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A new edition of the classic true story of the survivors of a plane crash in the Andes mountains, and what they had to do to stay alive. Ties in with the 40th anniversary of the crash.
Synopsis
1972. A plane has crashed in the Andes mountains. The passengers are hopelessly lost in one of the most isolated places on earth. Almost three months later, two of the survivors, emaciated and frozen, reach the authorities and lead a rescue team to the remaining fourteen passengers. The rescue team are shocked when they reach the crash-site.
Book Details
Publisher:
ARROW
Publication Date:
11-Oct-2012
ISBN:
9780099574521
Guardian review
Alive by Piers Paul Read - review
the guardian Tue 02 October 2012
It is unsurprising that some of the 16 Uruguayan rugby players who survived the infamous 1972 plane crash in the Andes would later develop a motivational speaking sideline. The trials that the young men endured freezing temperatures, terrible injuries and most notoriously, a lack of food that forced them to eat the bodies of their dead friends are so extreme that just reading about them should ensure you never complain about anything again unless it involves necrophagy. Yet Read's powerful account of the crash and its aftermath (in this 40th anniversary edition) also charts the parts of the survivors' struggle that don't come under the "inspirational" banner. Often, he records a despair so real it seeps through the pages, while the narrative rarely pushes an image of straightforward heroism. These are recognisable human beings, not saints: peevish, petulant, prone to feuds, rage and selfishness. It makes their survival all the more moving, but what lingers are the moments of ingenuity, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Guardian review
Alive by Piers Paul Read - review
the guardian Tue 02 October 2012
It is unsurprising that some of the 16 Uruguayan rugby players who survived the infamous 1972 plane crash in the Andes would later develop a motivational speaking sideline. The trials that the young men endured freezing temperatures, terrible injuries and most notoriously, a lack of food that forced them to eat the bodies of their dead friends are so extreme that just reading about them should ensure you never complain about anything again unless it involves necrophagy. Yet Read's powerful account of the crash and its aftermath (in this 40th anniversary edition) also charts the parts of the survivors' struggle that don't come under the "inspirational" banner. Often, he records a despair so real it seeps through the pages, while the narrative rarely pushes an image of straightforward heroism. These are recognisable human beings, not saints: peevish, petulant, prone to feuds, rage and selfishness. It makes their survival all the more moving, but what lingers are the moments of ingenuity, and the resilience of the human spirit.
