Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
Book Review: Not your father's survival book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is sort of "the long time listener, first time caller" of book reviews. I read these all the time, and have even been persuaded by a few, but have never taken the time to write a review before. But Deep Survival is one of the coolest books I have read in a long, long time. And it was so beyond what I was expecting that I had to write a review about it. I should mention that this book was a gift from my father, who's a big outdoorsman, survival-type guy. Dad's given me a lot of survival books. In fact, I have an entire shelf dedicated to survival books dad gave me - almost none of which I read much more than a few pages of. I had sat down to read the first ten pages of Deep Survival, as I've done with all the books dad gave me, so that when I set it on the shelf to collect dust, I could do so with as little guilt as is possible. Of course, I ended up reading the entire thing in one sitting.Gonzales may have the capability of synthesizing all of these vast concepts into a simple easy-to-read narrative, but I don't. So I can't exactly sum it up for you, because it really is vast. About all I can say is that this book is as much about philosophy, and life, as it is about survival. And for anyone interested in not only what it takes to survive, and why some survive and some don't, but are interested in the war between the cognitive and emotional centers of our being, about systems and chaos theory and what makes us all tick, this is the book for you. Of course it helps that Gonzales has an engaging, easy-to-read style, and chooses to tell his story in part through anecdotes that are at one time hysterical and frightening and sad.
I could not recommend this book more.
Book Review: Good grapple with an intriguing puzzle
Summary: 4 Stars
I would enjoy hanging out around the campfire with this guy.Book Review: Deep Survival: consistent with experience
Summary: 5 Stars
Having survived a pretty serious mountaineering accident myself a few years ago, I found the book absolutely fascinating and very consistent with my own experience both as a climber and member of a volunteer mountain rescue organization. I was familiar with many of the survival stories profiled in the book as an avid reader of mountaineering, exploration, and rescue literature. However, this book really helped answer a number of lingering questions I have had about survival, particularly those related to my own accident--about how/why I reacted the way I did and how it led to my own survival. I think the book (particularly the last chapter) will be a very useful addition to the mountaineering and rescue training literature. I will certainly be using portions of this book in upcoming climbing and rescue training that I help design and conduct.
Bill Romberg
Alaska Mountain Rescue Group
Book Review: Compels and Empowers
Summary: 5 Stars
Years ago I put myself in a situation and got cold, very cold. It would have been a pain-free relief to have simply given in. Shut-down mode. Enough of the pain. Enough of the struggle. It'll be alright. This is the journalistic beat of Laurence Gonzales. Why some people hear that voice and assuage themselves with the endorphins of impending morbidity. And why in the brains of others there is a dialogue which cues simultaneous and contradictory impulses. Life-saving impulses. I did not read Deep Survival so much as absorb it into the fabric of my being. You too may have occasion to explore your own self in deeply personal, provocative ways while reading this book. This goes way, way beyond "armchair exploration" and into a deeper examination of self. Many of the like-minded among us now have cause to quote Gonzalesian priniciples to the uninitiated. Take from it what you will. Just get in touch with (and control of) that voice emanating from the base of your brain. This skill may one day be the best hope you've got.Book Review: In A Chess Game With Nature, You Must Show Respect
Summary: 5 Stars
This book means a great deal to me. I am not what you'd call an adventurer. My day consists of basically waking up, convincing myself to take a shower and eat breakfast, then getting out and dealing with my rush-hour commute and (oh, the excitement) work. So why would a book about how people who venture out into the wild (and I do mean wild) outdoors strike so many chords with me?Here's why: First of all, it's really, really exciting to read about the people (many of them experienced risk takers, but not all) who find themselves in what author Laurence Gonzales calls the ultimate chess game; they are suddenly in a crisis situation that may very well kill them. How will they survive? Mother Nature knows all the moves on the board and can checkmate them without any warning. If they don't respect her, they WILL die. Nature is not some amusement park ride we can carelessly jump on, just expecting to get a rush. It's very instructive to read that even experienced hikers, mountain climbers and sailers have ventured out, often after several crisis-free trips, only to find themselves in a situation where they are fighting for their lives. Some of the people who ultimatley survive are just regular sorts who, through a series of chance events, find themselves in dire straits. You or I might just find ourselves in this sort of predicament, no matter how "safe" our lives Seem to be. I'd rather be prepared. This book gives the reader alot of tips and wisdom to work with.
What's so fascinating is to realize that it's not just what's in your backpack, or how thoroughly you have been trained that determines if you will survive. Inner qualites are just as important, probably even more so, and Deep Survival is crammed with wisdom on every page. I found myself taking notes, scribbling down phrases, thinking: this really applies to my life! That's why this book has so much to offer: as Gonzales shows, survival situations come in all forms: divorce, a loved one who dies or struggling to get through an illness. Maybe even just struggling to get through the day. As the author points out, it's hardly fulfilling to live an empty life, even if you get to be 98. Clearly the challenge in life is learning to take meaningful risks, whether they are outdoors or simply in your heart.
Taking risks is not (drum-roll, please) risk free. Gonzales tells us that emotion is like the horse and cognition is the rider. One without the other is no good. He draws from all the latest brain research to help us see the predictable mistakes our heads will make if we are in a crisis situation, and how we can use our brains, hearts and intuition to save ourselves. Reading this book, you get the clear sense the author knows of what he writes; he's led a very active life, challenging himself in all kinds of impressive ways, but he does not brag. This makes sense. One of the things that may kill you is acting like you know it all. But before you condem those in the book who seemed to take ridiculous risks, flying in the face of all common sense (two people snowboard up a hill even after they have been warned of alvalanches, some others decide to raft a river in a rainstorm, with huge trees careening down it), Gonzales tells us these people were probably overwhelmed by the hard wiring in our brains that sometimes causes us to take foolhardy risks. The trick is to slow down and learn not only to deal with the hazards outside ourselves, but the ones within us, which may be the most fatal ones.
Gonzales knows that luck also plays a big part in who lives and who dies. He never judges any of the people he writes about. He does show us what they did right and what they failed at, to help us, should we find ourselves in the ultimate chess game, fighting for our lives. He really wants us to win.
In essence, I believe this is a spiritual book. It does not sugarcoat. Sometimes survivors need to do drastic things to live, like cut a friend's rope when that person seems to have died, or be grateful when the last weak link in a lifeboat will soon die. This is not cold heartedness. Drastic situations bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. If someone is going to pull you down with him or herself, you can either drown with them or learn to swim. Gonzales says: swim! And he shows us how. I highly recommend this book to anyone who 1. loves a good, exciting read and 2. wants to know more about themselves and this extremely interesting world we find ourselves in.