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: Could save your life someday (review by author of When Technology Fails)
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an MIT engineer (BSME MIT, 1978) and Author of When Technology Fails, and I highly recommend this book. It could save your life someday! As a long time outdoor enthusiast, who has been involved in more than my share of risky endeavors, I thoroughly enjoyed Deep Survival. It is definitely not an outdoor survival handbook, but it is a collection of fascinating survival stories, along with the author's commentaries, about what makes the difference in a survival struggle and what it takes to pull through a situation that most would others would not survive. Why, for instance, do 4-6 year olds fare better statistically than 8-12 year olds, when lost in the wilderness? And how did an untrained, poorly equipped 17 year old girl make it out of the jungle alive when twelve adults, who survived the same plane crash, did not? The book ends with a summary of tips for decision making, when it counts, that may well pull you out of a jam some day.Book Review: Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
Summary: 5 Stars
As a long time participant in a variety of outdoor activities I bought this book for the stories of survival and expected to learn more information, tricks and tips about surviving unexpected events and crises. I got that, but a lot more! Gonzales does a great job of unpacking the personality characteristics, attitudes, psychology, etc that lead us to keep going even when everything is against us. His writing style is engaging and very readable as he speaks from his own lifetime of experience in high risk activities while analyzing key elements of some of the well-known and not-so-well-known stories of survivors and non-survivors. A real page-turner that can make you take a new look at yourself, too. I recommend it highly!Book Review: Heavy-handed Style vs. Content - who ya got?
Summary: 2 Stars
This book was a major disappointment. The author seems to be trying so hard to write with a snarky, mega-cool style that he forgets what he's writing about and just jags off to the rhythm of his words. This gets very tedious after a while. If you really want to read about survival, get any book by Jon Krakauer.Book Review: Wow
Summary: 5 Stars
This book just became another recommendation (along with The Gift of Fear) to people outside the life who try and understand this kind of world and what it's like.
I've spent the last almost two decades in law enforcement and trying to explain to people why human beings do the insane things they often do. It can be incredibly difficult to try and do so. I think the books major contribution is the realization that the overwhelming majority of the decisions we make are not rationally based, particularly under extreme stress. The body will make the decision it thinks gives it the best chance for survival. You really have no rational control over that without repeated exposure to stress and adrenaline. Sometimes even then it's not enough. We humans have been around for a long time and the ancient senses know what to do far better than conscious, slow, deliberate thought. The unfortunate fact is, thought, that sometimes those ancient senses and responses choose incorrectly, and people die.
You cannot address the problem until you understand the problem. And unless you know the why of why people react the way they do you can't change it. This book does a great job of explaining the why and the how. It should be required reading for emergency responders and those who engage in the more death-defying hobbies and skills.
Book Review: Not what I expected - Disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
This is one of those rare cases when the average rating on Amazon truly let me down. I found the book choppy and had trouble understanding where the author was going at many points. The stories are truly remarkable, but much of the analysis misses the point - the point being "Who lives, who dies, and why."