I Was a Slave in Russia: An American Tells His Story

I Was a Slave in Russia, first published in the U.S. in 1960, is American author John Noble's vivid, realistic account of his 10-year imprisonment by the Soviets following World War II. What follows is a record of grossly inhumane treatment including beatings, lack of food and warm clothing, and brutal working conditions, compounded by the fact that he was never informed of his supposed 'crime' against the all-powerful Soviet state. The author was transported in cramped prisoner trains from camp to camp in Germany and Russia before being sent to work in the dangerous coal mines of Vorkuta camp, located in the frigid tundra region north of the Arctic Circle. Here the author toiled for a number of years, before his eventual release to the West. I Was a Slave in Russia remains a classic indictment of the failed communist system of Soviet-era Russia, and John Noble lectured on his experiences for the remainder of his life (he also wrote a companion volume entitled I Found God in Soviet Russia). Noble died on November 10, 2007. Included are diagrams of four camps where the author was confined, including the former Buchenwald concentration camp, plus a map of his journey from Germany to far northern Russia.