The Greatest Escape Stories Ever Told

Edited by Darren Brown
The Lyons Press (2002)
ISBN 1592284809
Reviewed by Rebecka Vigus for Reader Views (7/06)

Mr. Brown has found a fascinating collection of escape stories.  Each story has it’s own place in history.  While the earlier stories in the book deal with escapes in Europe, the middle section deals with Native Americans who took captives, and the Civil War in America.  You are then plunged in to World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Viet Nam, and of course those who were held as political prisoners.  Each tale holds its own suspense and action.

The people in each of these stories held freedom above all else.  They dug, clawed, ran, crawled, and swam to escape their prisons.  Each individual believed enough in their own abilities to make the break for freedom.

I found it amusing that Mr. Brown chose to include fictional escapes as well as those that were true.  The infamous Scarlet Pimpernel and the exploits of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were a pleasant change from the harrowing escapes of war prisoners.

I found it very easy to read one and take time to enjoy it before moving on to the next.  It was entertaining.  At times I found it to be full of nail biting suspense.  There were other times when I just could not put it down.

If you have any interest at all in how ways people find to escape and the human sacrifices they make this book is a must read.

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