devastating car crash wipes out her family, Laura struggles to get her life together. Grieving, she becomes forgetful. She doesn't remember how money got into her purse, or buying that pint of milk....Adam is the perfect boyfriend. He cooks meals. He does the housework. He looks after Laura's every need. He knows everything about her. But Laura has never met Adam. And she knows nothing about him. What turned him into a monster who stalks his victims? How did he become warped from a sensitive boy who adored the fairy tales his gran read to him?
-
-
Didn't work for me
- By Sheila S on 01-24-19
-
The Game You Played
- By: Anni Taylor
- Narrated by: Zindzi Okenyo
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's a blindingly hot summer. International visitors surge into Sydney's Darling Harbour. Two-year-old Tommy is sailing his toy boat in the park there with his mother Phoebe. Tommy vanishes into thin air. The following winter, taunting notes written as nursery rhymes begin arriving at his parents' home. Little Boy Blue, where did you go? Who led you away? Only I know.
-
-
so bad it's good
- By Gianna Motz on 10-10-22
By: Anni Taylor
-
Trade Winds
- By: Christina Courtenay
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sweden, 1732. Strong-willed Jess van Sandt knows only too well that it's a man's world. She believes she's being swindled out of her inheritance by her stepfather and she's determined to stop it. When help appears in the unlikely form of handsome Scotsman Killian Kinross, Jess finds herself both intrigued and infuriated by him. In an attempt to recover her fortune, she proposes a marriage of convenience.
-
-
Fabulous narrator
- By Britgrrl on 02-08-19
-
The Elgin Affair
- The True Story of the Greatest Theft in History
- By: Theodore Vrettos
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This story of the Elgin marbles re-creates in full detail "the greatest art theft in history." Almost 200 years after they were "purchased" from Greece, the finest and most famous marbles of antiquity still remain a burning issue. This compelling, controversial story of the Elgin marbles re-creates in full and colorful detail "the greatest art theft in history", a steamy tale of obsession, intrigue, adultery, and ruin.
-
-
Fascinating
- By Robyn on 09-23-15
By: Theodore Vrettos
-
The Long Walk
- The True Story of a Trek to Freedom
- By: Slavomir Rawicz
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Inspiring and absorbing
- By A. Millard on 05-30-07
By: Slavomir Rawicz
-
Midnight Son
- By: James Dommek Jr., Josephine Holtzman, Isaac Kestenbaum
- Narrated by: James Dommek Jr.
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
James Dommek, Jr., an Alaska Native writer and musician, sheds new light on a real-life mystery that pits Native American folklore against the US justice system. In the vast Alaskan Arctic, legend has it there once lived a mythic tribe—Iñukuns—that only existed in rumors and whispers. This changed forever when an actor-turned-fugitive, Teddy Kyle Smith, had an encounter that brought Iñukuns from myth to reality. Smith was an aspiring actor with a promising career until it all came quickly crashing down with a gunshot, a manhunt, bloodshed, and other frightful events.
-
-
It’s an Inuit Thing. You possibly don’t understand it.
- By Amazon Customer on 11-13-19
By: James Dommek Jr., and others
-
Flowers for the Dead
- By: Barbara Copperthwaite
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a devastating car crash wipes out her family, Laura struggles to get her life together. Grieving, she becomes forgetful. She doesn't remember how money got into her purse, or buying that pint of milk....Adam is the perfect boyfriend. He cooks meals. He does the housework. He looks after Laura's every need. He knows everything about her. But Laura has never met Adam. And she knows nothing about him. What turned him into a monster who stalks his victims? How did he become warped from a sensitive boy who adored the fairy tales his gran read to him?
-
-
Didn't work for me
- By Sheila S on 01-24-19
-
The Game You Played
- By: Anni Taylor
- Narrated by: Zindzi Okenyo
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's a blindingly hot summer. International visitors surge into Sydney's Darling Harbour. Two-year-old Tommy is sailing his toy boat in the park there with his mother Phoebe. Tommy vanishes into thin air. The following winter, taunting notes written as nursery rhymes begin arriving at his parents' home. Little Boy Blue, where did you go? Who led you away? Only I know.
