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Stebuklas Anduose
Pirmosiomis valandomis nebuvo nieko: nei išgąsčio, nei baimės, vien tamsa ir aklina tyla.
Nandas Paradas (Nando Parado) išgulėjo tris paras be sąmonės, o ją atgavęs pamatė, kad lėktuvas, kuriuo kartu su savo regbio komanda, artimaisiais ir sirgaliais skrido į Čilę žaisti parodomųjų rungtynių, sudužęs kažkur Andų viduryje. Dauguma keleivių, tarp jų ir jo mama su seserimi, žuvę, o išgyvenusieji palikti likimo valiai atšiauriame ledyne beveik 4000 m. virš jūros lygio be jokių maisto atsargų ir ryšio priemonių prisišaukti pagalbą.
Jie grumiasi su šalčiu, sniego lavinomis ir sulaukia pribloškiančios žinios, kad jų paieškos nutrauktos.
Slenkant vienai dienai po kitos, Nando mintys vis labiau sukasi apie tėvą, kurį turėjo palaužti sielvartas, ir galiausiai jis nutaria verčiau pabandyti grįžti namo arba žūti, nei sėdėti čia ir laukti galo. Nandas pasiryžta mesti iššūkį Andams, širdies gilumoje būdamas visiškai tikras, kad jam nepavyks, tačiau nuolat sau kartoja, kad jei ir žus, tai būdamas arčiau tėvo. Tai nevilties padiktuotas sprendimas, tačiau taip pat vienintelė likusi galimybė išgyventi, todėl Nandas, paprastas jaunuolis, iki tol nebuvęs joks herojus ar lyderis, imasi vadovauti bendražygių kopimui į klastingus snieguoto kalno šlaitus ir septyniasdešimties kilometrų žygiui per ledo dykumą ieškant pagalbos.
Praslinkus trisdešimčiai metų po šios nelaimės Nandas pasakoja apie tai nepaprastai nuoširdžiai ir emocingai. „Stebuklas Anduose“ – pasakojimas pirmu asmeniu apie lėktuvo sudužimą ir išgyvenimą kalnuose – yra kur kas daugiau nei vien jaudinanti tikra istorija: tai knyga apie buvimą prie pat mirties slenksčio ir visanugalinčią meilės galią.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,184 reviews
September 21, 2020
Why bother reading Nando Parrado's book if you have already read 'Alive' right? After all, that book was written right after the event with extensive interviews with the 16 survivors and offers an accurate and detailed account of the events of that tragic crash sight portrayed in the 1993 Ethan Hawke movie 'Alive'?
Wrong. This book is simply amazing. Written thirty years after the crash Nando ruminates and expresses his emotions about those awful 72 days. There are many interesting points he brings up.
By all accounts Nando was a shy awkward boy before the crash, but it was HIM out of the 26 survivors (which tragically became 16 before the rescue) that kept his wits about him and tenaciously climbed over that mountain in street clothes and no gear and got his friends that were starving to death rescued.
To this day Nando is very humble, saying he's not a hero, saying he just wanted off that mountain and would rather die trying than stay in that ghoulish crash site infamous for the survivors having to eat the dead. Many of the other boys helped the situation (or fell apart) in various ways but it was Nando that got them out. What is the magic temperament and personality of a survivalist when the chips are down and all hope is lost?
I loved viewing the narrative from his view, which is not the detailed account of events in 'Alive' but Nando's perception of them. There are several details that stood out, inspired me, and broke my heart.
1.) Tending to his sister while she took a week to die after the crash. In 'Alive' the other witnesses show Nando being quiet and lying by her. In his account he is consumed with anguish at not being able to take away her pain. He had always been an over protective big brother, going as far as to drive her home from parties and sitting in the back of movie theaters on her dates to make sure his sister Suzy was safe. Most sisters would resent this but Suzy liked it, they were extremely close. All he could do was shield her from the cold with his body, and when she died he could hug her tight without fear of hurting her.
2.) It was fear and love for his Father that gave him the tenacity to keep going over that mountain. Knowing his father thought his wife, daughter, and son were all killed Nando wanted to get back to him so his father didn't kill himself.
3.)From the start he was practical. When he awoke from a coma after the crash to find his Mother dead, his best friend dead, and his sister dying a disembodied voice in his head told him. 'Don't cry. Crying wastes salt. You need salt to live.' I know that never would have gone through my mind at such a time.
4.)He visualized going over that mountain every day, staring at it, imagining his path. People say visualization helps one reach goals and Nando was obsessed with it. If not for the other survivors begging him to stay he would have gone over the mountain earlier and frozen to death, he was so determined. It was only after they fashioned a sleeping bag out of he plane insulation that it was possible for the expedition to be successful.
5. A thought that kept going through his mind was "I'm already dead, so I might as well do this until I drop."
6. By all accounts in 'Alive' he picked on, harassed, and bullied fellow survivor Roy Harley, which the other boys didn't get. Unlike Canessa and Tin Tin, Nando was not a bully, he was the opposite. Even though he was one of the strong he looked out after the weak. Roy Harley was a boy that was physically unharmed but would burst into tears a lot and had a bit of a nervous breakdown. There were other boys who contributed less, so why did Nando single out Harley?
Nando says, all these years later, that he saw himself in Roy Harley. The expressions on his face mirrored what was he was feeling. Nando didn't cry once during the entire ordeal on that mountain. Every time Roy did, Nando felt like he would break. Nando know if he broke, he would never survive and get off that mountain. He says now he is ashamed of how he treated him.
(After an expedition to the broken off plane tail to retrieve batteries Canessa and Tin Tin abandoned Harley in the storm after Harley fell down and wouldn't get up. Nando abandoned him too - they had to get back to the fuselage or die in the storm - Nando couldn't take leaving him to die and went back for him. After cursing out his Mother, coaxing, and kicking him Nando got Harley to get up and walk. He saved Harley's life (twice if you count the final rescue so Harley couldn't hold that much of a grudge against Nando.) But I think it's to his credit that he feels bad.
7. Most of the other survivors felt that God was protecting them and would rescue them and loved them. Nando never felt this, even though he had a religious Catholic upbringing. It was all too random to him. The only reason he was alive and his best friend was dead was because ten minutes before they crashed his friend asked to switch spots so he could have a window seat to look at the mountains. His Mom and sister were dead because of seats they chose on the airplane. If God was protecting the survivors that does that mean they didn't love the dead? He knew such thoughts would only put him in a rage and then demoralize him to the point he couldn't survive, so he put them out of his mind. None the less, he always felt God watching him and present with him, even if he was not protecting him.
8. He is so inspirational. He says everyone in life has their own Andes. Sometimes it's illness, death of a loved one, etc. We're not expecting it, we can't change it. But don't give up.
This book had me in tears at least three or four times. Everyone should read this book, it's amazing.
Wrong. This book is simply amazing. Written thirty years after the crash Nando ruminates and expresses his emotions about those awful 72 days. There are many interesting points he brings up.
By all accounts Nando was a shy awkward boy before the crash, but it was HIM out of the 26 survivors (which tragically became 16 before the rescue) that kept his wits about him and tenaciously climbed over that mountain in street clothes and no gear and got his friends that were starving to death rescued.
To this day Nando is very humble, saying he's not a hero, saying he just wanted off that mountain and would rather die trying than stay in that ghoulish crash site infamous for the survivors having to eat the dead. Many of the other boys helped the situation (or fell apart) in various ways but it was Nando that got them out. What is the magic temperament and personality of a survivalist when the chips are down and all hope is lost?
I loved viewing the narrative from his view, which is not the detailed account of events in 'Alive' but Nando's perception of them. There are several details that stood out, inspired me, and broke my heart.
1.) Tending to his sister while she took a week to die after the crash. In 'Alive' the other witnesses show Nando being quiet and lying by her. In his account he is consumed with anguish at not being able to take away her pain. He had always been an over protective big brother, going as far as to drive her home from parties and sitting in the back of movie theaters on her dates to make sure his sister Suzy was safe. Most sisters would resent this but Suzy liked it, they were extremely close. All he could do was shield her from the cold with his body, and when she died he could hug her tight without fear of hurting her.
2.) It was fear and love for his Father that gave him the tenacity to keep going over that mountain. Knowing his father thought his wife, daughter, and son were all killed Nando wanted to get back to him so his father didn't kill himself.
3.)From the start he was practical. When he awoke from a coma after the crash to find his Mother dead, his best friend dead, and his sister dying a disembodied voice in his head told him. 'Don't cry. Crying wastes salt. You need salt to live.' I know that never would have gone through my mind at such a time.
4.)He visualized going over that mountain every day, staring at it, imagining his path. People say visualization helps one reach goals and Nando was obsessed with it. If not for the other survivors begging him to stay he would have gone over the mountain earlier and frozen to death, he was so determined. It was only after they fashioned a sleeping bag out of he plane insulation that it was possible for the expedition to be successful.
5. A thought that kept going through his mind was "I'm already dead, so I might as well do this until I drop."
6. By all accounts in 'Alive' he picked on, harassed, and bullied fellow survivor Roy Harley, which the other boys didn't get. Unlike Canessa and Tin Tin, Nando was not a bully, he was the opposite. Even though he was one of the strong he looked out after the weak. Roy Harley was a boy that was physically unharmed but would burst into tears a lot and had a bit of a nervous breakdown. There were other boys who contributed less, so why did Nando single out Harley?
Nando says, all these years later, that he saw himself in Roy Harley. The expressions on his face mirrored what was he was feeling. Nando didn't cry once during the entire ordeal on that mountain. Every time Roy did, Nando felt like he would break. Nando know if he broke, he would never survive and get off that mountain. He says now he is ashamed of how he treated him.
(After an expedition to the broken off plane tail to retrieve batteries Canessa and Tin Tin abandoned Harley in the storm after Harley fell down and wouldn't get up. Nando abandoned him too - they had to get back to the fuselage or die in the storm - Nando couldn't take leaving him to die and went back for him. After cursing out his Mother, coaxing, and kicking him Nando got Harley to get up and walk. He saved Harley's life (twice if you count the final rescue so Harley couldn't hold that much of a grudge against Nando.) But I think it's to his credit that he feels bad.
7. Most of the other survivors felt that God was protecting them and would rescue them and loved them. Nando never felt this, even though he had a religious Catholic upbringing. It was all too random to him. The only reason he was alive and his best friend was dead was because ten minutes before they crashed his friend asked to switch spots so he could have a window seat to look at the mountains. His Mom and sister were dead because of seats they chose on the airplane. If God was protecting the survivors that does that mean they didn't love the dead? He knew such thoughts would only put him in a rage and then demoralize him to the point he couldn't survive, so he put them out of his mind. None the less, he always felt God watching him and present with him, even if he was not protecting him.
8. He is so inspirational. He says everyone in life has their own Andes. Sometimes it's illness, death of a loved one, etc. We're not expecting it, we can't change it. But don't give up.
This book had me in tears at least three or four times. Everyone should read this book, it's amazing.
January 19, 2023
Riveting, couldn't put it down memoir by Nando Parrado regarding a plane crash in the Andes with a rugby team and their friends and family.
The survivors lived for 72 days in horrific conditions. Incredible medical and weather challenges continued to claim lives as they fought for their survival.
It is a jaw dropping, against the odds, gripping trek physically and mentally.
Some of Parrado's key lessons from this harrowing experience:
* Camaraderie is a noble thing, but in the end death is an opponent that each of us face in solitude
* The only crucial thing in life is to love and be loved
Highly recommend!!
