Alive – Piers Paul Read ------ 4.5 STARS

NBC used to have this slogan, "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you." Well, my review today is sort of similar; if you haven't read it, it's new to you. Alive was published over 30 years ago and quickly became a bestseller and classic book of 'survival literature'. Like me, you may have heard of it simply because it was the book about people that turned to cannibalism to survive. While this was certainly part of it, there was also so much more to the story.

After reading both Into Thin Air and Touching The Void, and loving them both, I guess I can conclude that I really enjoy survival books. Those books, along with Alive, tell such tremendous stories about people fighting for their lives in the most extreme conditions. A quick synopsis of Alive: a plane heading from Uruguay to Chile for a rugby game with 45 people crashes in the high mountains of the Andes. The story is about what happens to those 45 people.

There's not a great amount of insight I can offer about this book besides saying it's an absolutely incredible story and was one of the few books in a long time that made me weep at the end (for some reason parent/children reunions get me). I wanted to give it 5 stars but I don't think it has as much depth as the other books that I have given my highest rating too; nonetheless, it's wonderful. The trials and tribulations of those men in the mountains is astounding and what is perhaps most incredible is how long they were forced to endure such difficult conditions.

What is most interesting is that the only thing I really knew about this book before reading it was that the taboo of cannibalism was broken while they were up there and, for some reason, I felt that that idea would dominate the story and disgust me; neither of those things occurred. In fact, their survival, their emotions, and their lives are the only things the reader really ends up caring about.

If you have not read this book before, please do so... it's impossible not to find their story and courage inspiring. In fact, you may actually find yourself reevaluating what's actually important in your life.

Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle -- Marc Gonsalves, Tom Howe, Keith Stansell, Gary Brozek -------------------- 3 Stars

So, I'm kind of really into borrowing books for my Kindle from the local library now.  Positive -- it's free and you can find many more books than you might think.  Negative -- the usually only have 1 or 2 copies and you have to wait until they are 'checked back in' before you can get them.  I usually have a list of about 15 books that I want to read and Out of Captivity had been on the list for a while now.  So, I was excited to see I could borrow it from the library with no wait*

I heard about this book a couple years ago as being an incredible true story.  Much in the same vein as books like Alive, it is a true story about some horrific conditions that some individuals found themselves and how they made it out alive.  In this case, it's about the three guys to your right: Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Tom Howes.  Quick premise: they are flying over the Colombian jungle, have engine problems, go down, get captured by the local terrorist organization (the FARC) and are held as hostages for about 5 1/2 years.  It's a crazy story.

So, why did this amazing tale only get 3 stars?  Well, just because it's an amazing story does not mean it's an amazing book.  The best part of the book is indeed the amazing story.  From the earliest explanation for how this could possibly take place, to the details of every place they lived in for 5 years, to the thrilling story of how they got out, it's an unbelievable tale.  There is no doubt that after you read this book you will have a far greater appreciation for the little conveniences of life and the luck we have of living in American (and more obviously not as a hostage). The book also does a great job to illuminate an issue that is rarely discussed or is paid attention to: the surprising number of Americans (and other groups) that are currently hostages in Columbia and around the world.

Even with this retelling of this amazing story, the book has a number of problems.  First, it's told completely from the point of view from one of the three hostages at every point in the book.  So while there has been some editing of the passages, they still often come across as choppy, unorganized, and poorly told.  Problem #2 is that this book really needed a better editor.  While in some cases it was interesting to find out pertinent details and facts about certain parts of their time in captivity, the book goes way overboard including nearly EVERYTHING.  There are moments were 4 or 5 pages take place with no dialogue, or real events occurring, just explanation about minutiae.  In addition, and this a purely preferential issue, the book is incredibly sad.  Not surprisingly, the stories about what it was like in captivity aren't exactly pleasent.

It really is unfortunate that the book was not edited better and only the most worthwhile information was included.  It is a tremendous story and all three men who got out have a different and interesting look at the world.  I would still recommend this book to most people because after you get past the fact that there are some large chunks that you just have to keep pushing to get through, you are left with a really wonderful and (eventual) uplifting story about the journey of these three Americans.  




























