Deep Survival

True Stories of Miraculous Endurance and Sudden Death

By: Laurence Gonzales

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

After her plane crashes, a 17-year-old girl spends 11 days walking through the Peruvian jungle. Against all odds, with no food, shelter, or equipment, she gets out. A better equipped group of adult survivors of the same crash sits down and dies. What makes the difference?

Examining such stories of miraculous endurance and tragic death, Deep Survival takes us from the tops of snowy mountains and the depths of oceans to the workings of the brain that control our behavior. Through close analysis of case studies, Laurence Gonzales describes the essence of a survivor and offers 12 "Rules of Survival".

In the end, he finds, it is what's in your heart, not what's in your pack, that separates the living from the dead. This audiobook will change the way we understand ourselves and the great outdoors.

©2003 Laurence Gonzales (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"The study of survival offers an illuminating portal into the human psyche, and Gonzales, knowledgeable and passionate, is a compelling and trustworthy guide." (Booklist)
"A superb, entertaining addition to a nature buff's library, or for anyone not tucked safely away in a bunker." (Kirkus Reviews)

I'm not sure it can get better than this

Gonzales effortlessly weaves quantam mechanics, spirituality, psychology and James Bond into
a fascinating book that is at first glance about physical survival, but it can be used as a metaphor for many facets of human experience.

I'm in awe of how Gonzales uses information from such diverse sources - yet it all fits so logically. I can't say enough good about this book. It's intelligent, educational, emotional, and entertaining. And finally - the perfect narrator as a bonus.

Much more than just stories

I thought this book would just be a collection of survival stories, but I was mistaken. This book mainly focused on the mind set and psychology of these people, explaining the stupid and smart things they have done. I think it can really help yourself recognize what's going on.
The book has an appendix with some items that everyone can do to try to stay alive, but most the book does not.

Overall a very good book and I really appreciated it and learned a lot.

Wow - surprisingly interesting and uplifting

The stories of survival and why they survived are fascinating. This book is a terrific combination of human thoughts and actions, natural occurrences and life or death decisions.

enjoyed

I really enjoyed this book although in the beginning I thought that it would be boring. It wasn't.

Best book I've read all year

Where does Deep Survival rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Best book I've read all year

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book makes you think and helps you understand the chemical workings of the brain that lead us to do the unthinkable.