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Unshaken (Enhanced Edition): Rising from the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana
Dan Woolley---who spent 65 hrs trapped beneath the rubble of Haiti’s Hotel Montana---recounts his experience living through the 7.0 Haiti earthquake in Unshaken: Rising from the rubble of Haiti’s Hotel Montana. After a last-minute hotel switch, no one, not even Dan’s wife, knew where he was staying while in Haiti. Trapped in total darkness for nearly three days, with a broken foot, his leg ripped open and a head injury, Dan battled despair, dehydration, anger with God and doubt over whether he would live to see his wife and two young sons again. Woolley had allowed his faith and marriage to weaken in the busyness of life. His entrapment forced him to think about what really mattered. Unshaken includes color photographs and the heartrending reflections from Woolley's wife. Readers will learn new truths from Woolley's themes of spiritual and marital renewal, his key insights into poverty through Compassion International, and his hard-won reminder to embrace every opportunity God gives.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 6, 2011
Dan Wooley describes his experience as a survivor of the horrible Haiti earthquake of 2010. He used a first aid app on his iPhone to treat his injuries, and relied on information that he had picked up from the cable show "Man vs. Wild" to survive days underneath the rubble of his crumbled hotel. He also used his time alone to draw nearer to God, though he was experiencing some of the darkest times of his life. The story alternates between his Haiti story and the other dark days he experienced as his wife battled major depressive disorder early in their marriage. Wooley recounts how his faith helped him through both difficult experiences.
March 4, 2020
"Unshaven" is powerful, personal, and faith enhancing.
Told through the memories of Dan Woolley of his surviving the January 12, 2010 7.0 earthquake that hit port-au- prince, Haiti . Dan is able with the help of co-author Jennifer Schuchmann to recall the horror of being buried beneath the Hotel Montana. The ability to put the reader in the elevator with Dan, you feel darkness ,dust, and thrust. You feel pain of being battered bruised and broken bones. Dan encounters fear and faith. Dan also adds the demons that threatened his wife's mental health and how they built a marriage and work through her illness.
This was a good read.
Told through the memories of Dan Woolley of his surviving the January 12, 2010 7.0 earthquake that hit port-au- prince, Haiti . Dan is able with the help of co-author Jennifer Schuchmann to recall the horror of being buried beneath the Hotel Montana. The ability to put the reader in the elevator with Dan, you feel darkness ,dust, and thrust. You feel pain of being battered bruised and broken bones. Dan encounters fear and faith. Dan also adds the demons that threatened his wife's mental health and how they built a marriage and work through her illness.
This was a good read.
October 21, 2014
Very good. This is the story of Dan Wooley, who was trapped in an elevator shaft when the Hotel Montana collapsed during the Haiti earthquake. I wanted to read this because I was over in the DR during the Haiti earthquake. The day we left, we prayed for Dan while he was still stuck in the elevator shaft. It was amazing to see how the Lord provided for his survival and rescue and how He worked the whole ordeal for good in Dan's life. I am going back to the DR again in January and wanted to begin to prepare my heart for the trip. I picked the right book.
April 27, 2020
My son works at Compassion International and urged me to read Unshaken, shortly after it was published. Thank you Taylor.
I sometimes mention Unshaken when encouraging a person dealing with serious depression, discouragement, or to a person who seems to be overwhelmed.
This is an incredible story of survival and victory over death, depression, and anger with God ‘s help. One lesson particularly important to me is the transformation experienced by Dan’s wife; at least after her anger with God subsided.
Unshaken had a huge impact on me. This kind of emotional growth is better taught than experienced! I recommend Unshaken: Rising from the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana as an unforgettable experience you don’t ever want to have!
I sometimes mention Unshaken when encouraging a person dealing with serious depression, discouragement, or to a person who seems to be overwhelmed.
This is an incredible story of survival and victory over death, depression, and anger with God ‘s help. One lesson particularly important to me is the transformation experienced by Dan’s wife; at least after her anger with God subsided.
Unshaken had a huge impact on me. This kind of emotional growth is better taught than experienced! I recommend Unshaken: Rising from the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana as an unforgettable experience you don’t ever want to have!
