"During World War II, the author was a 15-year-old boy in his native [Romania], which was then under German occupation. When the Russians advanced across the country, driving the Nazis before them, Jacques was picked up by the Soviets on the way to school. Along with hundreds of others, he was... transported to Russia to work in the dreaded slave labor camps. Jacques was sent to a coal mine. Despite the beatings, the inadequate housing, the overwork, and the incredible cold, he survived. Then he was injured in a mine cave-in, and immobilized. He seized a desperate slim chance and, despite his injuries, escaped... Finally, he reached an American hospital in Allied-occupied Germany... In adversity the boy became a man, and his will to survive, his refusal to be dehumanized, make him a most unusual and appealing hero"--From book jacket.