*Footnote -- You can only borrow the book for 3 weeks like the normal library and then your loan on the Kindle makes it disappear.  You then have to go back, hope no one has it and borrow it again...UNLESS, you are smart like me and if you turn off your wireless on your Kindle, the Kindle does not know (because it can't access the Internet) that the book is due and you can finish it then turn the wireless back on.  Your welcome.

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing --------------- 4 Stars

Oh, how I do love summer. So much time to read! This is the last book I finished prior to the summer coming to a close for me, and it was a good one. It also put me at over 2,500 pages in the past few months. No other time during the year do I get to enjoy so much uninterrupted reading time. So, back to this current review; Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage was a superb way to finish the summer.

Written by Alfred Lansing in 1959, this book tells the amazing story of the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's adventure in Antarctica in 1914. The book is about how these explorers' boat was trapped, crushed, and their amazing journey to safety.  Interestingly, this book was not well received when it was released in the early 1960s to the point that hardly anyone was aware of it. Thankfully, the book was discovered and reviewed by the NY times many year later and became a bestselling novel well after Lansing's death. 

Upon looking back at my reviews, I clearly have a strong interest in these type of adventure stories. Here is my review of Alive from '09, which mentions my enjoyment of both Touching the Void and Into Thin Air previously (all books are tremendous and highly recommended). Likes those other books, this also tells the story of near death experiences for these amazing men. 

On a positive, the book is really well told and the author does an amazing job of explaining, in detail, the most critical parts of this nearly 24 month journey. This includes details of the 1,000 mile journey from start until finish. How you might ask? Well, many of these explorers kept copious journals. That, coupled with in-person interviews with many aboard, allowed him to recreate the experience that these men went through during those horrid two years.

Not too many downsides of this book. Some might find it to narrow in scope and repetitive. As I mentioned, the author was very detailed in his storytelling and there are parts that can bore from time to time. Similarly, while there was much adventure and danger during this incredible story, much of the two years was spent sitting and waiting or slowly moving from place to place. However, the fact that the author makes this story as exciting as it is, is a true testament to his strong writing. Finally, and this may be more a personal challenge, even by the end I was confused with some of the vocabulary. Much of the descriptions of parts of an early 20th century boat, odd foods, or types of ice were lost on me (examples - grog, pemmican, floes, ballast, forecastle, mizzen, keel, etc.). 

The adventure is beyond astounding. While the crew of the Endurance quickly realized they were not going to be able to carry out their mission, their strong faith in themselves and one another, makes for one of the greatest real-life adventure stories of all time.

PS - If you do happen to read this book or have any interest in it at all, check out the recent discovery made of the original Endurance boat earlier this year.

PPS - Also, watch this incredible documentary from 1919 with real footage from the adventure. Although a non-speaking movie, it's a fantastic viewing.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City - Jonathan Mahler ------------------- 4 Stars

As the real title is too long, I'll just reference this book as The Bronx is Burning. You may also be aware of it because ESPN did an 8 part miniseries with the same name in 2007. I did watch the miniseries as I was finishing the book and it was fun to have some visuals to compare to the story (the miniseries is odd but also kind of cool as they have decent actors playing the major stars in the book while including real video footage from the 1977 to make it more realistic).

If you are not familiar with the book or miniseries, both take on the crazy year of 1977 in New York City. While the miniseries is nearly all focused on the Yankees story line of Reggie Jackson feuding with manger Billy Martin, the book covers far more areas of interest. While the baseball story line still dominates the book, there are also fascinating stories about the mayoral election which included 4 fascinating candidates, the Son of Sam killer who had been terrorizing the city for more than a year, and some other interesting storylines (disco dying and punk music coming, a momentous blackout which led to massive looting, and newspapers changing to tabloids).

In general, the book is engaging and the writing is crisp and interesting. As someone not alive nor informed about many of these events, the stories presented are notably diverse but fascinating. Most interesting are the personalities involved. All intelligent in their own way, how they move forward to meet their goals, and how that often conflicted with other's goals, makes a great story.

As my father would say about a book of this type, it's a real "slice of life" (which, after Googling, I realize my dad did not invent, but took from the observation of literature/theater - but still a great term, nonetheless). With a decent length and many memorable details, this book really puts you in NYC during the crazy year of 1977. I love books/movies/TV of this type - ones that take a real deep dive into something so the reader/viewer can see the nuance in a deeper way. If you like the same, do take a look at this book!