July 1, 2017
After meeting someone else who was rescued from Hotel Montana before Dan Woolley, I just had to read this and it didn't disappoint.
March 5, 2014
Unshaken: Rising From the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana
Dan Woolley with Jennifer Schuchmann
“I pray that as you face times of adversity, as well as times of abundance, you will also call out to our unshakeable God.” Dan Woolley kicks off his novel, with this quote which embodies his faith throughout the hardships that he faced. Dan Woolley wrote in his memoir Unshaken: Rising From the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana” , about his experience in the Port-au-Prince, 2010, 7.0 Haiti earthquake. Although, Woolley appears to only explain his concrete life-and-death situation, he simultaneously expresses the much more spiritual aspect of his adversities. Dan Woolley conclusively inspires the readers to seek the higher meaning and purpose in their life.
Dan Woolley, a father of two boys, Josh and Nathan and husband of Christy; traveled to Port-au-Prince to work for a charity, Compassion International. He left behind his family and was a victim of bad fortune, which in turn positively transformed his perspective on life. Meanwhile, also suffering through the lack of information, stress of dealing with two sons, clinical depression, and her own mind worrying her. As well as her own doubt in her faith; nothing appears to be substantial in the Woolley family.
Plot sequence
Dan ravels to Haiti to help be service towards the children who face spiritual, social, economic, and physical poverty. Inspired and grateful to have learned and have his eyes opened to what is almost another world, he probably presumed that all he would learn in this trip was only about those people he’s helping with the charity. He later finds himself in an abyss of concrete, obscurity, and is trapped along with other people, some dead some alive, his thoughts, and his IPhone. Back in the U.S., is his wife and mother of their children, Christy a woman who discovers that her husband is somewhere in Port-au-Prince; a city obliterated by a news breaking 7.0 earthquake, and she can’t contact the father of his children. All she knows is the hotel he was supposed to stay at, but ironically Dan had to change his hotel. Not even her faith is steady, as she herself doubts it in this misfortune.
Woolley heartbreakingly adds descriptions of the family’s life and the memories Dan has of his family as he feels his death is approaching. While reading this book, you feel that you understand the entire family. I felt like I was a part of the affliction, I understood as a young girl, the despair, vulnerability, frustrations, and spiritual passion that the Woolleys and Ephraim felt throughout this. I was also luckily able to happily appreciate the peace and prosperity when Dan and his newly Christian friend were rescued and relinquished back into their lives as new individuals.
I recommend this book to everyone. This is one of the few books that I feel will appeal to many people, young, middle-aged, and old. We all could put our lives into a new perspective and Dan Woolley did so in an extraordinary way. This book relates to the idea of how powerful faith can be, and how perspective and gratitude is the true key to success.
Dan Woolley with Jennifer Schuchmann
“I pray that as you face times of adversity, as well as times of abundance, you will also call out to our unshakeable God.” Dan Woolley kicks off his novel, with this quote which embodies his faith throughout the hardships that he faced. Dan Woolley wrote in his memoir Unshaken: Rising From the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana” , about his experience in the Port-au-Prince, 2010, 7.0 Haiti earthquake. Although, Woolley appears to only explain his concrete life-and-death situation, he simultaneously expresses the much more spiritual aspect of his adversities. Dan Woolley conclusively inspires the readers to seek the higher meaning and purpose in their life.
Dan Woolley, a father of two boys, Josh and Nathan and husband of Christy; traveled to Port-au-Prince to work for a charity, Compassion International. He left behind his family and was a victim of bad fortune, which in turn positively transformed his perspective on life. Meanwhile, also suffering through the lack of information, stress of dealing with two sons, clinical depression, and her own mind worrying her. As well as her own doubt in her faith; nothing appears to be substantial in the Woolley family.
Plot sequence
Dan ravels to Haiti to help be service towards the children who face spiritual, social, economic, and physical poverty. Inspired and grateful to have learned and have his eyes opened to what is almost another world, he probably presumed that all he would learn in this trip was only about those people he’s helping with the charity. He later finds himself in an abyss of concrete, obscurity, and is trapped along with other people, some dead some alive, his thoughts, and his IPhone. Back in the U.S., is his wife and mother of their children, Christy a woman who discovers that her husband is somewhere in Port-au-Prince; a city obliterated by a news breaking 7.0 earthquake, and she can’t contact the father of his children. All she knows is the hotel he was supposed to stay at, but ironically Dan had to change his hotel. Not even her faith is steady, as she herself doubts it in this misfortune.
