• Lost in Shangri-La

  • A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
  • By: Mitchell Zuckoff
  • Narrated by: Mitchell Zuckoff
  • Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (2,592 ratings)

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Lost in Shangri-La  By  cover art

Lost in Shangri-La

By: Mitchell Zuckoff
Narrated by: Mitchell Zuckoff
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Editorial reviews

Lost In Shangri- La by Mitchell Zuckoff is a blockbuster tale Hollywood couldn’t better. An American military plane crashes in an uncharted and barely accessible part of New Guinea leaving only three survivors, one of them a brave and fetching blonde member of the Women’s Army Corps. The survivors and natives share a fascinating rapprochement, despite the tribe’s propensity to war.

Zuckoff tells the tale with an unusual focus on the personalities randomly thrust together and the collision of stunningly different worlds. His writing and delivery let the drama speak for itself: his mellow voice and almost conversational style avoids histrionics at the climactic moments, yet still conveys the characters’ emotional journeys.

Events take off, literally in 1945 in Dutch New Guinea, where Americans still at war with the Japanese were stationed. Twenty-four soldiers and members of the Women’s Army Corps are treated by their boss to a recreational flight over “Shangri-La”, a storied part of the island recently discovered.

Flying over a narrow valley on the mountainous island (which had already foundered 600 planes during the war), treacherous terrain and human error result in the crash, killing all but three on board: Corporal Margaret Hastings, a 30-year-old WAC enlistee from upstate New York, who sustained leg burns; Sergeant Kenneth Decker, whose stoicism wasn’t fully realized until the severity of his wounds were discovered days later, and, finally, Lieutenant John McCollom who, while physically the heartiest, was arguably the most wounded, having left the remains of his twin brother in the wreckage.

Zuckoff sensitively narrates the travails of the immediate aftermath when the trio, living on scant water and hard candies, drag themselves through the jungle to a clearing where they will be more visible to search planes.

But they are first spotted by natives, fierce-looking and, for all the survivors know, cannibals. Drawing heavily on Margaret’s diary, Zuckoff seems to share the sense of wonder, as well as the initial condescension, curiosity, and fear shared by the survivors. And, through his research with the tribesmen and their progeny about the long-ago event, he helps us grasp the culture and reactions of the tribe, who believed the survivors to be gods or spirits of death to be honored. The tribe’s almost religious commitment to making war makes the relationships that grew between the two groups that much more remarkable. Margaret and a regal, gracious tribeswoman find a deep bond, with nary a comprehensible word between them.

After five weeks together, the rescue operation is ready. Zuckoff sets it up with all the challenges of logistics and aeronautic risks, telling a heart-stopping narrative from the arrival of paratroopers through the seemingly doomed attempts to “snatch” the survivors to safety.

For all the swashbuckling, exotic appeal of this historic episode, the most moving sections were the intimacies Zuckoff sought out from the survivors and shares here like secret, treasured knowledge the snippets of letters sent home; details of families’ idiosyncrasies, and especially, the fascinatingly ordinary lives the survivors lived out, after the event Zuckoff reveals in all its extraordinariness. Elly Schull Meeks

Publisher's summary

On May 13, 1945, 24 American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea .Unlike the peaceful Tibetan monks of James Hilton’s best-selling novel Lost Horizon, , this Shangri-La was home to spear-carrying tribesmen, warriors rumored to be cannibals.

But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed. Miraculously, three passengers pulled through. Margaret Hastings, barefoot and burned, had no choice but to wear her dead best friend’s shoes. John McCollom, grieving the death of his twin brother also aboard the plane, masked his grief with stoicism. Kenneth Decker, too, was severely burned and suffered a gaping head wound.

Emotionally devastated, badly injured, and vulnerable to the hidden dangers of the jungle, the trio faced certain death unless they left the crash site. Caught between man-eating headhunters and enemy Japanese, the wounded passengers endured a harrowing hike down the mountainside - a journey into the unknown that would lead them straight into a primitive tribe of superstitious natives who had never before seen a white man - or woman.

Drawn from interviews, declassified U.S. Army documents, personal photos and mementos, a survivor’s diary, a rescuer’s journal, and original film footage, Lost in Shangri-La recounts this incredible true-life adventure for the first time. Mitchell Zuckoff reveals how the determined trio - dehydrated, sick, and in pain - traversed the dense jungle to find help; how a brave band of paratroopers risked their own lives to save the survivors; and how a cowboy colonel attempted a previously untested rescue mission to get them out.

By trekking into the New Guinea jungle, visiting remote villages, and rediscovering the crash site, Zuckoff also captures the contemporary natives’ remembrances of the long-ago day when strange creatures fell from the sky. A riveting work of narrative nonfiction that vividly brings to life an odyssey at times terrifying, enlightening, and comic, Lost in Shangri-La is a thrill ride from beginning to end.

©2011 Mitchell Zuckoff (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Facinating history

I made this selection because it was recommended for those who enjoyed "Unbroken", and it was an excellent recommendation. The stories are similar in time period and setting (Pacific theater, WWII) and both deal with a tragic air crash with survivors in need of rescue. But this is not a copy of the earlier story and is compelling in its own way. The narrative follows the events up to and subsequent to the crash, but but also puts into context the backgrounds of the players, allowing us to know them as more than vague historical characters who experienced a unique event. He also puts historical context to the exploration of New Guinea which deepens the understanding of the hardships caused by the nearly impenetrable terrain. I especially appreciated Zuckoff's research into the culture of the native New Guinea people. By explaining their point of view we get a facinating picture of cultural exchanges that are sometimes comical, sometimes touching and sometimes unfortunate. Also appreciated was the attention given to the passengers who did not survive the crash. I found it respectful to acknowledge their presence and who they were as individuals. Interviews with survivors, recuers and natives, or family members of those (decades later of course), and the use of diaries kept by several of the main characters adds authenticity to the story.
As another reviewer has stated, the reading by the author was excellent, and added to the enjoyment of the book. Highly recommended.

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43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Best use of a credit in quite a whlle.

Very good story. I enjoyed hearing the viewpoints of the New Guinea natives some 60 years after the event. Don't let the fact that the auithor narrates the book scare you away - he does an excellant job.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A worthy purchase!

Mitchell Zuckoff does an excellent job as both the author and reader of this superb book. Lost in Shangri-La may be non-fiction but it has all the drama, humor and strong characterization of a good novel. It deals in anthropology and individual personalities as well as adventure and history and provides us with a fascinating account of a story worth remembering. Don't hesitate to use a credit on this one!

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I'm Intrigued by other reviews

This is not they type of book I typically choose, but the description sounded interesting and I'm glad I gave it a try.
I was really engaged by this story. I imagined what it must have been like to be a survivor of a plane crash in such a remote place. The amount of bravery and strength it took for these survivors to persevere was just miraculous.
I too agree that there was a racist tone at least initially, but I also appreciate the growth expressed by the survivors. It can't be ignored that the survivors came to befriend the tribal members and that they came to truly respect their strength, kindness, creativity and intelligence.
I also felt Mr. Zuckoff conveyed a great amount of sensitivity and insight towards the autonomy of the tribe. I was moved by how sadly he explained that the ways of modern world have now negatively impacted these previously self-sufficient happy peoples.
I thought that this story was terrific on many levels.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

AMAZING!!

I heard Mitchell Zuckoff being interviewed about this book on a local talk show here in Denver, CO and became very intrigued. That evening I found the book on Audible and I must say that this book by far has become my favorite since first joining Audible back in 2004! Truly I was amazed at how much of a story teller Mitchell is and what is even more amazing is that everything he has to say is all TRUE. I found myself in the most interesting “History Lesson” of my life and his narration is truly superb. As the listener of this audio book I can not think of any other narrator who could surpass the author himself.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not as interesting as I would have thought

This is a straightforward historical account of an unusual event at the end of WWII. The facts are clearly laid out and the story is well crafted but somehow it misses the mark and fails to engage. I had to give up 2/3 of the way through due to boredom and a tendency to feel extremely sleepy whenever I listened. Sorry but it's true. Should/could have been fascinating but not for me!

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Lost in a Long Tale

I was looking forward to hearing this story, especially after listening to Unbroken. Sad to say the story was nowhere near as captivating as Unbroken. I felt the author veered off too often into background history that did not add to the story. Usually I am sad to end a book. This time I was happy to be back from Shangri-La!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An incredible experience, well worth the time

This was an exceptionally well done book. It is a story I had never heard and appreciate all the research work the author went through to bring the story to the public.

This book makes me understand why the WWII generation is and always will be the Greatest Generation.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

There are better WWII stories

Read or listen to UNBROKEN it is much better than this story. "Lost in Shangri-La" is nice if you want to read about some rear echelon personnel who get stranded after a horrific aircraft crash in a non combat situation while site seeing. They have to survive in the jungle, but no cannibals try to attack or eat them, like the book reviews suggest. It is a daring rescue, but not a shot is fired. There are many better true stories about WWII that will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you marveling at the courage of those involved. For the military reader: don't waste your time with this junket trip.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lost in Shangri-La

Mitchell Zuckoff did an good job in researching the story and staying true to the information in the writing of it. It was great to read about women (WAC) in the war and that they were on the plane and one survived the crash. The story of survival in the jungle, wounded revealed the toughness of each individual involved. The news reporters apparently provided a great deal of research information. Enjoyed that he interviewed some of the natives 60 years after the event to get their insight of the event. I did note that many of the people involved in the event died young after the war.

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9 people found this helpful