With God in Russia

I first picked up this book at the library when I was in 7th grade, and since then I have read through it three or four times. The title had originally caught my attention when I saw it on a shelf in a local bookstore.  The first time I read it, I didn't completely understand the full meaning of this autobiography, thinking only that it was a cool story. Now I have a little better understanding of its importance.

After becoming a priest before World War II, the American Fr. Walter Ciszek volunteered to go to the Soviet Union to be a missionary there. However, due to the hot political situation of the time, he could not get in right away, and took the job of pastor of a parish in Poland, while learning the Russian language and how to celebrate the Eastern Orthodox liturgy. After WWII started, Fr. Ciszek took his chance and entered Russia, under the guise of a worker. A little over a year later, the Germans invaded Russia, and Fr. Ciszek was arrested as a "German" spy. Thus began his 23 years of struggling to survive the harsh conditions he would encounter in Soviet prisons and Siberian labor camps.

Fr. Ciszek, despite the persecution thrown upon him, worked unceasingly to administer to the spiritual needs of everyone around him. He fully lived up to his "mission" to be a missionary to the Russian people, even after he was released from prison. One amazing fact from the book was that he never got sick for even one day while in prison and at hard labor! This book is a prime example of God's Providence watching over us.

I highly recommend reading this book. Not only is it an amazing story, but it is also well written, in a style that is smooth and easy to read.