Thursday, December 8, 2011

Book: Deep Survival

A book by Laurence Gonzales and subtitled Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why

With first rate research, interviews with survivors -- including his father's WWII experience, interviews with psychologists and personal experiences, Gonzales writes at times a very personal book about the stories of survivors. He describes in detail those persons who survive and those who die under the same circumstances. Separating emotion from the life threatening situation, accepting the reality, actively working to survive with intellect will be a major determinant for survival. Throw in some humor and you've got a pretty good chance to make it back to tell the story.

Quote from the last chapter of the author's book: "The perfect adventure shouldn't be that much more hazardous in a real sense than ordinary life, for that invisible rope that holds us here can always break. We can live a life of bored caution and die of cancer. Better to take the adventure, minimize the risks, get the information, and then go forward in the knowledge that we've done everything we can."

3 comments:

  1. You read and review many adventure stories of one type or another. That's fine, but why should an RVer have a pent-up demand or emotional need to read about OTHER people's adventures?

    I think this paradox shows that your camping style, with the timid and sedentary and bourgeois in those boring campgrounds, isn't fulfilling your desires and needs.

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  2. That's how I've always approached adventure - get educated, be prepared for the worst, keep alert, and deal with any problems that come up. Then go do it and enjoy it. Makes me feel alive. Pretty much is a prescription for any part of life.

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  3. Boonie, Lots of genre reading available -- science fiction, biography, philosophy, romance, etc. Happens that my frequent reading choice is adventure travel and travel essays. I do mix it up with selections from other non-fiction genres.

    Within your comment, there might be a germ for at least one future blog post. Thanks.

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