Woolley heartbreakingly adds descriptions of the family’s life and the memories Dan has of his family as he feels his death is approaching. While reading this book, you feel that you understand the entire family. I felt like I was a part of the affliction, I understood as a young girl, the despair, vulnerability, frustrations, and spiritual passion that the Woolleys and Ephraim felt throughout this. I was also luckily able to happily appreciate the peace and prosperity when Dan and his newly Christian friend were rescued and relinquished back into their lives as new individuals.
I recommend this book to everyone. This is one of the few books that I feel will appeal to many people, young, middle-aged, and old. We all could put our lives into a new perspective and Dan Woolley did so in an extraordinary way. This book relates to the idea of how powerful faith can be, and how perspective and gratitude is the true key to success.
October 30, 2011
We watched the news and scoured the newspapers for information about the 7.0 earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti on January 12, 2010. We mourned while viewing pictures of the destruction and death, and sent financial and other types of donations to organizations to provide some much needed assistance to the poor people of Haiti.
Dan Woolley, though, was not as lucky as those of us who remained in the comfort of our homes, observing the catastrophe from many miles away. When the earthquake ended, he found himself trapped below six levels of what used to be the Hotel Montana in Haiti. What had once been an attractive and comfortable hotel where Dan rested between tasks he was working on for the Child Survival Program with Compassion International became a prison of darkness and danger.
Dan’s book Unshaken chronicles the story of his sixty-five hours of captivity beneath the concrete mass of the Hotel Montana. You will be forever changed once you have shared his emotional and spiritual journey: you will want to continually cultivate your relationships with God, family, and friends, and will be thankful for your life every day that God allows you to remain on Earth.
Dan Woolley, though, was not as lucky as those of us who remained in the comfort of our homes, observing the catastrophe from many miles away. When the earthquake ended, he found himself trapped below six levels of what used to be the Hotel Montana in Haiti. What had once been an attractive and comfortable hotel where Dan rested between tasks he was working on for the Child Survival Program with Compassion International became a prison of darkness and danger.
Dan’s book Unshaken chronicles the story of his sixty-five hours of captivity beneath the concrete mass of the Hotel Montana. You will be forever changed once you have shared his emotional and spiritual journey: you will want to continually cultivate your relationships with God, family, and friends, and will be thankful for your life every day that God allows you to remain on Earth.
January 24, 2017
I give this book 10 stars!!! Dan's story is absolutely incredible. I really resonated with his & his wife's struggles with prayer and trust. It was encouraging to me. Something specific Dan kept referring to was the difference between "knowing" God can do something and actually "believing" He can do it.
This is me for SO MUCH! I believe & know that God can do miracles, heal, restore, but I have the hardest time believing He WILL. I could really relate to the struggles the Woolleys experienced. I'm not to the point of trust yet, and I sincerely hope it doesn't take such a drastic event as an earthquake to get me there.
This was a quick read, yet very powerful. It's a unique perspective on the Hatian earthquake and it doesn't read like non-fiction. The events are so unbelievable, it seems like fiction. Only God could make this a real story.
This is me for SO MUCH! I believe & know that God can do miracles, heal, restore, but I have the hardest time believing He WILL. I could really relate to the struggles the Woolleys experienced. I'm not to the point of trust yet, and I sincerely hope it doesn't take such a drastic event as an earthquake to get me there.
This was a quick read, yet very powerful. It's a unique perspective on the Hatian earthquake and it doesn't read like non-fiction. The events are so unbelievable, it seems like fiction. Only God could make this a real story.
April 9, 2011
Unshaken is a fast-paced narrative divided into thirty-one short chapters which cover Woolley’s experience from the morning of the day the earthquake struck to his reunion with his wife in a Miami hospital three days later. The story is told primarily from Dan’s perspective, with a couple of chapters and sections towards the end of the book written by his wife, Christy. Interspersed throughout the narrative are chapters in which Woolley recounts the early years of his marriage which were shrouded in the darkness of Christy’s at-times suicidal depression.
Continue reading this review here: http://parchmentgirl.com/2010/12/23/u...
Continue reading this review here: http://parchmentgirl.com/2010/12/23/u...
June 22, 2011
Fascinating glimpse by a survivor into a firsthand account of being buried underneath a six story hotel in Haiti during their earthquake. The author tells about his lifelong struggles to live his Christian faith and not lose it during adversity. Although he had been tested and survived his wife's major struggle with bipolar disorder, he now has his biggest challenge as it take 3 plus days for him to be rescued. A good story about how faith is never "done" and takes diligence and courage.
March 26, 2012
I don't read much non-fiction, but my daughter recommended this book, and I'm glad I listened. Dan Woolley's incredible tale made me cry from almost the first page and by the end, I cried at the sheer beauty of his experience. Trapped when a 6 story hotel fell around him in Haiti's earthquake, Woolley spent agonizing days and nights waiting for death or rescue. His faith in God is a major part of the book.
June 3, 2012
Dan Woolley's story of surviving the Haiti earthquake is about far more than his entrapment and rescue. The parallel story of his wife's years-long struggle with depression adds powerful motivation to his fight to live. The iPhone gets a lot of press for Dan's survival, but Bear Grylls should get a few nods also. Most importantly, is Dan's reliance on and struggles with God as he lay injured and alone in the dark of the Hotel Montana.
September 2, 2011
Wow - great book! I am employed by the same ministry as the author so I was already familiar with most of this story. Unfortunately, I put off reading the book because of that fact- little did I know how much of an impact reading this book would have on me. I was moved by Dan's vulnerability as he weaved his family and faith throughout the book - check it out!
June 16, 2011
Page-turner. Dan's strong faith walk through the grueling and terrifying hours after he was trapped under the Hotel Montana following the Haiti earthquake. A surprising part of the story is his wife's history of depression and how this affected them both during this tragedy. The honesty of both Dan and his wife is refreshing and riveting.
July 29, 2011
This was not only a story about surival, but a story about severe depression. The main character, Dan Woolley, went to Haiti and became trapped for two and a half days. His wife who suffers from depression is left unknowing if he is dead or alive. She has two young children, no idea what to do next and their story of his recovery. It was a good story a little confusing at times, but good.
October 20, 2011
Makes you think about how you're living your life on a daily basis. Would I be ready to die? What would be my "unfinished business"? What would I be thinking about while trapped for 65 hours? Can't read this book without believing in miracles but also questioning why some are saved and some aren't.
October 18, 2016
This is truly a good read. It is a page turner. You do not want to put it down. He keeps you on the edge or your seat and you feel the feelings he is going through. I particularly liked how his wife told her point of view. This is such a good read. I will not tell you what happens, but it is a testimony of faith and endurance in the hardest of times.
July 16, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author worked for Compassion International (CI)and was in Haiti at the time of the earthquake - and trapped at the hotel. His faith and the friendship of another Haitian also trapped, is what led to his rescue.
February 24, 2011
I'd highly recommend this book. It is about much more than his experience of surviving an earthquake.
January 24, 2013
Simply written book about faith, courage and the sustaining power of God in His infinite wisdom.
May 12, 2011
My VCHS classmate's true ordeal surviving the earthquake in Haiti.
July 14, 2011
Dan did an amazing job of sharing what it was like to live through the collapse of the Hotel Montana. His writing style is great and its a quick read. I finished it in 2 days.
September 7, 2011
Forest Book Club
November 8, 2011
Wow. This book will stay with you. Also, you probably won't be able to put it down once you actually get into it. Reader beware!!
June 13, 2012
I followed the rescue of those under the collapsed Hotel Montana in Haiti in real time, thanks to the Internet, so this book -- though not particularly well written -- was interesting to me.
October 14, 2012
I love reading biographies and true stories. This was an awe-inspiring account of the Haiti earthquake, well-written and well-rounded. Very vivid.
September 25, 2012
great book! Usually not a big fan of true stories but this one is well written! A story of courage & faith that keeps you reading. Rings true!
October 15, 2012
Great story of courage.
December 9, 2012
Good book. It finished strong.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews