A young American Jesuit priest illegally enters Russia during WW2, to spread the word of God when the Communist regime has shut down all Catholic churches and has banned all ministerial work, and then the priest gets arrested by the Russians and accused of being a German spy. And thus begins Walter J. Ciszek's 23 year long ordeal in Russia, 15 years of torturous imprisonment and hard labour in several Russian prisons, and 8 more years of living in Russian towns, constantly under vigilance by the Russian government. Ciszek spends all this time, tolerates loneliness, threats, insults and constant suspicion by everyone, simply because of his dedication towards his work as a Jesuit priest, his immense faith in God and his strong belief that his life has a purpose, of serving the Russian citizens in need of a Church.

It is difficult to review a memoir because the story commands respect on account of being true. So what remain to reviewing such writings, are the other technical aspects like language, structure and composition.

This book is well written on all 3 accounts. The book is narrated in first person from the viewpoint of Ciszek himself, and describes his ordeal in clear, chronological order. The book is divided into chapters based on the various locations and phases of Ciszek's ordeal. There are no loose ends or interruptions. Nor are there any digressions or pointless digressions. The plot is tightly written with just the perfect amount of descriptions about people and places and smaller incidents.

While the title says "With God in Russia", this book is not a spiritual book, it is not even a theological book or a Christian literature. Ciszek strictly speaks about his experiences as they occurred, and hence this book is purely a memoir. While it conveys the horrors of being imprisoned for 15 years and trapped for 8 more years in a cold (literally and figuratively speaking), dangerous country like the USSR, it does not mention much about religion. Ciszek merely mentions his actions of holding Mass, or praying, or conducting a Church service, whenever and wherever possible, but in a very matter-of-fact way. This could be a little disappointing for readers if they may have picked up this book expecting a narration on spirituality or sustaining faith in a crisis. These are not directly talked about, rather, they are implied through Ciszek's experiences.

This could probably be the reason why he wrote another book focusing on the spiritual aspect of his life in Russia.

Nevertheless, this book is a must read for anyone interested in Russian prisons, memoirs in general, and especially in memoirs or true stories of Christian priests and missionaries.

A story of the life of an American Catholic Priest who ends up in the USSR during and after WW2 and his life and times there as a prisoner till he leaves to come back to the USA after 23 years. Fascinating and remarkably similar to Solzhenitshen's Gulag Archipalego. This is not great literature but adds another perspective to the USSR in Stalin's time period and after it, up until about 1964.
I do wish he had included his adjustment back into American life.

A priest willing to go wherever God leads him to serve who God asks him to serve. Unimaginable cruelty, starvation, and horror. Fr. Ciszek’s fortitude, perseverance, courage, and piety inspires me to become a better Catholic. This book tells the horrors of Communism while shining a light on how even the communists can’t stop the faith of the people. Fr. Walter Ciszek, pray for us!

I've read several Soviet Gulag testimonies, and the value of this one is that Fr. Ciszek, an immigrant American, volunteered to put himself in harm's way in order to serve God and his fellow man. He prepared to take Eastern rite (Orthodox-like) Catholicism behind the Iron Curtain and assumed it as a personal mission. He was captured by the Russian army near the Polish border during World War II and convicted of being a “Vatican spy.”

Jesuit Father Walter J. Ciszek then spent some 23 agonizing years in Soviet prisons and the labor camps of Siberia. Finding himself captive, he drew upon his strong faith in order to survive and reach out to fellow suffering prisoners. This volume is a powerful testimony of the horrors of concentration work camps and how God can work in extreme circumstances when He has a channel to work.

Ciszek's companion volume, "He Leadeth Me," is an internal, spiritual account of the same experience and period. Also highly recommended
I read it many years ago but it has left a powerful impression.

A young American Jesuit priest illegally enters Russia during WW2, to spread the word of God when the Communist regime has shut down all Catholic churches and has banned all ministerial work, and then the priest gets arrested by the Russians and accused of being a German spy. And thus begins Walter J. Ciszek's 23 year long ordeal in Russia, 15 years of torturous imprisonment and hard labour in several Russian prisons, and 8 more years of living in Russian towns, constantly under vigilance by the Russian government. Ciszek spends all this time, tolerates loneliness, threats, insults and constant suspicion by everyone, simply because of his dedication towards his work as a Jesuit priest, his immense faith in God and his strong belief that his life has a purpose, of serving the Russian citizens in need of a Church.

It is difficult to review a memoir because the story commands respect on account of being true. So what remain to reviewing such writings, are the other technical aspects like language, structure and composition.

This book is well written on all 3 accounts. The book is narrated in first person from the viewpoint of Ciszek himself, and describes his ordeal in clear, chronological order. The book is divided into chapters based on the various locations and phases of Ciszek's ordeal. There are no loose ends or interruptions. Nor are there any digressions or pointless digressions. The plot is tightly written with just the perfect amount of descriptions about people and places and smaller incidents.

While the title says "With God in Russia", this book is not a spiritual book, it is not even a theological book or a Christian literature. Ciszek strictly speaks about his experiences as they occurred, and hence this book is purely a memoir. While it conveys the horrors of being imprisoned for 15 years and trapped for 8 more years in a cold (literally and figuratively speaking), dangerous country like the USSR, it does not mention much about religion. Ciszek merely mentions his actions of holding Mass, or praying, or conducting a Church service, whenever and wherever possible, but in a very matter-of-fact way. This could be a little disappointing for readers if they may have picked up this book expecting a narration on spirituality or sustaining faith in a crisis. These are not directly talked about, rather, they are implied through Ciszek's experiences.

This could probably be the reason why he wrote another book focusing on the spiritual aspect of his life in Russia.

Nevertheless, this book is a must read for anyone interested in Russian prisons, memoirs in general, and especially in memoirs or true stories of Christian priests and missionaries.