438 Days

An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea

By: Jonathan Franklin

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

438 Days is the miraculous account of the man who survived alone and adrift at sea longer than anyone in recorded history - as told to journalist Jonathan Franklin in dozens of exclusive interviews.

On November 17, 2012, Salvador Alvarenga left the coast of Mexico for a two-day fishing trip. A vicious storm killed his engine, and the current dragged his boat out to sea. The storm picked up and blasted him west. When he washed ashore on January 29, 2014, he had arrived in the Marshall Islands, 9,000 miles away - equivalent to traveling from New York to Moscow round trip.

For 14 months, Alvarenga survived constant shark attacks. He learned to catch fish with his bare hands. He built a fish net from a pair of empty plastic bottles. Taking apart the outboard motor, he fashioned a huge fishhook. Using fish vertebrae as needles, he stitched together his own clothes.

He considered suicide on multiple occasions - including offering himself up to a pack of sharks. But Alvarenga never failed to invent an alternative reality. He imagined a method of survival that kept his body and mind intact long enough for the Pacific Ocean to toss him up on a remote, palm-studded island, where he was saved by a local couple living alone in their own Pacific Island paradise.

Based on dozens of hours of interviews with Alvarenga and interviews with his colleagues, search and rescue officials, the medical team that saved his life, and the remote islanders who nursed him back to health, this is an epic tale of survival, an all-true version of the fictional Life of Pi. 438 Days is a study of the resilience, will, ingenuity, and determination required for one man to survive 14 months lost at sea.

©2015 Jonathan Franklin (P)2015 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Narrator George Newbern does an excellent job delivering the story of Alvarenga's struggle... Newbern's consistent pace and varied tone keep the compelling story going, communicating the harrowing aspects of the journey as well as Alvarenga's inspirational will to survive his extended ordeal at sea." (AudioFile)

couldn't put it down

Quick moving and heck of a story! Close up look at the arc of an almost certain disaster. Great examples of how ingenuity and confidence can combine to seize victory out of near defeat.

Awesome

This is a great story of survival ranking right up there with a lot of the other survival books I've listened to in the past couple years. Definitely recommended.

If you ever found yourself in a very bad way...

Everything that could go wrong and right did for this amazing human being. What truly inspired me was the fact that he found himself forced out to sea with barely anything to ensure his survival, and yet he just went on to make a life of survival out of it. He accepted what happened, took stock in his new lot in life and just went with it. That my friends is how you get on with the business with living. If he had died enduring this chapter of his life; we’d all never known how he mastered the lesson of life; is just live to survive, endure and get on with the business of living. My spirit is touched for getting to know this mans humanity. Not just anyone would have done what he had to. A very high percentage of people just die in such life altering, life endangered situations. Many just don’t have this very rare type of will to survive. Its damn difficult for a long period of time for which the end to it is utterly unknown.
When faced with that, how do you know if you are one who can do it?

Incredible story of survival

I recently watched Castaway again, and went looking for true stories of survival. This book did not disappoint. I was glued to it, and listened to it all within just a few days. I am terrified of water, crocodiles, sharks, etc., so it just fascinated me how someone could not only live their life so close to all of these things, but survive alone for so long, surrounded by water and sharks. I’m a vegetarian, so his diet kind of got to me, but overall an amazing story.

Inspirational

An amazing and compelling story of survival and the will to live. Give this a listen and you’ll realize you have no problems.

Great book that's hard to put down

Only quibble is that he could have identified the birds better and added a sequel to the 2016 edition to tell if Salvador really changed his life around like he promised to do while he was adrift
For this genre it is very well written imp and certainly the castaway fisherman displayed superhuman mental and physical strength!
Glad I bought it😊

Loved it!!

Great story to listen to. I was enthralled from the start. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Extraordinary!

Wow! This is an amazing story and a great lesson in life and survival. I particularly enjoyed the end of the book . This man is a gift to those who read his trial.

Great story of survival for a purpose

I expected an interesting story of survival. Even though everybody who starts this book knows the ending it is riveting and you're pulling for him to survive as well as realize he does have a purpose.

Life inspiring...

I was pleasantly surprised to learn so much from a fisherman! He fought and never gave up!