The survivors lived for 72 days in horrific conditions. Incredible medical and weather challenges continued to claim lives as they fought for their survival.
It is a jaw dropping, against the odds, gripping trek physically and mentally.
Some of Parrado's key lessons from this harrowing experience:
* Camaraderie is a noble thing, but in the end death is an opponent that each of us face in solitude
* The only crucial thing in life is to love and be loved
Highly recommend!!
September 4, 2021
This book contains an incredible story.
In October of 1972 an airplane carrying 45 passengers and crew - a Uruguayan rugby team of young men, some family members, friends and a crew of four - crashed into the Andes mountains on their way to an exhibition game in Chile. I learned of this event, at that time, on the television news and newspaper accounts and instantly became captivated by the story.
A book, "Alive" written by Piers Paul Read, was published in 1975 and became a best-seller. I read that book soon after. Read's book was based on facts and interviews of the sixteen survivors. Nando Parrado's book is more personal and heart-felt. You see, Parrado was actually one of those survivors.
Parrado tells of those harrowing 72 days made even more tragic to him by the deaths of his mother and sister. He recounts the facts of enduring weeks of sub-freezing temperatures, their desperation, fear of death and abandonment and coming to grips with the realization that they would have to start eating the dead in order to survive.
Teamwork, hope, love of family and faith carried them through their ordeal toward an eventual desperate attempt at rescue.
Very well written and a great inspirational read.
In October of 1972 an airplane carrying 45 passengers and crew - a Uruguayan rugby team of young men, some family members, friends and a crew of four - crashed into the Andes mountains on their way to an exhibition game in Chile. I learned of this event, at that time, on the television news and newspaper accounts and instantly became captivated by the story.
A book, "Alive" written by Piers Paul Read, was published in 1975 and became a best-seller. I read that book soon after. Read's book was based on facts and interviews of the sixteen survivors. Nando Parrado's book is more personal and heart-felt. You see, Parrado was actually one of those survivors.
Parrado tells of those harrowing 72 days made even more tragic to him by the deaths of his mother and sister. He recounts the facts of enduring weeks of sub-freezing temperatures, their desperation, fear of death and abandonment and coming to grips with the realization that they would have to start eating the dead in order to survive.
Teamwork, hope, love of family and faith carried them through their ordeal toward an eventual desperate attempt at rescue.
Very well written and a great inspirational read.
December 2, 2023
In 1972, author Nando Parrado was a member of a Uruguayan rugby team that chartered a plane to fly them over the Andes mountain range to play a match in Chile. For several days before their flight took off the weather had been bad. But on the day they left, the weather had cleared. At an altitude of 12,000 feet, the plane encountered severe turbulence and crashed in a remote part of the Andes mountains.
Nando Parrado’s poignant account of the events that followed will hold you spellbound. Survivors of the crash endured unimaginable hardships as they faced extreme temperature drops, starvation, avalanches, as well as learning the crushing news that the search for their downed plane had been suspended. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned into months as the group desperately tried to find a way off the mountain.
It is truly a miracle that anyone survived. This is a story of friendship, faith, determination, love, and never giving up.
Many years ago, I read the book entitled Alive by Piers Paul Read which detailed the events surrounding this tragedy. However, Nando Parrado’s account provides even more detail because he lived it. His story goes beyond the facts and presents a moving, heartfelt, and inspirational account of the emotional ordeal that the survivors faced in addition to the extreme physical deprivation they endured. It is haunting, gripping and a testament to the power of the human spirit.
UPDATE (12/23):
This incredible true story has been made into a movie called Society of the Snow which will appear on Netflix in January. An earlier movie entitled Alive (based on the book of the same title) starring Ethan Hawke was made in 1993. However, the new movie was filmed on the site of the original crash, and at the same time of year that the original cash occurred. If you are interested in stories of survival against all odds, this book and the new movie are a must read!
Nando Parrado’s poignant account of the events that followed will hold you spellbound. Survivors of the crash endured unimaginable hardships as they faced extreme temperature drops, starvation, avalanches, as well as learning the crushing news that the search for their downed plane had been suspended. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned into months as the group desperately tried to find a way off the mountain.
It is truly a miracle that anyone survived. This is a story of friendship, faith, determination, love, and never giving up.
Many years ago, I read the book entitled Alive by Piers Paul Read which detailed the events surrounding this tragedy. However, Nando Parrado’s account provides even more detail because he lived it. His story goes beyond the facts and presents a moving, heartfelt, and inspirational account of the emotional ordeal that the survivors faced in addition to the extreme physical deprivation they endured. It is haunting, gripping and a testament to the power of the human spirit.
UPDATE (12/23):
This incredible true story has been made into a movie called Society of the Snow which will appear on Netflix in January. An earlier movie entitled Alive (based on the book of the same title) starring Ethan Hawke was made in 1993. However, the new movie was filmed on the site of the original crash, and at the same time of year that the original cash occurred. If you are interested in stories of survival against all odds, this book and the new movie are a must read!
September 15, 2024
4 ☆
Miracle in the Andes is the story of survival under extreme circumstances, given from the perspective of Nando Parrado, who had managed to walk away from perilous conditions. On Friday the 13th in October 1972, a charter plane left Montevideo, Uruguay, bound for Santiago, Chile, which lies almost due west on the opposite side of the Andes. A crew of four accompanied their 41 passengers, most of whom were either part of the Old Christians Rugby Club or their friends and family members. Turbulent spring weather interrupted their flight and forced a landing in Mendoza. Mostly in their 20s, the athletes urged the pilots to continue despite the unpropitious weather forecast as they didn't want to forfeit their match. Disaster struck.
The average elevation of the Andes range is about 13,000 feet, and its tallest peak exceeds 22,000 feet. The pilots had sought to cross the mountains at the lowest point they could find in their flight path. When the plane broke up, the fuselage landed at an elevation of about 12,000 feet. While there are cities at similar elevations within South America, that was not the place that fate had for Parrado and his companions. No other life forms were visible. There were no cute llamas or alpacas that could provide a source of sustenance. Think of the unthinkable. The ones who had not immediately been killed by the crash had to make unpalatable choices in order to exist long enough to realize their hopes of being rescued.
This was not easy reading. Because I had never before heard about their ordeal, I didn't know how many ultimately survived. Nature in its uncloaked power reigned. Terrible, grievous losses occurred. The situation reminded me of a real life version of And Then There Were None with Nature as the villain picking off its victims. Parrado wrote frankly of his feelings and thought processes, which evoked the feeling of a frustrated lab mouse caught within a labyrinth without any food or outlet.
People respond differently under duress. Many relied upon their Christian faith and counted upon the authorities to find and rescue them. Faith and hope were severely tested as more of their companions succumbed to their injuries and to the lack of food. Eventually, many lost hope of rescue. Nando's motivation, however, stemmed not from religious beliefs but sprung from the love of his family and for his father in particular.
While I have read a couple of other extreme survival tales, Miracle in the Andes wasn't something that I would have chosen on my own. I read this as one of the featured reads for the Non Fiction Book Club. It was a miracle that not everybody immediately perished. Their ensuing ordeal was harrowing, and this was without Parrado dwelling much upon the grisly details. He wrote this more than 30 years after the crash. His goals were to set the records about some people straight and to inspire others.
... they can see that even in the face of cruelest kind of suffering, and against all odds, an ordinary person can endure.
Savor your existence. Live every moment. Do not waste a breath.
Miracle in the Andes is the story of survival under extreme circumstances, given from the perspective of Nando Parrado, who had managed to walk away from perilous conditions. On Friday the 13th in October 1972, a charter plane left Montevideo, Uruguay, bound for Santiago, Chile, which lies almost due west on the opposite side of the Andes. A crew of four accompanied their 41 passengers, most of whom were either part of the Old Christians Rugby Club or their friends and family members. Turbulent spring weather interrupted their flight and forced a landing in Mendoza. Mostly in their 20s, the athletes urged the pilots to continue despite the unpropitious weather forecast as they didn't want to forfeit their match. Disaster struck.
It seemed that we had fallen through a crack in the sky into some frozen hell from which no return to the ordinary world was even possible.
... the Andes had been thrust up from the earth's crust millions of years before humans ever walked the planet. Nothing in this place welcomed human life, or even acknowledged its existence. The cold tormented us. The thin air starved our lungs.
Life is an anomaly here, and the mountains will tolerate that anomaly for only so long.
The average elevation of the Andes range is about 13,000 feet, and its tallest peak exceeds 22,000 feet. The pilots had sought to cross the mountains at the lowest point they could find in their flight path. When the plane broke up, the fuselage landed at an elevation of about 12,000 feet. While there are cities at similar elevations within South America, that was not the place that fate had for Parrado and his companions. No other life forms were visible. There were no cute llamas or alpacas that could provide a source of sustenance. Think of the unthinkable. The ones who had not immediately been killed by the crash had to make unpalatable choices in order to exist long enough to realize their hopes of being rescued.
The rules here were too savage and strange, and I knew I could never imagine the hardships, setbacks, and horrors that might lie ahead. So I would teach myself to live in constant uncertainty, moment by moment, step by step. I would live as if I were dead already
This was not easy reading. Because I had never before heard about their ordeal, I didn't know how many ultimately survived. Nature in its uncloaked power reigned. Terrible, grievous losses occurred. The situation reminded me of a real life version of And Then There Were None with Nature as the villain picking off its victims. Parrado wrote frankly of his feelings and thought processes, which evoked the feeling of a frustrated lab mouse caught within a labyrinth without any food or outlet.
People respond differently under duress. Many relied upon their Christian faith and counted upon the authorities to find and rescue them. Faith and hope were severely tested as more of their companions succumbed to their injuries and to the lack of food. Eventually, many lost hope of rescue. Nando's motivation, however, stemmed not from religious beliefs but sprung from the love of his family and for his father in particular.
Death has an opposite, but the opposite is not mere living. It is not courage or faith or human will. The opposite of death is love. ... Love is our only weapon. Only love can turn mere life into a miracle, and draw precious meaning from suffering and fear. For a brief, magical moment, all my fears lifted, and I knew that I would not let death control me. I would walk through the godforsaken country that separated me from my home with love and hope in my heart. I would walk until I had walked all the life out of me, and when I fell I would die that much closer to my father.
While I have read a couple of other extreme survival tales, Miracle in the Andes wasn't something that I would have chosen on my own. I read this as one of the featured reads for the Non Fiction Book Club. It was a miracle that not everybody immediately perished. Their ensuing ordeal was harrowing, and this was without Parrado dwelling much upon the grisly details. He wrote this more than 30 years after the crash. His goals were to set the records about some people straight and to inspire others.
October 6, 2013
Such a moving and amazing book on survival, loss and triumph of the human spirit. This is a personal account written by Nando Parrado of what happened to him and other survivors of the Andes plane crash. Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as their family members and supporters, to an exhibition game in Chile had crashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon learned that many were dead or dying—among them his own mother and sister. Those who remained were stranded on a lifeless glacier at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, with no supplies and no means of summoning help. They struggled to endure freezing temperatures, deadly avalanches, and then the devastating news that the search for them had been called off. Mr. Parrado and 2 other men walked for 10 days over the Andes Mountains before they say a farmer who summoned help and the survivors were rescued and brought home.
November 2, 2013
Opening Line: “It was Friday the thirteenth of October. We joked about that -flying over the Andes on such an unlucky day, but young men make these kinds of jokes so easily.”
This was a fantastic read, absolutely gripping even though I already knew the story pretty well having read Piers Paul Read’s Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors and catching the movie on TV a couple times. You wouldn’t really think there'd be much left to tell of the ill-fated Uruguayan rugby team’s plane crash and their subsequent 72 days spent stranded in the Andes Mountains, but we’ve never heard Nando’s story before and it’s worth hearing. (He’s the one played by Ethan Hawke in the movie who was ultimately responsible for their rescue)
This book is also interesting as its written 30 years after the event so we get detailed updates from, not just Nando but the other survivors as well. Describing their lives since the rescue; jobs, marriages, children, problems with drugs etc. (There are lots of children and that made me smile)
There are some 30 pages of photographs included here which contain shots of the team before the crash, during their ordeal, during their rescue and in the years after. The pictures taken at the crash site are especially haunting because they just look like college boys on vacation until you notice the eyes, gaunt faces and the fact that they’re starving. Oh and the wreck of the plane in the background. Yes, Nando does go into detail about the much published cannibalism and their brutal decision to eat the dead in order to survive. (Most looked at it as a sort of religious experience, i.e. eating the body of Christ to sustain themselves as starvation would be suicide which goes against Catholicism.)
As an essentially non-religious person I have to say that I found Nando’s interpretations of God particularly interesting. How could you not come to an understanding of God and life and love when death had tapped you on the shoulder for such a long time? You would have to make peace with it all. On that note Nando says he didn’t suffer from PTSD or survivor’s guilt because he had felt death and was no longer afraid, choosing instead to live, to honor the victims. “God is love, God is all around us.”
I have to say this book affected me on many levels and Parrado tells his story with such candor and feeling that I (scarily) joined him right there at the crash site more than once. One other scene continues to haunt me; after everything he’s been through when Nando gets back to his father’s house, he stops and just looks out the window, realizing that life is still going on, people are still going to work, kids are still playing in yards and he thinks “I wouldn’t have left much of a hole in the world had I not returned.”
In a first person account, Nando Parrado describes how after being unconscious for 3 days he awakens to discover that the plane carrying his team to a rugby game in Chili has crashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon discovers that many are dead or dying including his mother and sister. Those still alive are stranded on a glacier at nearly 12,000 feet with no supplies or means of contact. Struggling to survive takes on a whole new meaning as they face freezing temperatures, deadly avalanches, starvation and finally news that the search has been called off. After some 72 days Nando makes the terrifying decision to hike out of the frozen wilderness, leading the expedition in an attempt to find help.
378jb5
This was a fantastic read, absolutely gripping even though I already knew the story pretty well having read Piers Paul Read’s Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors and catching the movie on TV a couple times. You wouldn’t really think there'd be much left to tell of the ill-fated Uruguayan rugby team’s plane crash and their subsequent 72 days spent stranded in the Andes Mountains, but we’ve never heard Nando’s story before and it’s worth hearing. (He’s the one played by Ethan Hawke in the movie who was ultimately responsible for their rescue)
This book is also interesting as its written 30 years after the event so we get detailed updates from, not just Nando but the other survivors as well. Describing their lives since the rescue; jobs, marriages, children, problems with drugs etc. (There are lots of children and that made me smile)
There are some 30 pages of photographs included here which contain shots of the team before the crash, during their ordeal, during their rescue and in the years after. The pictures taken at the crash site are especially haunting because they just look like college boys on vacation until you notice the eyes, gaunt faces and the fact that they’re starving. Oh and the wreck of the plane in the background. Yes, Nando does go into detail about the much published cannibalism and their brutal decision to eat the dead in order to survive. (Most looked at it as a sort of religious experience, i.e. eating the body of Christ to sustain themselves as starvation would be suicide which goes against Catholicism.)
As an essentially non-religious person I have to say that I found Nando’s interpretations of God particularly interesting. How could you not come to an understanding of God and life and love when death had tapped you on the shoulder for such a long time? You would have to make peace with it all. On that note Nando says he didn’t suffer from PTSD or survivor’s guilt because he had felt death and was no longer afraid, choosing instead to live, to honor the victims. “God is love, God is all around us.”
I have to say this book affected me on many levels and Parrado tells his story with such candor and feeling that I (scarily) joined him right there at the crash site more than once. One other scene continues to haunt me; after everything he’s been through when Nando gets back to his father’s house, he stops and just looks out the window, realizing that life is still going on, people are still going to work, kids are still playing in yards and he thinks “I wouldn’t have left much of a hole in the world had I not returned.”
In a first person account, Nando Parrado describes how after being unconscious for 3 days he awakens to discover that the plane carrying his team to a rugby game in Chili has crashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon discovers that many are dead or dying including his mother and sister. Those still alive are stranded on a glacier at nearly 12,000 feet with no supplies or means of contact. Struggling to survive takes on a whole new meaning as they face freezing temperatures, deadly avalanches, starvation and finally news that the search has been called off. After some 72 days Nando makes the terrifying decision to hike out of the frozen wilderness, leading the expedition in an attempt to find help.
378jb5
May 13, 2024
It’s rare for me to find a book that shifts my perspective, as a person, and makes me see life in a new light, but Nando’s honest and raw account of his experience in the Andes plane crash shifted something in me and reminded me that life is so precious.
We may go through moments of strife, pain, anger, and extreme loss. We may carry those moments and memories within us, but at the heart of it all, love carries us forward.
Love.
It’s always love.
We may go through moments of strife, pain, anger, and extreme loss. We may carry those moments and memories within us, but at the heart of it all, love carries us forward.
Love.
It’s always love.
June 3, 2008
A staggering story....Intense and Incredible!
When my book club chose this book, I honestly wasn't looking forward to reading it. I had read ALIVE and thought I already knew the story, as it had been told in detail.
Boy, was I blown away! What an amazing surprise MIRACLE IN THE ANDES turned out to be!
Nanado Parrado very skillfully and gently takes you into those mountains with such vivid images and heartbreaking exchanges of dialogue, that you 'feel' the immense cold, your stomach actually churns with their hunger, and your body aches with an emotional empathy.
The calm camaraderie of these astonishing young men amazes with their awe-inspiring courage!
The reader comes to know and care about every man and woman caught in this horrible nightmare of survival at it's bleakest.
So many times throughout the novel, just when hope was gaining or plans were coming together to find a 'way out', a devastating set-back would occur. As hope was dashed once again, the spirit and love of these stranded survivors would not diminish....and another plan was carefully thought out.
Everything in their lives was re-examined; their faith repeatedly tested and the bonds of brotherhood strengthened beyond belief!
This riveting account is sure to elevate and illuminate faith in the love that shines the light on their 'miraculous' journey.
When my book club chose this book, I honestly wasn't looking forward to reading it. I had read ALIVE and thought I already knew the story, as it had been told in detail.
Boy, was I blown away! What an amazing surprise MIRACLE IN THE ANDES turned out to be!
Nanado Parrado very skillfully and gently takes you into those mountains with such vivid images and heartbreaking exchanges of dialogue, that you 'feel' the immense cold, your stomach actually churns with their hunger, and your body aches with an emotional empathy.
The calm camaraderie of these astonishing young men amazes with their awe-inspiring courage!
The reader comes to know and care about every man and woman caught in this horrible nightmare of survival at it's bleakest.
So many times throughout the novel, just when hope was gaining or plans were coming together to find a 'way out', a devastating set-back would occur. As hope was dashed once again, the spirit and love of these stranded survivors would not diminish....and another plan was carefully thought out.
Everything in their lives was re-examined; their faith repeatedly tested and the bonds of brotherhood strengthened beyond belief!
This riveting account is sure to elevate and illuminate faith in the love that shines the light on their 'miraculous' journey.
January 10, 2024
✨ 5 stars for this masterfully told and emotionally devastating memoir. With his words, Parrado presents a bittersweet tribute to this story, his fellow survivors, and to the family, friends, and teammates that were lost.
This was a deeply emotional read; there were times I felt like my gut was bottoming out, from grief, from sympathy. I naively thought I had known my needed share on this tragedy after learning about it as a teenager, and doing what most do: turning to Wikipedia. And maybe it captures the general historic timeline of events, but I was a fool to think that’s all this story needed.
Parrado is a phenomenal writer, who shares instead of sensationalizes, and deeply reflects upon his own thoughts and actions during the crash and its aftermath, understanding that while this is his story in a literal sense, his own memoir written by himself, it is also truly a story shared by 45, the total number of passengers and crew on the Fairchild charter plane.
Having a brief peek into the later lives of the 16 survivors in the epilogue, it is immensely gratifying to see how, while the Andes certainly left their mark of these men, they each were able to move forward with their lives, and keep in touch with each other, all like brothers.
Wow. Sincerely moved by this one.
This was a deeply emotional read; there were times I felt like my gut was bottoming out, from grief, from sympathy. I naively thought I had known my needed share on this tragedy after learning about it as a teenager, and doing what most do: turning to Wikipedia. And maybe it captures the general historic timeline of events, but I was a fool to think that’s all this story needed.
Parrado is a phenomenal writer, who shares instead of sensationalizes, and deeply reflects upon his own thoughts and actions during the crash and its aftermath, understanding that while this is his story in a literal sense, his own memoir written by himself, it is also truly a story shared by 45, the total number of passengers and crew on the Fairchild charter plane.
Having a brief peek into the later lives of the 16 survivors in the epilogue, it is immensely gratifying to see how, while the Andes certainly left their mark of these men, they each were able to move forward with their lives, and keep in touch with each other, all like brothers.
Wow. Sincerely moved by this one.
February 27, 2021
1 millón de estrellas. Ni siquiera tengo palabras para describir lo mucho que me encantó este libro. Todo el mundo lo tiene que leer.
January 29, 2025
Deep, wise, brave, complicated.
Self-confessed idiot: I must admit, I was interested in this story for the unappetising elements and the dilemma the plane survivors faced. I also read Alive, covering the same event, for the same reason.
That theme was far less fascinating than the rest of the ordeal. Not only does the plane crash, which is my second worst nightmare, they are stranded in the Andes way up high (over 3,300m/11,000ft). Mountains on either side. It’s freezing cold at night, there’s hardly any room, they’re surrounded by the dead and wounded. Food and water are scarce (yes snow = water but still).
The survivors are constantly on the verge of death for 72 days, and when they think the worst has passed, more tragedy comes. Their mental and physical stamina was tested to the max.
The personalities and thought processes interested me the most. If it was you, what would you do? For them, some were too injured/too thin to do anything but wait. Some in better condition also waited. Many relied on God to save them, others took fate into their own hands. More on this…
This is probably confirmation bias on my part, but even when there was little left to hope for, so many survivors thought that God had spared them, and was looking after them because they believed in God and asked for protection. A survivor was asking them why the other passengers who believed in God weren’t saved and yet they were. Why save some and not others? Of course, he couldn’t get a straight answer and the topic lead to faith-based argument.
I felt particularly sorry for Nando Parrado, the author. All the survivors lost friends, team mates, they all lost someone. But Nando was one of two people who lost family members. Listening to the others thanking God for saving them and not his mum and sister must have been so hard. And to top it off, for Nando to be the one to hike over the mountains (with one other) braving the cold, avoiding crevices, possible avalanches, getting lost, running out of food/water, and the sheer exhaustion. The Andes are no hill. For him to take fate into his own hands whilst the others prayed and thanked God for saving them. He is a very patient man. Nando Parrado, legend.
For those wondering whether to read this after having read or watched Alive…I’d still recommend it. The others are more overviews, big picture drawing from the actions of all of them and dialogue. But this book provides the insights.
Self-confessed idiot: I must admit, I was interested in this story for the unappetising elements and the dilemma the plane survivors faced. I also read Alive, covering the same event, for the same reason.
That theme was far less fascinating than the rest of the ordeal. Not only does the plane crash, which is my second worst nightmare, they are stranded in the Andes way up high (over 3,300m/11,000ft). Mountains on either side. It’s freezing cold at night, there’s hardly any room, they’re surrounded by the dead and wounded. Food and water are scarce (yes snow = water but still).
The survivors are constantly on the verge of death for 72 days, and when they think the worst has passed, more tragedy comes. Their mental and physical stamina was tested to the max.
The personalities and thought processes interested me the most. If it was you, what would you do? For them, some were too injured/too thin to do anything but wait. Some in better condition also waited. Many relied on God to save them, others took fate into their own hands. More on this…
This is probably confirmation bias on my part, but even when there was little left to hope for, so many survivors thought that God had spared them, and was looking after them because they believed in God and asked for protection. A survivor was asking them why the other passengers who believed in God weren’t saved and yet they were. Why save some and not others? Of course, he couldn’t get a straight answer and the topic lead to faith-based argument.
I felt particularly sorry for Nando Parrado, the author. All the survivors lost friends, team mates, they all lost someone. But Nando was one of two people who lost family members. Listening to the others thanking God for saving them and not his mum and sister must have been so hard. And to top it off, for Nando to be the one to hike over the mountains (with one other) braving the cold, avoiding crevices, possible avalanches, getting lost, running out of food/water, and the sheer exhaustion. The Andes are no hill. For him to take fate into his own hands whilst the others prayed and thanked God for saving them. He is a very patient man. Nando Parrado, legend.
For those wondering whether to read this after having read or watched Alive…I’d still recommend it. The others are more overviews, big picture drawing from the actions of all of them and dialogue. But this book provides the insights.
March 8, 2023
This is an intense memoir recounting an epic survival. A must-read.
Recap synopsis:
A plane carrying 45 people, mostly members of the Uruguayan rugby team, their family members and supporters, crashed in the Andes in October 1972. After 72 days of surviving treacherous conditions, sixteen made it out alive.
You may have heard about or seen the movie, Alive (1993) starring Ethan Hawke or ‘Alive: The Story of Andes Survivors.” I hadn’t but came across this book while researching Patagonia for our vacation. From all the books written on this incident, I chose this particular book, the 50th-anniversary edition, because Nando Parrado (one of the survivors) recounts his personal experience and I knew I’d appreciate the insight into the psychological toll and inner trauma. “What would I do if….” is always a question I contemplate and a first-person account, one sharing emotions and insight, would allow me to walk a few hours in his shoes. This was a five-star read for me, not because of the content, but because the author was able to place me on the plane, experience the horror, and then bring me full circle and tell me how each survivor has fared in the past 50 years. What I wasn’t anticipating was the emotional toll it took on me. This is an extremely well-written book and I won’t forget it for a long, long time.
I also chose to make this book my first-ever audiobook for the simple reason that Parrado narrates the intro and epilogue. I wanted to hear it from him, in his own voice, and learn the pronunciation of names and places. I wanted to hear his emotion. It’s told in first person, so the candid flashbacks and vivid memories of his harrowing experience have a powerful impact. I got a new pair of cordless earbuds and listened to the entire 10.5h on audio and then flipped through the physical book in the ship’s library to see the pictures and highlight some of the quotes.
The essence of human emotion sets this book aside from the others. We all face hopelessness and despair, grief, abandonment and loss and all of us will face the inevitable nearness of death. Indeed, “we all have our own personal Andes.” I was encouraged to see that even in the face of suffering and against all odds, an ordinary person can endure. I was left with a responsibility to hurry up, quit delaying, and discover all the treasures in my life - every second is a gift, glowing with purpose and meaning.
“Savor your existence. Live every moment. Do not waste a breath.”
Caution: mental fortitude is needed! Please message me if you are interested in reading and have questions about triggers/sensitivity content.
Recap synopsis:
A plane carrying 45 people, mostly members of the Uruguayan rugby team, their family members and supporters, crashed in the Andes in October 1972. After 72 days of surviving treacherous conditions, sixteen made it out alive.
You may have heard about or seen the movie, Alive (1993) starring Ethan Hawke or ‘Alive: The Story of Andes Survivors.” I hadn’t but came across this book while researching Patagonia for our vacation. From all the books written on this incident, I chose this particular book, the 50th-anniversary edition, because Nando Parrado (one of the survivors) recounts his personal experience and I knew I’d appreciate the insight into the psychological toll and inner trauma. “What would I do if….” is always a question I contemplate and a first-person account, one sharing emotions and insight, would allow me to walk a few hours in his shoes. This was a five-star read for me, not because of the content, but because the author was able to place me on the plane, experience the horror, and then bring me full circle and tell me how each survivor has fared in the past 50 years. What I wasn’t anticipating was the emotional toll it took on me. This is an extremely well-written book and I won’t forget it for a long, long time.
I also chose to make this book my first-ever audiobook for the simple reason that Parrado narrates the intro and epilogue. I wanted to hear it from him, in his own voice, and learn the pronunciation of names and places. I wanted to hear his emotion. It’s told in first person, so the candid flashbacks and vivid memories of his harrowing experience have a powerful impact. I got a new pair of cordless earbuds and listened to the entire 10.5h on audio and then flipped through the physical book in the ship’s library to see the pictures and highlight some of the quotes.
The essence of human emotion sets this book aside from the others. We all face hopelessness and despair, grief, abandonment and loss and all of us will face the inevitable nearness of death. Indeed, “we all have our own personal Andes.” I was encouraged to see that even in the face of suffering and against all odds, an ordinary person can endure. I was left with a responsibility to hurry up, quit delaying, and discover all the treasures in my life - every second is a gift, glowing with purpose and meaning.
“Savor your existence. Live every moment. Do not waste a breath.”
Caution: mental fortitude is needed! Please message me if you are interested in reading and have questions about triggers/sensitivity content.
January 10, 2024
✉️ "There is no greater love than to give one's life for friends — No hay amor más grande que el que da la vida por sus amigos."
I have so much to say that I am at an utter loss for words. My feelings for Nando — for the other 15 survivors, for this incredible, tragic, incomprehensible story as a whole - are bigger than myself and bigger than my vocabulary; they consume me, and they are overflowing.
In the last four days since Society of the Snow was released (the new film based on the real events of what happened in the Andes) I have watched the film thrice and written lengthy and heartfelt reviews for them (first review, second review, third review) so technically speaking this is my fourth time trying to gather my thoughts and make sense of them in writing. In Society of the Snow Numa Turcatti narrates the story beautifully (that I expressed my fondness over in more detail in my film reviews), while this book has the narration of Nando Parrado. The shift in perspective was so interesting and I was very intrigued to get to know the story from a different point of view. Even with all my prior knowledge of the accident, Nando’s captivating writing made me feel like I was reading this story with fresh eyes, aching to know what would happen at the flip of every page.
I cannot emphasize enough how well written of a book this is, truly. Every page is stained with my highlighted sentences that were also oftentimes even whole paragraphs. I found myself tearing up at the smallest of moments, instances where nothing of significance was really even happening. The way he just described the simple presence of each mountain in the Andes, each gust of wind, each second of frigid night was so breathtaking and compelling. Through his words I could see the towering peaks of the Andes mountains when I closed my eyes, and I could see why the way he wrote about them conveyed a fear in the shadow of respect for them, but simultaneously an awe-like wonder too.
“Life did not fit here. It was all a violation of the perfect serenity that had reigned here for millions of years. I had sensed it the first time I gazed at this place: we had upset an ancient balance, and balance would have to be restored. It was all around me, in the silence, in the cold. Something wanted all that perfect silence back again; something in the mountain wanted us to be still.”
Furthermore, an aspect of the story that I found to be very interesting when reading this was how religion was handled and spoken about. With the boys on the rugby team all having gone to a private Catholic school together, many were deeply religious, and decisions taken during those two and a half months at the crash site were often in regard to their beliefs. There’s a scene in Society of the Snow reflecting this, where they’re discussing reluctantly whether they’ll have to surrender and engage in anthropophagy in order to survive:
“If we do it… what’ll happen to us? Will God forgive us?” “He’ll understand we’re doing everything we can in order to survive. And don’t I have the right to do everything I can to live? Who is going to take that right from me?”
It was such an unforgiving situation they were in and it was heartbreaking to both read about them and watch them being forced to choose between life and death in that way. Nando explains how many of them feared that if they did eat the flesh of their friends, it would lead to eternal damnation. Something almost heartwarming and inspirational in a way though, was how they fought to find reasonings in alignment with their faith. Some would compare their anthropophagy to the Eucharist; it would be no different than to consume the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Others would cite John 15:13 from the Bible to justify it; “No man hath greater love than this; that he lay down his life for his friends.”
However, even though most of them were devotedly Roman Catholic, Nando keeps referring to the words of his friend Arturo Nogueira in this book, and how his different view of the world ultimately forced Nando to confront his religious beliefs as well - “to examine principles and values [he] had never questioned”. Another scene from the film mirrors his faith well, this time in a monologue by Arturo to Numa:
“I have more faith now than I’ve ever had. But my faith… sorry, Numa… isn’t in your God. Because that God tells me what to do back home… but not what to do out here. We can’t look at what’s happening here in the same way as we did before. Numa. [taps fuselage] This is my heaven. And I believe in another God. I believe in the God that Roberto has in his head when he treats my wounds. In the God that Nando has in his legs when he keeps walking no matter what. I believe in Daniel’s hands when he cuts the meat. And Fito when he gives it to us, without saying which of our friends it belonged to. So we can eat it… without having to remember the life in their eyes. I believe in that God. I believe in Roberto. In Nando. In Daniel. In Fito. And in our fallen friends.”
In the book Nando explains how even though some of the boys found Arturo to be difficult and somewhat of an oddball, Nando was intrigued by him and began to admire his way of thinking as he got to know him better. Even in the last chapter of the book he mentions Arturo, and emphasizes how much of an impact he has had on Nando’s faith, even today. “In these unforgettable conversations with Arturo as he lay dying, he told me the best way to find faith was to have the courage to doubt. I remember these thoughts every day, and I doubt, I hope, and in this crude way I try to grope my way towards truth.” He grappled with his beliefs during all those long days he spent in the Andes, and I found that the way he was questioning and challenging his own faith — even in the time he supposed he would need it the most — was so brave and admirable. “What good is God to us? Why would He let my mother and sister die so senselessly? If He loves us so much, why does He leave us here to suffer?”
To get to have a glimpse of what was going through Nando’s mind during the insufferable two and a half months in the Andes he endured, was the most incredible gift. Moments that cannot be conveyed through nothing other than the words of a man who was there himself are all this book consists of. Moments that are so harrowing you have to read something twice just to ensure it is really true, that are so unfair and excruciating you have to look away and swallow your tears, but also moments that are so full of incredible hope, solidarity and shared love that your cheeks hurt from smiling. What these boys did on that mountain will never be about humanity at its worst, despite the haunting circumstances; it will always be about humanity at its best.
“‘Roberto,’ I said, ‘can you imagine how beautiful this would be if we were not dead men?’ I felt his hand wrap around mine. He was the only person who understood the magnitude of what we had done and of what we still had to do. I knew he was as frightened as I was, but I drew strength from our closeness. We were bonded now like brothers. We made each other better men.
‘We may be walking to our deaths,’ I said, ‘but I would rather walk to meet my death than wait for it to come to me.’
Roberto nodded. ‘You and I are friends, Nando,’ he said. ‘We have been through so much. Now let’s go die together.’”
I have so much to say that I am at an utter loss for words. My feelings for Nando — for the other 15 survivors, for this incredible, tragic, incomprehensible story as a whole - are bigger than myself and bigger than my vocabulary; they consume me, and they are overflowing.
In the last four days since Society of the Snow was released (the new film based on the real events of what happened in the Andes) I have watched the film thrice and written lengthy and heartfelt reviews for them (first review, second review, third review) so technically speaking this is my fourth time trying to gather my thoughts and make sense of them in writing. In Society of the Snow Numa Turcatti narrates the story beautifully (that I expressed my fondness over in more detail in my film reviews), while this book has the narration of Nando Parrado. The shift in perspective was so interesting and I was very intrigued to get to know the story from a different point of view. Even with all my prior knowledge of the accident, Nando’s captivating writing made me feel like I was reading this story with fresh eyes, aching to know what would happen at the flip of every page.
I cannot emphasize enough how well written of a book this is, truly. Every page is stained with my highlighted sentences that were also oftentimes even whole paragraphs. I found myself tearing up at the smallest of moments, instances where nothing of significance was really even happening. The way he just described the simple presence of each mountain in the Andes, each gust of wind, each second of frigid night was so breathtaking and compelling. Through his words I could see the towering peaks of the Andes mountains when I closed my eyes, and I could see why the way he wrote about them conveyed a fear in the shadow of respect for them, but simultaneously an awe-like wonder too.
“Life did not fit here. It was all a violation of the perfect serenity that had reigned here for millions of years. I had sensed it the first time I gazed at this place: we had upset an ancient balance, and balance would have to be restored. It was all around me, in the silence, in the cold. Something wanted all that perfect silence back again; something in the mountain wanted us to be still.”
Furthermore, an aspect of the story that I found to be very interesting when reading this was how religion was handled and spoken about. With the boys on the rugby team all having gone to a private Catholic school together, many were deeply religious, and decisions taken during those two and a half months at the crash site were often in regard to their beliefs. There’s a scene in Society of the Snow reflecting this, where they’re discussing reluctantly whether they’ll have to surrender and engage in anthropophagy in order to survive:
“If we do it… what’ll happen to us? Will God forgive us?” “He’ll understand we’re doing everything we can in order to survive. And don’t I have the right to do everything I can to live? Who is going to take that right from me?”
It was such an unforgiving situation they were in and it was heartbreaking to both read about them and watch them being forced to choose between life and death in that way. Nando explains how many of them feared that if they did eat the flesh of their friends, it would lead to eternal damnation. Something almost heartwarming and inspirational in a way though, was how they fought to find reasonings in alignment with their faith. Some would compare their anthropophagy to the Eucharist; it would be no different than to consume the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Others would cite John 15:13 from the Bible to justify it; “No man hath greater love than this; that he lay down his life for his friends.”
However, even though most of them were devotedly Roman Catholic, Nando keeps referring to the words of his friend Arturo Nogueira in this book, and how his different view of the world ultimately forced Nando to confront his religious beliefs as well - “to examine principles and values [he] had never questioned”. Another scene from the film mirrors his faith well, this time in a monologue by Arturo to Numa:
“I have more faith now than I’ve ever had. But my faith… sorry, Numa… isn’t in your God. Because that God tells me what to do back home… but not what to do out here. We can’t look at what’s happening here in the same way as we did before. Numa. [taps fuselage] This is my heaven. And I believe in another God. I believe in the God that Roberto has in his head when he treats my wounds. In the God that Nando has in his legs when he keeps walking no matter what. I believe in Daniel’s hands when he cuts the meat. And Fito when he gives it to us, without saying which of our friends it belonged to. So we can eat it… without having to remember the life in their eyes. I believe in that God. I believe in Roberto. In Nando. In Daniel. In Fito. And in our fallen friends.”
In the book Nando explains how even though some of the boys found Arturo to be difficult and somewhat of an oddball, Nando was intrigued by him and began to admire his way of thinking as he got to know him better. Even in the last chapter of the book he mentions Arturo, and emphasizes how much of an impact he has had on Nando’s faith, even today. “In these unforgettable conversations with Arturo as he lay dying, he told me the best way to find faith was to have the courage to doubt. I remember these thoughts every day, and I doubt, I hope, and in this crude way I try to grope my way towards truth.” He grappled with his beliefs during all those long days he spent in the Andes, and I found that the way he was questioning and challenging his own faith — even in the time he supposed he would need it the most — was so brave and admirable. “What good is God to us? Why would He let my mother and sister die so senselessly? If He loves us so much, why does He leave us here to suffer?”
To get to have a glimpse of what was going through Nando’s mind during the insufferable two and a half months in the Andes he endured, was the most incredible gift. Moments that cannot be conveyed through nothing other than the words of a man who was there himself are all this book consists of. Moments that are so harrowing you have to read something twice just to ensure it is really true, that are so unfair and excruciating you have to look away and swallow your tears, but also moments that are so full of incredible hope, solidarity and shared love that your cheeks hurt from smiling. What these boys did on that mountain will never be about humanity at its worst, despite the haunting circumstances; it will always be about humanity at its best.
“‘Roberto,’ I said, ‘can you imagine how beautiful this would be if we were not dead men?’ I felt his hand wrap around mine. He was the only person who understood the magnitude of what we had done and of what we still had to do. I knew he was as frightened as I was, but I drew strength from our closeness. We were bonded now like brothers. We made each other better men.
‘We may be walking to our deaths,’ I said, ‘but I would rather walk to meet my death than wait for it to come to me.’
Roberto nodded. ‘You and I are friends, Nando,’ he said. ‘We have been through so much. Now let’s go die together.’”
July 16, 2008
AMAZING! I was somewhat taken by surprise by this book, which is the story of the personal account of the one survivors of the Andes plane crash in 1974. The author was an untested and somewhat spoiled young man in his 20's when his plane crashed in the mountains and he and his rugby teammates were left for dead. Their story was also told in "Alive", which is also a great book, but this story is less about the details of the crash and more about the author's personal journal out of the mountains and, literally, back to life. While his account borders on clique, I found it to be a refreshingly honest account of this momentous event. I loved in the end when his father told him, "Don't let this be the defining moment of your life". Of course in many ways it appears to have been, but I also enjoyed accounts of what the survivors have been up to since the crash. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who is looking to be inspired!
July 14, 2022
This is an incredible story of determination and perseverance. If this was a work of fiction saying people survived the treacherous Andes for 72 days, I would have said the author has stretched their imagination too far.
I salute all those who had to endure this misery and thank the author for his detailed account of this amazing story of survival.
The writing is good. He explains what kept him sane and never giving up even in these extreme adverse situations. About the promise he made to himself that he would go back to his father or at least try and be nearer home than dying at the crash site.
The spiritual turmoil and the practical yet hard decisions they take was understandable.
It was not just the plane crash, they were tested further with Avalanche and blizzards that almost buried them, and seeing their friends slowly dying.
They had crash-landed on one of the unexplored mountains in Andes.
When they decided to trek , they did not even know what they were facing. Perhaps this ignorance saved them. They assumed that they were at an altitude of 7000 km, while they were actually at 14000 km, They were not even amateur mountaineers. They were scaling one of the highest peaks in Andes, which only the highly skilled mountaineers in peak physical condition, with years of training and the required equipment and clothing would have tried.
Rescuers were incredulous when Nando shows the site of plane crash on the map, they couldn't believe that Nando and Roberto had trekked that route.
Some memorable quotes -
"I would never get trapped by my own expectation or pretend to know what might happen next. I would teach myself to live in constant uncertainty. I would live as if i had nothing to lose. That way, my fears would not block me from following my instincts, and no risk would be too great"
"Cut the mountain to size"
"In the intensity of my concentration, i forgot my fear and fatigue and i felt as if everything i had ever been had disappeared and that i was nothing more than the pure will to climb.
I had never felt so focused so fiercely alive and for those astonishing moments my suffering was over"
I salute all those who had to endure this misery and thank the author for his detailed account of this amazing story of survival.
The writing is good. He explains what kept him sane and never giving up even in these extreme adverse situations. About the promise he made to himself that he would go back to his father or at least try and be nearer home than dying at the crash site.
The spiritual turmoil and the practical yet hard decisions they take was understandable.
It was not just the plane crash, they were tested further with Avalanche and blizzards that almost buried them, and seeing their friends slowly dying.
They had crash-landed on one of the unexplored mountains in Andes.
When they decided to trek , they did not even know what they were facing. Perhaps this ignorance saved them. They assumed that they were at an altitude of 7000 km, while they were actually at 14000 km, They were not even amateur mountaineers. They were scaling one of the highest peaks in Andes, which only the highly skilled mountaineers in peak physical condition, with years of training and the required equipment and clothing would have tried.
Rescuers were incredulous when Nando shows the site of plane crash on the map, they couldn't believe that Nando and Roberto had trekked that route.
Some memorable quotes -
"I would never get trapped by my own expectation or pretend to know what might happen next. I would teach myself to live in constant uncertainty. I would live as if i had nothing to lose. That way, my fears would not block me from following my instincts, and no risk would be too great"
"Cut the mountain to size"
"In the intensity of my concentration, i forgot my fear and fatigue and i felt as if everything i had ever been had disappeared and that i was nothing more than the pure will to climb.
I had never felt so focused so fiercely alive and for those astonishing moments my suffering was over"
June 8, 2021
Kur aš buvau anksčiau?! Tai viena iš nuostabiausių knygų, kokias tik esu skaičiusi. Istorija pasakojama taip vaizdžiai, kad aš pati jutau Andų grožį, didybę ir tylą, jutau stingdantį iki skausmo šaltį, nors už lango +30, jutau šleikštulį, dedantis mėsos gabaliuką į burną. Galiausiai, jutau siaubą suvokus, kad laukia ilga ir kankinanti mirtis. Kam esi pasiryžęs, kad išgyventum? Kur tavo galimybių ribos? Bet knyga ne tik apie tai. Ji apie geležinę dvasią, nepalaužiamą ryžtą, apie tikėjimą ir viltį, apie draugystę. Tu tik nepasiduok, ženk vieną žingsnį, tada dar vieną, įkvėpk tik kartą, na dar kartelį. Tai tapusi mantra. Ir aš dar drįstu skųstis ir verkšlianti, kaip man viskas atsibodo ar kaip aš pavargau? Moterie, tu dar net sapnuot nesapnavai, ką tikra kančia reiškia!🤯
January 11, 2024
Miracle in the Andes [2006] – ★★★★★
“…the mountains showed me there were many forms of bravery, and, for me, even the quietest ones among us showed great courage simply by living from day to day” [Nando Parrado, 2006: 79].
The author of this book – Nando Parrado – is one of the sixteen survivors of the crash of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 deep in the Andes in 1972. After the crash, twenty-eight survivors battled inhumane conditions high in the mountains to survive and only sixteen made it alive after seventy-two days. Even though the previous book Alive [1974] detailed the story, Parrado’s book, which came out in 2006, is a completely different account of this experience which enables us to understand what it is really like to face death every minute of one’s life period, and then – after surviving the unsurvivable – do it all again twice. Paying a special tribute to the determination and courage of others, Parrado’s moving and personal book is a “must-read” for everyone – so life-changing its observations and conclusions can be for a reader.
Parrado starts his book with a vivid portrayal of his life before the crash, introducing the “main characters” of his tale – his family members, close friends and fellow members of the amateur Uruguayan rugby team. Any other account of this would have been boring – but not Parrado’s. With every line he writes, we can feel the emotion he experiences as he describes his love for his mother (a passenger of the crashed plane), father, two sisters (one Susy also a passenger of the crashed plane), and the love that he feels for each of his team members on the rugby team, including his close friend Panchito (Francisco “Panchito” Abal (a passenger on the doomed flight)). There emerges in our minds a happy and carefree life which Nando lived before the crash when he did not think too much about the future or how lucky he was to draw each breath.
What then follows is the disturbing description of the crash which happened as the airplane – Fairchild Hiller FH-227 – passed over the Andes, one of the most treacherous places on Earth. The passengers – largely members of the Uruguayan amateur rugby team and their family and friends – realised that their aircraft was flying too low and started to express concern, before the accident happened in a fraction of a second. A fortunate turn of events meant that the plane landed in a way which was not fatal for some of the passengers, meaning that there were survivors. After that, Parrado’s account is fascinating as he details how survivors came together to work as one unit to battle unimaginable cold (including the lack of sufficient oxygen at the altitude of more than 12, 000 feet), thirst and finally hunger (there is a fair amount in the book on cannibalism, the most controversial aspect of the story). The survivors came up with an ingenious way to produce water from snow as they pinned their hopes on both rescue coming to them soon and on an airplane radio working so they can send a distress message.
After two months in the mountains, Parrado and Roberto Canessa finally decided to venture beyond their place of crash to seek help –a decision that everyone knew was more likely than not to result in a failure and death. Parrado and Canessa’s ten days track is the third miracle (after the crash and their two months’ survival) since both did not know precisely where they were going; they did not have any mountaineering equipment, warm clothes or skills; and were physically and mentally exhausted because of their injuries and prolonged hunger.
Nando Parrado is a great narrator – we see the group’s struggle on the mountain from his point of view as he slowly comes to certain realisations than few people living in our modern society would have come to in their lifetimes. When death is so close every day, the meaning of life is suddenly becoming very clear. Parrado starts to live each day drawing courage from the love he feels for his father, a practical man who never gave up in extreme situations. We learn from his account that a right state of mind is as much important for survival as one’s physical condition.
Parrado sometimes thinks about the beauty of the Andes – “there was incredible beauty here…in the hugeness and power of the mountains, in the windswept snowfields that glowed so perfectly in white and in the astounding beauty of the Andean sky” [Nando Parrado, 2006: 44]. However, most of the time, he knows that this still beauty also means there are no humans for miles and miles around, and survivors have to live from breath to breath, from a heartbeat to a heartbeat: “I began to see life as it must appear to an animal straggling to survive – as a simple game of win or lose, life or death, risk and opportunity” [Nando Parrado, 2006: 68].
It is probably the sincerity with which Nando Parrado writes his account which is the most admirable thing in the book. He admits he is far from perfect and refuses to see himself as a hero. He makes it perfectly clear that there were other more courageous people with him every step of the way, and like everyone else – he felt fear and despair most of the time in the mountains. There was no one leading character or one hero in this tale – every person in that crashed plane was a hero in his or her own way, especially since each person’s circumstances were different and it was often pure chance that decided whether one person lives and another dies (and not their level of bravery). For example, for Susy, a very seriously injured person who was Parrado’s sister, trying to draw a breath and stay alert might have been a heroic achievement in itself in an effort not to give up. Equally, Diego Storm’s single action of getting Nando on one night closer to warmth after Nando was deemed hopelessly injured was quick-thinking that saved a life.
🏔️ Miracle in the Andes is more than one’s account of what happened in the Andes after a horrific plane crash in 1972. Parrado pays a special tribute to other people and their actions so they are never forgotten, and, in this way, this is also a story about the bravery of others – about people who decided to work together and help each other to survive against all odds. The author is clear that his actions were not some heroic feat. Rather, he wants everyone to view his account as a tale of immense loss, hopelessness and despair, after which one finds hope and vows never to give up. The result is a moving and sincere account which is also insightful and inspirational.
“…the mountains showed me there were many forms of bravery, and, for me, even the quietest ones among us showed great courage simply by living from day to day” [Nando Parrado, 2006: 79].
The author of this book – Nando Parrado – is one of the sixteen survivors of the crash of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 deep in the Andes in 1972. After the crash, twenty-eight survivors battled inhumane conditions high in the mountains to survive and only sixteen made it alive after seventy-two days. Even though the previous book Alive [1974] detailed the story, Parrado’s book, which came out in 2006, is a completely different account of this experience which enables us to understand what it is really like to face death every minute of one’s life period, and then – after surviving the unsurvivable – do it all again twice. Paying a special tribute to the determination and courage of others, Parrado’s moving and personal book is a “must-read” for everyone – so life-changing its observations and conclusions can be for a reader.
Parrado starts his book with a vivid portrayal of his life before the crash, introducing the “main characters” of his tale – his family members, close friends and fellow members of the amateur Uruguayan rugby team. Any other account of this would have been boring – but not Parrado’s. With every line he writes, we can feel the emotion he experiences as he describes his love for his mother (a passenger of the crashed plane), father, two sisters (one Susy also a passenger of the crashed plane), and the love that he feels for each of his team members on the rugby team, including his close friend Panchito (Francisco “Panchito” Abal (a passenger on the doomed flight)). There emerges in our minds a happy and carefree life which Nando lived before the crash when he did not think too much about the future or how lucky he was to draw each breath.
What then follows is the disturbing description of the crash which happened as the airplane – Fairchild Hiller FH-227 – passed over the Andes, one of the most treacherous places on Earth. The passengers – largely members of the Uruguayan amateur rugby team and their family and friends – realised that their aircraft was flying too low and started to express concern, before the accident happened in a fraction of a second. A fortunate turn of events meant that the plane landed in a way which was not fatal for some of the passengers, meaning that there were survivors. After that, Parrado’s account is fascinating as he details how survivors came together to work as one unit to battle unimaginable cold (including the lack of sufficient oxygen at the altitude of more than 12, 000 feet), thirst and finally hunger (there is a fair amount in the book on cannibalism, the most controversial aspect of the story). The survivors came up with an ingenious way to produce water from snow as they pinned their hopes on both rescue coming to them soon and on an airplane radio working so they can send a distress message.
After two months in the mountains, Parrado and Roberto Canessa finally decided to venture beyond their place of crash to seek help –a decision that everyone knew was more likely than not to result in a failure and death. Parrado and Canessa’s ten days track is the third miracle (after the crash and their two months’ survival) since both did not know precisely where they were going; they did not have any mountaineering equipment, warm clothes or skills; and were physically and mentally exhausted because of their injuries and prolonged hunger.
Nando Parrado is a great narrator – we see the group’s struggle on the mountain from his point of view as he slowly comes to certain realisations than few people living in our modern society would have come to in their lifetimes. When death is so close every day, the meaning of life is suddenly becoming very clear. Parrado starts to live each day drawing courage from the love he feels for his father, a practical man who never gave up in extreme situations. We learn from his account that a right state of mind is as much important for survival as one’s physical condition.
Parrado sometimes thinks about the beauty of the Andes – “there was incredible beauty here…in the hugeness and power of the mountains, in the windswept snowfields that glowed so perfectly in white and in the astounding beauty of the Andean sky” [Nando Parrado, 2006: 44]. However, most of the time, he knows that this still beauty also means there are no humans for miles and miles around, and survivors have to live from breath to breath, from a heartbeat to a heartbeat: “I began to see life as it must appear to an animal straggling to survive – as a simple game of win or lose, life or death, risk and opportunity” [Nando Parrado, 2006: 68].
It is probably the sincerity with which Nando Parrado writes his account which is the most admirable thing in the book. He admits he is far from perfect and refuses to see himself as a hero. He makes it perfectly clear that there were other more courageous people with him every step of the way, and like everyone else – he felt fear and despair most of the time in the mountains. There was no one leading character or one hero in this tale – every person in that crashed plane was a hero in his or her own way, especially since each person’s circumstances were different and it was often pure chance that decided whether one person lives and another dies (and not their level of bravery). For example, for Susy, a very seriously injured person who was Parrado’s sister, trying to draw a breath and stay alert might have been a heroic achievement in itself in an effort not to give up. Equally, Diego Storm’s single action of getting Nando on one night closer to warmth after Nando was deemed hopelessly injured was quick-thinking that saved a life.
🏔️ Miracle in the Andes is more than one’s account of what happened in the Andes after a horrific plane crash in 1972. Parrado pays a special tribute to other people and their actions so they are never forgotten, and, in this way, this is also a story about the bravery of others – about people who decided to work together and help each other to survive against all odds. The author is clear that his actions were not some heroic feat. Rather, he wants everyone to view his account as a tale of immense loss, hopelessness and despair, after which one finds hope and vows never to give up. The result is a moving and sincere account which is also insightful and inspirational.
July 22, 2016
I am probably like a lot of other people who, after reading Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors many years ago, never got the story out of my head. I missed this book completely when it came out in 2006 but am so glad a friend lent it to me. The only bad thing was that I started reading it while I still had family at the house for the Thanksgiving weekend and I had to pretty much be physically pulled away from the book to interact with everyone. (Apologies to my sister...)
This book was completely riveting. While Alive was written by a journalist soon after the crash who interviewed the survivors, this book was written by one of the actual survivors, Nando Parrado, one of the two who hiked out to get help. It is a much more powerful book as we experience his inner thoughts during the events. It was fascinating to see how he was able to keep himself mentally and emotionally going during the 2.5 months that they had to survive.
So often in these kinds of stories we read about the people relying on their faith in God to see them through. Those stories don't speak to me personally. One of the reasons this book affected me so much was that Parrado did not see the crash as God's plan. He could not believe in a God who had just allowed his mother and sister and so many others to die horrible deaths. Instead, he took a more pragmatic view of things. He is honest enough to say that while others were able to come to grips with using the dead bodies as food by viewing it in a spiritual manner, he did not. He felt the people were gone and their bodies were simply meat. This is not to say that he wasn't as repulsed and horrified as everyone else, but he didn't justify it in his mind in religious terms. That resonated much more deeply with me.
Once the company left, I dove into the book and hardly came up for air until I was done. This is a must-read for anyone interested in survival stories. I would also recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the outstanding book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.
This book was completely riveting. While Alive was written by a journalist soon after the crash who interviewed the survivors, this book was written by one of the actual survivors, Nando Parrado, one of the two who hiked out to get help. It is a much more powerful book as we experience his inner thoughts during the events. It was fascinating to see how he was able to keep himself mentally and emotionally going during the 2.5 months that they had to survive.
So often in these kinds of stories we read about the people relying on their faith in God to see them through. Those stories don't speak to me personally. One of the reasons this book affected me so much was that Parrado did not see the crash as God's plan. He could not believe in a God who had just allowed his mother and sister and so many others to die horrible deaths. Instead, he took a more pragmatic view of things. He is honest enough to say that while others were able to come to grips with using the dead bodies as food by viewing it in a spiritual manner, he did not. He felt the people were gone and their bodies were simply meat. This is not to say that he wasn't as repulsed and horrified as everyone else, but he didn't justify it in his mind in religious terms. That resonated much more deeply with me.
Once the company left, I dove into the book and hardly came up for air until I was done. This is a must-read for anyone interested in survival stories. I would also recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the outstanding book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.
July 21, 2016
"I had always thought that life was the actual thing, the natural thing, and that death was simply the end of living. Now, in this lifeless place, I saw with a terrible clarity that death was the constant, death was the base, and life was only a short, fragile dream. I was dead already. I had been born dead, and what I thought was my life was just a game death let me play as it waited to take me." - Nando Parrado.
This is an incredible story of survival, despair, hope, and pain. The word "Inspiring" doesn't do this story justice, there are so many layers of emotion and pain. Nando Parrado takes you to the Andes in this beautifully written tragic firsthand account of an unthinkable event. You will experience the horror of the crash with him, the fear of death lurking around him, and the intense struggle to "breathe. now breathe again. as long as you are breathing you are alive." Highly, highly recommend it to everyone. You won't be disappointed.
This is an incredible story of survival, despair, hope, and pain. The word "Inspiring" doesn't do this story justice, there are so many layers of emotion and pain. Nando Parrado takes you to the Andes in this beautifully written tragic firsthand account of an unthinkable event. You will experience the horror of the crash with him, the fear of death lurking around him, and the intense struggle to "breathe. now breathe again. as long as you are breathing you are alive." Highly, highly recommend it to everyone. You won't be disappointed.
December 2, 2024
A story from Nando Parrado, a member of the S American rugby team that crashed in the Andes Mountains. Given up for dead, he and a companion walked out after 72 days. The rescue of the 14 survivors sparked international attention and debate after the survivors ate their dead companions to stay alive.
February 24, 2008
This was one of the most amazing survival stories I've ever read. What is most incredible is to listen to the author, in his own tone of voice, articulate the philosophy, values and behavior of this airplane accident high in the Andes. And then, from a perspective of over 30 years, hear him describe what he has learned and what is important to him. Lessons for us all.
January 31, 2024
Inspirador y brutal
June 24, 2008
Amazing! A first-hand account of the famous rugby team crash in the Andes in 1972. If you like what I call the Krakauer genre--you'll love this one! Very insightful! What goes through your mind when you realize you've survived a crash--but the search crews have given up and there is no way out of the mountains? How about the thought process behind the decision to eat the frozen flesh of your dead friends? This is one of the more powerful books I've read in a while. Stark look into the depths of one man's soul. Disregard this cheesy review and go check this one out at your library.
June 20, 2021
Thoughts soon.
December 27, 2024
ನಿಜ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಾಗೋ ಘಟನೆಗಳು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಆಕರ್ಷಕ ಹಾಗು ತಲ್ಲೀನಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಕತೆಗಳನ್ನ ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸುತ್ತವೆ ಅನ್ನೋದಕ್ಕೆ ಉತ್ತಮ ಉದಾಹರಣೆ ನ್ಯಾಂಡೊ ಪರಾಡೊ ಅವರ ಮಿರಾಕಲ್ ಇನ್ ದಿ ಆನ್ಡಿಸ್ ಕೃತಿ. ಒಂದು ಇಮೋಷನಲ್ ಜರ್ನಿ ಅಂದರೆ ತಪ್ಪಾಗದು.
ಮೊದಲನೇದಾಗಿ ಛಂದ ಪುಸ್ತಕಕ್ಕೆ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. ಎಂಥಾ ಒಳ್ಳೆ ಪುಸ್ತಕನ ಅನುವಾದಕ್ಕೆ ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೀರ. ಸಂಯುಕ್ತ ಪುಲಿಗಲ್ ಅವರ ಅನುವಾದ ಅಂತು ಮೆಚ್ಚುಗೆಗೆ ಅರ್ಹ. ಸೊಗಸಾಗಿ ಅನುವಾದಿಸಿದ್ದೀರ ಮೇಡಂ. ಡಬಲ್ ಥ್ಯಾಂಕ್ಸ್. ಕ್ಲಿಷ್ಟ ಪದಗಳ ಅಡೆ ತಡೆ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಓದ್ತಾ ಹೋಗಬಹುದು.
ಕತೆ ವಿಷ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದರೆ, ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಕರನ್ನ ಹೊತ್ತ ವಿಮಾನ ಒಂದು ಉರುಗ್ವೆ ಇಂದ ಚಿಲಿ ದೇಶಕ್ಕೆ ಹಾರುವಾಗ ಅಪಘಾತಕ್ಕೀಡಾಗಿ ಆನ್ಡಿಸ್ ಪರ್ವತದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಫೋಟಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಕೆಲವರು ಬದುಕುತ್ತಾರೆ, ಕೆಲವರು ಸಾಯುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಬದುಕುಳಿದವರ survival journey ಈ ಕತೆ. ಆ ವಿಪರೀತ ಚಳಿಯ ವಾತಾವರಣ, ಊಟ-ನೀರು-ಸೂರಿನ ಕೊರತೆ, ಮಾಗದ ಗಾಯಗಳು, ಇವೆಲ್ಲ ಅವರ ಬದುಕಿನತ್ತ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಕ್ಕೆ ಓಡ್ಡೋ ಅಡೆತಡೆಗಳು. ಬದುಕುವ ಛಲ ಹಲವರಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೂ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯ ಕರಾಳ ರೂಪ ಆ ಅವಕಾಶವನ್ನ ಪ್ರತಿ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಕಿತ್ತೆಸೆಯುವ ಸವಾಲು.
ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಕೊನೆಯ ೪೦ ಪುಟಗಳಿರುವಾಗ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ಮುಗಿದಿರುತ್ತೆ. ಆದರೆ ಆ ಕೊನೆಯ ಪುಟಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಕೊಡಲು ಕಷ್ಟವೆನಿಸುವ ಸಂಗತಿಗಳಿವೆ. ಓದುಗರು ಅದನ್ನು ಕೇವಲ ಅನುಭವಿಸಬಹುದು, ಅಷ್ಟೇ. ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಗಿ ಹೇಳೋದಾದರೆ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಮಹತ್ವ ಎತ್ತಿಹಿಡಿಯೋ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಲಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪಾರ ಯಶಸ್ಸು ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಅನ್ನೋದಂತೂ ಸತ್ಯ.
ಇಂತಹ ಕತೆಗಳು ಆಡಿಯೋಬುಕ್ ಪ್ಲಾಟ್ಫಾರ್ಮ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳ್ಮಾಡ್ಸಿದ್ದು ಅಂದರೆ ಉತ್ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷೆ ಆಗಲ್ಲ.
ರೇಟಿಂಗ್ - ⭐⭐⭐⭐½/5
ಮೊದಲನೇದಾಗಿ ಛಂದ ಪುಸ್ತಕಕ್ಕೆ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. ಎಂಥಾ ಒಳ್ಳೆ ಪುಸ್ತಕನ ಅನುವಾದಕ್ಕೆ ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೀರ. ಸಂಯುಕ್ತ ಪುಲಿಗಲ್ ಅವರ ಅನುವಾದ ಅಂತು ಮೆಚ್ಚುಗೆಗೆ ಅರ್ಹ. ಸೊಗಸಾಗಿ ಅನುವಾದಿಸಿದ್ದೀರ ಮೇಡಂ. ಡಬಲ್ ಥ್ಯಾಂಕ್ಸ್. ಕ್ಲಿಷ್ಟ ಪದಗಳ ಅಡೆ ತಡೆ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಓದ್ತಾ ಹೋಗಬಹುದು.
ಕತೆ ವಿಷ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದರೆ, ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಕರನ್ನ ಹೊತ್ತ ವಿಮಾನ ಒಂದು ಉರುಗ್ವೆ ಇಂದ ಚಿಲಿ ದೇಶಕ್ಕೆ ಹಾರುವಾಗ ಅಪಘಾತಕ್ಕೀಡಾಗಿ ಆನ್ಡಿಸ್ ಪರ್ವತದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಫೋಟಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಕೆಲವರು ಬದುಕುತ್ತಾರೆ, ಕೆಲವರು ಸಾಯುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಬದುಕುಳಿದವರ survival journey ಈ ಕತೆ. ಆ ವಿಪರೀತ ಚಳಿಯ ವಾತಾವರಣ, ಊಟ-ನೀರು-ಸೂರಿನ ಕೊರತೆ, ಮಾಗದ ಗಾಯಗಳು, ಇವೆಲ್ಲ ಅವರ ಬದುಕಿನತ್ತ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಕ್ಕೆ ಓಡ್ಡೋ ಅಡೆತಡೆಗಳು. ಬದುಕುವ ಛಲ ಹಲವರಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೂ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯ ಕರಾಳ ರೂಪ ಆ ಅವಕಾಶವನ್ನ ಪ್ರತಿ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಕಿತ್ತೆಸೆಯುವ ಸವಾಲು.
ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಕೊನೆಯ ೪೦ ಪುಟಗಳಿರುವಾಗ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ಮುಗಿದಿರುತ್ತೆ. ಆದರೆ ಆ ಕೊನೆಯ ಪುಟಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಕೊಡಲು ಕಷ್ಟವೆನಿಸುವ ಸಂಗತಿಗಳಿವೆ. ಓದುಗರು ಅದನ್ನು ಕೇವಲ ಅನುಭವಿಸಬಹುದು, ಅಷ್ಟೇ. ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಗಿ ಹೇಳೋದಾದರೆ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಮಹತ್ವ ಎತ್ತಿಹಿಡಿಯೋ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಲಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪಾರ ಯಶಸ್ಸು ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಅನ್ನೋದಂತೂ ಸತ್ಯ.
ಇಂತಹ ಕತೆಗಳು ಆಡಿಯೋಬುಕ್ ಪ್ಲಾಟ್ಫಾರ್ಮ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳ್ಮಾಡ್ಸಿದ್ದು ಅಂದರೆ ಉತ್ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷೆ ಆಗಲ್ಲ.
ರೇಟಿಂಗ್ - ⭐⭐⭐⭐½/5
April 4, 2025
oh i just got punched in the chest
“The opposite of death is love. How had I missed that? How does anyone miss that? Love is our only weapon. Only love can turn mere life into a miracle, and draw precious meaning from suffering and fear.”
“I urge you to do the same. As we used to say in the mountains, "Breathe. Breathe again. With every breath, you are alive." After all these years, this is still the best advice I can give you: Savour your existence. Live every moment. Do not waste a breath.”
“We were playing a game against an unknown and unforgiving opponent. The stakes were terrible—play well or die—but we didn’t even know the ground rules.”
“The mountain was teaching me a hard lesson: camaraderie is a noble thing, but in the end death is an opponent each of us would face in solitude.”
“I discovered a simple, astounding secret: Death has an opposite, but the opposite is not mere living. It is not courage or faith or human will. The opposite of death is love.”
“My duty is to fill my time on earth with as much life as possible, to become a little more human every day, and to understand that we only become human when we love.
“When he thought that all of us were dead, my father despaired, and in his pain he gave up his hope for us. But it was not his hope that I needed. He saved me simply by being the father I love.”
“No! Not yet” I cried. “Don’t cut me!”
“I am dead if I stay here!” I said. “This place is our graveyard! Death touches everything here. Can’t you see it? I can feel its hands on me! I can smell its fucking breath!”
“Please, God, protect me from that kind of death”
“I cannot do this. I don’t want to die.”
“None of it fit here. Life did not fit here.”
“The ancient silence would fall over us, and our loved ones would never know how hard we had struggled to return to them.”
“You and I are friends, Nando,” he said. “We have been through so much. Now, let’s go die together.”
“Why do we struggle? Why do we endure such suffering and pain? What keeps us battling so desperately to live, when we could simply surrender, sink into the silence and the shadows, and know peace?
“But still, still, I longed for the very things I knew I would never have — the love of a wife, a family of my own.”… “Would I die longing for the life I couldn’t have?”
changed my perspective on life fr💔
“The opposite of death is love. How had I missed that? How does anyone miss that? Love is our only weapon. Only love can turn mere life into a miracle, and draw precious meaning from suffering and fear.”
“I urge you to do the same. As we used to say in the mountains, "Breathe. Breathe again. With every breath, you are alive." After all these years, this is still the best advice I can give you: Savour your existence. Live every moment. Do not waste a breath.”
“We were playing a game against an unknown and unforgiving opponent. The stakes were terrible—play well or die—but we didn’t even know the ground rules.”
“The mountain was teaching me a hard lesson: camaraderie is a noble thing, but in the end death is an opponent each of us would face in solitude.”
“I discovered a simple, astounding secret: Death has an opposite, but the opposite is not mere living. It is not courage or faith or human will. The opposite of death is love.”
“My duty is to fill my time on earth with as much life as possible, to become a little more human every day, and to understand that we only become human when we love.
“When he thought that all of us were dead, my father despaired, and in his pain he gave up his hope for us. But it was not his hope that I needed. He saved me simply by being the father I love.”
“No! Not yet” I cried. “Don’t cut me!”
“I am dead if I stay here!” I said. “This place is our graveyard! Death touches everything here. Can’t you see it? I can feel its hands on me! I can smell its fucking breath!”
“Please, God, protect me from that kind of death”
“I cannot do this. I don’t want to die.”
“None of it fit here. Life did not fit here.”
“The ancient silence would fall over us, and our loved ones would never know how hard we had struggled to return to them.”
“You and I are friends, Nando,” he said. “We have been through so much. Now, let’s go die together.”
“Why do we struggle? Why do we endure such suffering and pain? What keeps us battling so desperately to live, when we could simply surrender, sink into the silence and the shadows, and know peace?
“But still, still, I longed for the very things I knew I would never have — the love of a wife, a family of my own.”… “Would I die longing for the life I couldn’t have?”
changed my perspective on life fr💔
April 16, 2025
I can’t get enough of survival stories, especially the kind where the odds are basically zero and teamwork becomes the only lifeline. This one is especially compelling: a plane crashes in one of the most lifeless, unforgiving parts of the Andes, and the survivors are young men from a Catholic rugby team, raised on values of unity, endurance, and self-sacrifice.
First of all, that anyone survived is insane. But how they managed it—72 days of freezing isolation, starvation, and agonizing loss—is harrowing. Nando doesn’t hold back from the hard questions. These boys prayed fervently to be saved. So why did God make them suffer so deeply? Why did so many die? Why were some spared and others left behind? He wrestles with faith, suffering, and the randomness of survival in a way that feels raw and deeply human.
What stuck with me most was the idea that love was what carried him through the despair.
The writing is vivid, the imagery of the mountains and their grim shelter is chilling, and the inclusion of real photographs makes the story hit even harder.
If you liked Into Thin Air, this is right up your alley. And if you enjoy movie adaptations, Society of the Snow on Netflix is really good. It closely follows the true events and is just a fantastic Spanish film.
First of all, that anyone survived is insane. But how they managed it—72 days of freezing isolation, starvation, and agonizing loss—is harrowing. Nando doesn’t hold back from the hard questions. These boys prayed fervently to be saved. So why did God make them suffer so deeply? Why did so many die? Why were some spared and others left behind? He wrestles with faith, suffering, and the randomness of survival in a way that feels raw and deeply human.
What stuck with me most was the idea that love was what carried him through the despair.
Death has an opposite, but the opposite is not mere living. It is not courage or faith or human will. The opposite of death is love... Love is our only weapon. Only love can turn mere life into a miracle, and draw precious meaning from suffering and fear.
The writing is vivid, the imagery of the mountains and their grim shelter is chilling, and the inclusion of real photographs makes the story hit even harder.
If you liked Into Thin Air, this is right up your alley. And if you enjoy movie adaptations, Society of the Snow on Netflix is really good. It closely follows the true events and is just a fantastic Spanish film.
March 14, 2017
ಪರ್ವತದಲ್ಲಿ ಪವಾಡ - ನ್ಯಾಂಡೊ ಪರಾಡೊ/ಅನುವಾದ- ಸಂಯುಕ್ತಾ ಪುಲಿಗಲ್.
ನಲವತ್ತೈದು ಜನರಿದ್ದ ಪುಟ್ಟ ವಿಮಾನವೊಂದು ಆಂಡಿಸ್ ಪರ್ವತ ಶ್ರೇಣಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ೧೯೭೨ರಲ್ಲಿ ಪತನಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ದಟ್ಟ ಹಿಮ, ಹೊರಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಸುಳಿವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಕುಡಿಯಲು ಅದೇ ಹಿಮ ಗಟ್ಟಿ, ಇದ್ದ ಆಹಾರವೆಲ್ಲ ಮುಗಿದು ಬೇರೆ ದಾರಿಯಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಹಯಾತ್ರಿಕರ ಗೆಳೆಯರ ಶವಗಳ ತಿನ್ನುವ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ! ಇದು ಲಾಸ್ಟ್ ಟಿವಿ ಸರಣಿಯ ಕತೆಯಲ್ಲ. ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ನಡೆದದ್ದು. ಚಿಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ರಗ್ಬಿ ಪಂದ್ಯವಾಡಲು ತೆರಳುವ ತಂಡ ಮತ್ತು ಪರಿವಾರವಿದ್ದ ವಿಮಾನ ಅಪಘಾತ ಕ್ಕೊಳಗಾಗಿ ಅಳಿದುಳಿದವರು ಬದುಕಿಗಾಗಿ, ಹಸಿವಿಗಾಗಿ ಹೋರಾಡಿದ ಘಟನೆಗಳ ಚಿತ್ರಣವೇ ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕ. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಜೊತೆಗಾರರ ಕಳಕೊಂಡ ನೋವಿದೆ ಬದುಕಲು ಅವರ ಶವವನ್ನೇ ತಿನ್ನಬೇಕಾದ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯತೆ ಇದೆ, ಕೊಳಕು ಹಿಮದ ಗಟ್ಟಿಗಳ ಕರಗಿಸಿ/ಚೀಪಿ ಬಾಯಾರಿಕೆ ತಣಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಾದ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ; ಆದರೂ ಬದುಕುವ ಛಲ ಕುಗ್ಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಕೊನೆಯ ಹುಡುಕಾಟದ ನಡಿಗೆಯಂತೂ ಸ್ಲಾವೊಮಿರ್ ರಾವಿಸ್ ನ ಲಾಂಗ್ ವಾಕ್ ನ ನೆನಪಿಸಿತು. ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಲೇನೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಇಂತಹ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳು ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುವುದು ಅಪರೂಪ. ಓದಿ.ಸೊಗಸಾದ ಅನುವಾದ.ಅನುವಾದಿಸಿದ ಸಂಯುಕ್ತಾ ಪುಲಿಗಲ್ ಅಭಿನಂದನಾರ್ಹರು.
ನಲವತ್ತೈದು ಜನರಿದ್ದ ಪುಟ್ಟ ವಿಮಾನವೊಂದು ಆಂಡಿಸ್ ಪರ್ವತ ಶ್ರೇಣಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ೧೯೭೨ರಲ್ಲಿ ಪತನಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ದಟ್ಟ ಹಿಮ, ಹೊರಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಸುಳಿವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಕುಡಿಯಲು ಅದೇ ಹಿಮ ಗಟ್ಟಿ, ಇದ್ದ ಆಹಾರವೆಲ್ಲ ಮುಗಿದು ಬೇರೆ ದಾರಿಯಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಹಯಾತ್ರಿಕರ ಗೆಳೆಯರ ಶವಗಳ ತಿನ್ನುವ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ! ಇದು ಲಾಸ್ಟ್ ಟಿವಿ ಸರಣಿಯ ಕತೆಯಲ್ಲ. ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ನಡೆದದ್ದು. ಚಿಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ರಗ್ಬಿ ಪಂದ್ಯವಾಡಲು ತೆರಳುವ ತಂಡ ಮತ್ತು ಪರಿವಾರವಿದ್ದ ವಿಮಾನ ಅಪಘಾತ ಕ್ಕೊಳಗಾಗಿ ಅಳಿದುಳಿದವರು ಬದುಕಿಗಾಗಿ, ಹಸಿವಿಗಾಗಿ ಹೋರಾಡಿದ ಘಟನೆಗಳ ಚಿತ್ರಣವೇ ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕ. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಜೊತೆಗಾರರ ಕಳಕೊಂಡ ನೋವಿದೆ ಬದುಕಲು ಅವರ ಶವವನ್ನೇ ತಿನ್ನಬೇಕಾದ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯತೆ ಇದೆ, ಕೊಳಕು ಹಿಮದ ಗಟ್ಟಿಗಳ ಕರಗಿಸಿ/ಚೀಪಿ ಬಾಯಾರಿಕೆ ತಣಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಾದ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ; ಆದರೂ ಬದುಕುವ ಛಲ ಕುಗ್ಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಕೊನೆಯ ಹುಡುಕಾಟದ ನಡಿಗೆಯಂತೂ ಸ್ಲಾವೊಮಿರ್ ರಾವಿಸ್ ನ ಲಾಂಗ್ ವಾಕ್ ನ ನೆನಪಿಸಿತು. ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಲೇನೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಇಂತಹ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳು ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುವುದು ಅಪರೂಪ. ಓದಿ.ಸೊಗಸಾದ ಅನುವಾದ.ಅನುವಾದಿಸಿದ ಸಂಯುಕ್ತಾ ಪುಲಿಗಲ್ ಅಭಿನಂದನಾರ್ಹರು.
August 6, 2011
There have been several books in my life which have altered my perspective on the world, and my place in it. This is one of them. There are some stories which, fact or fiction, just hit you in some core part of the soul. The idea that this story is real adds to the kick.
Nando's story of survival is no doubt one jaded by time and perspective. I wonder how many of the other survivors of this ordeal has read this work, and what their commentaries are. I wonder how other survivors of other such tragedies feel about Nando's views and thoughts since his escape. Mostly, though, I am just in awe of his journey.
It sure makes you realise how lucky you are.
Nando's story of survival is no doubt one jaded by time and perspective. I wonder how many of the other survivors of this ordeal has read this work, and what their commentaries are. I wonder how other survivors of other such tragedies feel about Nando's views and thoughts since his escape. Mostly, though, I am just in awe of his journey.
It sure makes you realise how lucky you are.
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