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

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

Great listen

This is a great story with lots of interesting background. The author as narrator was excellent.

Loved it and wanted to know more

This is a great story about survival and human nature. It was very well written with the perspectives of the crash victims. It is supplemented with the natives actual thoughts from children that were there when it happened. It is an unbelievable rescue. This will make a great movie.

Great Adventure Story

If you could sum up Lost in Shangri-La in three words, what would they be?

Unique Literary Experience

What did you like best about this story?

The persistence and originality of the rescuers.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the rescuers arrived in Shangri-La

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many.

This is a Wow! story, and a true one.

Where does Lost in Shangri-La rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

This tale ranks in the top 10% of the stories I have listened to over the past 2 years. Three of 24 souls survive the crash of of a C-47 sight-seeing moral-boosting flight in the fastness of Dutch New Guinea. The pilots discovered a high-altitude mountain lush 40-mile valley, inhibited by primitive but friendly (to them) natives. Survivors were stranded for 7 weeks, with nowhere for a plane to land, no trails or roads. How did they get out you ask? You won't believe it, but with Gliders! No kidding...

What other book might you compare Lost in Shangri-La to and why?

Unbroken, a WWII story of survival.

Which character ??? as performed by Mitchell Zuckoff ??? was your favorite?

The WAC Corporal and the Parachute Battalian Captain

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

No, just fascinated...

Any additional comments?

Would make a great movie today... Nicole Kidman could play the corporal

LOL you have got to be kidding me?

As you read this you will just keep saying I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this before. Warring cannibal tribes in a hidden valley, tragic airplane crash with surviving barefoot bombshell and two men, one gravely injured. Can’t land a plane, can't get there with helicopters, constant threat of Japanese, what do you do? Put together a MacGyver inspired rescue plan involving an industrial rubber band and a glider. OMG, are you kidding me? This story was awesome!

I should say this is a very real story, with real people and real tragedy. I don't mean to make light of those aspects but it is really hard not do gravitate to the fantastical nature of the headlines this had to have generated in its day.

A Must Listen!

What did you love best about Lost in Shangri-La?

It's the story of good men and women locked in a desperate struggle far away from their homes.

What did you like best about this story?

These are some of the real people of our greatest generation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. It was impossible to turn off!

Any additional comments?

This is a fantastic true story that will leave the listener wanting the story to go on and on. You will find yourself intertwined in the lives of these brave men and women and if you are American you will be proud to be so even more after this book! Well done!

Not as interesting as I thought

What did you like best about Lost in Shangri-La? What did you like least?

As a big history person I was interested in this story, and it was good but it just turned into a chore for me to listen to. I just wasn't as exited about it as I finished. Make sure its something you'll want to listen to.

A Gem of a Rescue Story

Would you listen to Lost in Shangri-La again? Why?

I would gladly listen to Lost in Shangri-La again because the author's devotion to detail brought me into another world of hidden tribes, courageous survivors and heroic rescuers.

What other book might you compare Lost in Shangri-La to and why?

In some ways, this book reminds me of UNBROKEN, with its attention to detail, understanding of military honor and discipline, adding in personal sketches of the individuals involved on all sides that cause the reader or listener to feel like you know the people in the story.

Which character – as performed by Mitchell Zuckoff – was your favorite?

The quiet courage and determination of Margaret, the Queen of of Shan-gri-la obviously made this a Hey-Martha story back in 1945 and an amazing account today as well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to this audiobook while I was driving, and found myself sitting in a parking lot on several occasions, wanting to here more before my next meeting.

Interesting....

The facts of this harrowing experience make me cringe inside. I can't imagine what the survivors went through or overcoming those odds. It's one thing to read about it but to actually live it? Unimaginable. The story itself was very interesting, made even more so with the inclusion of well researched side bars relevant to the main story. It isn't just a dry recitation of facts. As far as docu-stories go, this was well done and a good read. Happy Reading!

Very Engaging Historical Book

What made the experience of listening to Lost in Shangri-La the most enjoyable?

I really enjoyed the narrative and the great flow of the book. It not only gave me the knowledge of the historical event, but also the behind stories that were important part. The additional info did no overpower the main story, but gave it a great balance.

What other book might you compare Lost in Shangri-La to and why?

The book was my first historical book that I read, so I can’t really compare it with any other book. The book, however, was written in the form of an adventure story rather than a dry historical facts.

What does Mitchell Zuckoff bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I believe that since Mitchell Zuckoff researched the story and then wrote it, he was able to include all his personal emotions during his reading. His voice was able to perfectly bring all the characters to life, and make it feel as if it an interview was happening right in front of the listener. I would not be able to feel that if I read the book instead of hearing it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I really loved the prologue when he tells us what happened to the people who were part of the story. We are able to see not only what happened to them, but also how they felt about each other decades after the accident. I had a very hard time holding my tears back while listening.

Any additional comments?

It is a great book, very well written and presented in non-boring way. It was an easy read/listen that gave me an opportunity to learn about a true story that had place in the end of the World War II; very engaging. This was my first historical book that I read/listened to. If only all historical books were written that way, I soon could have a chance to become a history wiz.