Deep Survival

True Stories of Miraculous Endurance and Sudden Death

By: Laurence Gonzales

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Remarkable Stories That Inspire Deep Thought

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I would in turn recommend it to others.

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A

What about Stefan Rudnicki’s performance did you like?

Stefan Rudnicki is a great performer. About half-way through, I did adjust the speed to 1.25x which seemed about perfect for me and still sounded completely natural. His voice keeps you interested and focused on the book.

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

This book really made me think. As someone that enjoys spending time in the wilderness, I thought I knew the dangers I faced. This book made me realize that disaster has always been much closer than I imagined. The best part of this book is that it offers important tools to not only recognize and avoid dangerous situations, but how to survive once you're in one.

Awesome book

A well crafted exploration of survival. Using examples of extreme survival to build a case for everyday living.

Many Examples of How to Stay Alive

This was quite interesting! The narrator told many stories of how people, when faced with the cards stacked against them, somehow were able to (mostly) survive. Various techniques and mindsets are shown and suggested as often being what people have (attitude, common sense, different outlook, etc) done, displayed, that has ended up keeping then alive. a very I retesting read , in my opinion. Thank you.

Interesting

New concepts to me. I enjoyed the brief examples used and the way in which stories were told.

Great Survival Book

This book gets into the physical reasons that people make the decision they do under supreme stress and what causes accidents that follow the same pattern year after year. How that decisions that at first glance make no sense keep getting repeated time and again by others., as well as how to minimize the likely hood of this happening to you. Highly recommended.

Outstanding!

This was not what I was looking for but I stayed for the whole thing. A truly great piece of work.

Not what I expected.

I was looking for your typical survival story. Instead I found the story which is about many people and how and why they survive. I would not have thought this would interest me however it interest me a great deal. The author demonstrates through a multitude of stories how people who survive or people that succeed for that matter have many things in common. I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

A Deeply Satisfying Read

Tales of survival generally have a familiar trajectory. They are gripping stories that hold your attention even when you have already guessed the outcome and even if you have heard an account of a particular event before.
This book adds a remarkable layer of insight ranging from philosophy, neuroscience, behavioral psychology, physiology, religion, and the relationship of father and son.

The author adeptly gleans knowledge from a wide number of sources including personal experience mixes it with real life accounts of harrowing survival and makes the whole thing work. I can’t say that listening to this book will allow me to survive a catastrophic event but hopefully if I find myself in such a situation I won’t be the character that the audience knows is going to die from the very beginning of the movie.

The narration is pleasant and well paced. I definitely recommend this book.

loved it!

I loved this read and learned a lot in a kind "already" knew kind of way. This book articulated deep thoughts in my lizard brain. I'll probably listen again.

Deep Survival is a book for everyone

loved it. story and narrator was great..his voice was impactful in me wanting to listen more