-
-
so bad it's good
- By Gianna Motz on 10-10-22
By: Anni Taylor
-
The Housemaid
- By: Sarah A. Denzil
- Narrated by: Sophie Rundle
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It seems like the perfect job. Great wages, accommodation provided and all located within the walls of Highwood Hall, a stunning stately home owned by the Howard family. Not many little girls dream of becoming a maid, but this is an opportunity for me to get back on my feet. And for me to revisit my past....
-
-
FANTASTIC@@@!
- By Kelly on 12-23-21
By: Sarah A. Denzil
-
Greatest Thing in the World
- By: Henry Drummond
- Narrated by: Paul Eggington
- Length: 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drummond's memorable homily on love - the supreme good - retains all its original freshness and vitality in this oral rendition.
Widely quoted and read, his message on love from First Corinthians sold over 12 million copies. Involving God's two greatest commands - to love Him and love one another - this message is just as needed today as it was back then.
-
-
Love it.
- By P. M. Lipker on 05-08-17
By: Henry Drummond
-
The Roommate
- By: Kiersten Modglin
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wesley Gates is down on his luck. He's drowning in debt. His demanding career isn't letting up. And, to top it all off, after years of ignoring their failing marriage, his wife has had enough. Heartbroken and in desperate need of a place to stay while he gives his wife the space she's asked for, Wes is shocked when he runs into a familiar face from his past.
-
-
Story had potential but I found the characters all so annoying & dumb.
- By Ronda Wasmundt on 03-26-25
By: Kiersten Modglin
-
The Southern Lawyer
- The Southern Lawyer Series, Book 1
- By: Peter O'Mahoney
- Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After more than twenty years away from the law, Joe Hennessy is forced back into the courtroom. Trying to save his vineyard after years of drought, Hennessy returns to practice in Charleston, South Carolina–the city he walked away from after the murder of his ten-year-old son. When one of South Carolina's most powerful men is charged with possessing stolen artwork, Hennessy steps forward to defend him. But as Hennessy digs into the evidence, as he navigates the truth, he finds that the criminal charges are only the start of their problems…
-
-
Enjoyed it
- By Rick 73000 on 05-11-23
By: Peter O'Mahoney
-
The Greatest Bengali Stories Ever Told
- By: Arunava Sinha
- Narrated by: Swetanshu Bora
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some of the world's finest short fiction has originated in and continues to flow from the cities, villages, rivers, forests and plains of Bengal. This selection features 21 of the very best stories from the region.
-
-
Horrible Bengali pronunciation
- By PS on 11-25-21
By: Arunava Sinha
-
Because of You
- By: Rochelle Alers
- Narrated by: Kevin R Free
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
High profile lawyer Jordan Wainwright guards his secrets closely, especially his adoption by the powerful Wainwright family. Attorney Aziza Fleming has been burned before, first by a bad marriage and then by a harassment case that nearly destroyed her career. Sophisticated and irresistibly sexy, Jordan could be everything she wants. But he'll have to choose between keeping a decades-old secret and embracing their newly-found passion...
-
-
ANOTHER AUTHOR THAT I LOVE TO READ
- By Wanda on 05-03-13
By: Rochelle Alers
What listeners say about Looking for Mr. Smith
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marjorie Brink
- 05-12-16
A good synopsis of a research project and should be heard with that in mind. It is note a recreational novel. I enjoyed it w
A good synopsis of a research project and should be heard with that in mind. It is note a recreational novel. I enjoyed it this in mind.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Starburst
- 04-12-20
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Thank you for the book. Looking forward to reading more by the same author. :)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Patricia Ferrer
- 04-15-18
entertaining and enlightening
there are several stories here: information revealed about slav rawicz, someone else who did the same walk, the mystery of Mr Smith and the author s journey of learning how to do research. she addresses what many fans of the long walk would ask. but uncovering a different survivor, not all stones were unturned...this I felt should have been explored. also, how did rawicz hear the story and know it so well.... someone must have told him..who? very enjoyable overall!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful