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Coming Out of the Ice: An Unexpected Life Audiobook
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(4.15) - 161 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In 1931, a young American named Victor Herman accompanied his parents to the Soviet Union, where his father was to set up a Ford Motor Company plant. In 1938, he was inexplicably thrown into a Soviet prison. It was forty-five years before he was able to return to America.
His was a common nightmare during the Stalin years. Those who survived imprisonment and torture were either sent north to hard labor in the icy forests and mines or into exile. Victor Herman was one of the few who survived. During his life in and out of Russian prisons, he fell in love with a Russian gymnast, who followed him into exile. She lived with him and their child for a year in Siberia in a cave chopped out of ice. Theirs was a romance destined to thrive even under desperate conditions.
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"This is a powerful book. The narrative of the author's early years in Detroit followed by late adolescence and early adulthood adapting to life in the Soviet Union prior to the rise of Stalin is quite interesting. He is imprisoned in a soviet gulag for ten years and then exiled to Siberia. During this period, you see the very finest and the very worst humanity has to offer. Victor Herman finds the way to survive and adapt and even to strive in conditions that would normally drive a man mad or to an early grave. It's a book that makes you reflect on how fortunate one is to have a roof over your head and food on the table. Highly recommended."
— Paul (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Herman’s tale is awful and heartening: awful that anyone should have undergone such things; heartening that he did and endured. This book is sure to take its place alongside Solzhenitsyn and Kessler’s Darkness at Noon.”
— William F. Buckley, Jr. -
“As the narrative jumps from scene to scene and different periods of time, Hurt manages to keep track of the setting and appropriate accents.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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A Booklist Editors’ Choice, January 1999
Coming Out of the Ice Listener Reviews
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" One of my favorite books. Out of print but you can find it at the library. "
— Jeff, 2/19/2014 -
" This was recommended to me by my friend Hyrum Garvin. It was an amazing account of someone who survived a Russian work camp (POW if I remember correctly). It will always stay in my mind how he remembered tapped out code words to other inmates. "
— Natalie, 2/11/2014 -
" Everyone should read this incredible true story. The book I read had * instead of profanity. There was a movie made in 1983. I would like to try and see the movie. "
— Macey, 2/1/2014 -
" An incredible book. Victor Herman's father was a socialist idealist who was transferred from Detroit to Russia by the Ford Motor Company in 1931. Victor was 16 years old. In spite of, or because of, his athletic prowess and his acclaim as a record-breaking sky diver in Russia, he is imprisoned in 1938, where he is subjected to incredible torture and abuse for 18 years. This book should be required reading for all high school students and for anyone who thinks that socialism and/or communism are the answer to all of our problems. "
— Denise, 1/19/2014 -
" Over 450 Ford Motor Company employees opted for temporary jobs in the Soviet Union in 1931. I HAD NO IDEA! The true story of Victor Herman, the 16 year old son of one of these workers, and how his 3 years turned into 18 years in gulags and Siberian exile. Herman was allowed to return to America in 1976, 45 years later! Amazing story, a bit slow in spots, but worth it. "
— Jana, 12/29/2013 -
" Powerful? Engrossing? Unbelievable? What can you say about Herman's story of imprisonment, torture, exile in Siberia in the 30s and 40s? Back in Detroit after 45 years locked in Russia, this American details his horrific survival story. Wow. "
— David, 12/25/2013 -
" An amazing book about the human will to survive!! An inspiration to me - I loved the book "
— Linda, 10/14/2013 -
" I initially gave it 5 stars and then changed it to 4. Awesome book though. He had an amazing , unfair life to say the least. An incredible will to live. "
— Chris, 9/29/2013 -
" Hard to find this book (it's out of print)...but well worth it if you can get your hands on a copy. "
— Jason, 9/5/2013 -
" A true story so for me that makes it far more emotional and meaningful (and shocking in this case). It has some gruesome parts so don't read it unedited, to kids. "
— Lek, 8/10/2013 -
" This is a true story about an American boy who gets thrown into prison in the Soviet Union and his experiences there. It's a really remarkable story and almost unbelievable, the suffering he experienced. It starts off a little slow though. "
— Faith, 6/28/2013 -
" Similar to Unbroken. Pretty amazing story. "
— Leslee, 5/22/2013 -
" Coming back from America an Olympic hero to be incarcerated as a political threat and emnemy of the state. Much like "Man's Search for Meaning" but surviving USSR's Communist terrors. "
— Caleb, 4/6/2013 -
" Amazing true story! You must read this. So heartbreaking and inspiring. "
— Megan, 1/19/2013 -
" This book really shows that for all the problems you might have in life, you really have it well off. This is a must read. "
— Noah, 8/13/2012 -
" Before reading this book I didn't know that Henry Ford worked with the Soviet Union and that thousands of Americans went to the Soviet Union in the 1930s. "
— Michael, 3/20/2012 -
" Probably my favorite book of all time! So touching, so inspiring, also informative, and engaging. "
— Tina, 12/29/2011 -
" Thank heavens for America! A difficult book to read, but it made me so appreciative for my country and so scared as we continue to give away our freedoms in the name of safety and fairness. Every person in America should read this and then stand up for the freedom with which we have blessed. "
— Sharidean, 10/26/2011 -
" How do you even put into words what is contained in Victor Herman's life story? It's unbelievable. Absolutely incredible what he endured all those years. Made me think twice about complaining about my petty trials in my own life. Wow, what an amazing story. "
— BeccaJane, 9/15/2011 -
" Powerful? Engrossing? Unbelievable? What can you say about Herman's story of imprisonment, torture, exile in Siberia in the 30s and 40s? Back in Detroit after 45 years locked in Russia, this American details his horrific survival story. Wow. "
— David, 12/30/2010 -
" A true story so for me that makes it far more emotional and meaningful (and shocking in this case). It has some gruesome parts so don't read it unedited, to kids. "
— Lek, 12/16/2010 -
" Before reading this book I didn't know that Henry Ford worked with the Soviet Union and that thousands of Americans went to the Soviet Union in the 1930s. "
— Michael, 12/10/2009 -
" Hard to find this book (it's out of print)...but well worth it if you can get your hands on a copy. "
— Jason, 12/4/2008 -
" This was recommended to me by my friend Hyrum Garvin. It was an amazing account of someone who survived a Russian work camp (POW if I remember correctly). It will always stay in my mind how he remembered tapped out code words to other inmates. "
— Natalie, 7/4/2008 -
" "In America they have two potatoes for dinner." <br/> <br/>This guys true story will drill you right between the eyes. <br/> <br/>I don't think I have ever read anything as horrifying as the description of gambling in the Siberian concentration camps. "
— Mitch, 6/16/2008 -
" Everyone should read this incredible true story. The book I read had * instead of profanity. There was a movie made in 1983. I would like to try and see the movie. "
— Macey, 4/13/2008 -
" This is a true story about an American boy who gets thrown into prison in the Soviet Union and his experiences there. It's a really remarkable story and almost unbelievable, the suffering he experienced. It starts off a little slow though. "
— Faith, 4/9/2008 -
" Probably my favorite book of all time! So touching, so inspiring, also informative, and engaging. "
— Tina, 2/22/2008
About Victor Herman
Victor Herman was born in America and moved to the Soviet Union with his family at the age of sixteen. There, he became a celebrity for his flying and world-record breaking parachute jumps. In 1938, he was thrown into Soviet prison, where he survived for eighteen years. After Stalin’s death he was “pardoned” and, in 1976, after much effort, was finally allowed to return to America. His family joined him in 1978. They live in Michigan.
About Christopher Hurt
Christopher Hurt is an accomplished narrator with a lengthy résumé of popular titles for Blackstone. A graduate of George Washington University’s acting program, he currently resides in New York City.