In breath-taking narrative, the author attacks the question, why do some people survive life-or-death situations and others, similarly situated, do not? Gonzales does a compelling job of applying what scientific knowledge exists about the physiology and psychology of how humans deal with life-threatening crises. The situational context includes mountain climbing accidents, plane crashes and being lost in the wilderness. The author distills a common pattern of thought and behavior-what he labels the practice of "deep survival"- in those who make it through what would have killed others.

Product Details.

Author: Lawrence Gonzales

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company

Year of Publication: 2003

Language: English

Softcover: 319 pages

Retail price: 14.95

ISBN: 0-393-32615-2 pbk.

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Mountain Impulse

Superb Reading

Voted 5/5

This book took me three sessions to complete only because I didn't have the opportunity to do it in one. This has to be a classic in the genre of "survival literature."

The various chapters include great stories of disaster and survival sifted through a matrix of what we know about the psychology and physiology of how humans deal with situations involving mortal danger. All of this culminates in an appendix where the author distills 12 Rules of Survival, the commonalities of thought and behavior that characterize those who survive life-threatening crises.

I have read that this text is being used in Navy SEAL training as well as among law enforcement and firefighting agencies. Finally, it hasn't escaped notice that the patterns of "deep survival" discussed in this book can be applied to many severe challenges that everyday life can throw at you.

Posted Nov 6, 2007 8:08 pm

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