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Alive! : Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People Who Survived Deadly Tornadoes, Avalanches, Shipwrecks and More!
Alive! is a heart-stopping collection of survival stories from the archives of Reader’s Digest’s ‘Drama in Real Life’ series. Editors have mined the Reader’s Digest archives to bring readers Alive! Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People Who Survived Deadly Tornadoes, Avalanches, Shipwrecks and More. In “Super Storm,” Rick Gregory, an off-duty patrolman watches an F3 tornado ravage his small Tennessee town where split-second decisions make the difference between life and death. In “Avalanche!” Luke Edgar, a young father and backcountry snowboarder goes out with a buddy for a fun day on Mt. Rainier and gets buried alive in an avalanche. “Swarm,” tells the story of the Walker family, out for a day trip in the Florida marsh when they get entangled in a yellow-jacket nest. The mother, Debbie, fighting anaphylactic shock must leave her injured husband and children in order to find help as time runs out. Adventure writer Tim Cahill recounts how he barely survives the extreme heat of Death Valley despite his experience as an outdoorsman in “Across the Valley of Fire”; and in “Pacific Cyclone,” Tony Farrington tells the harrowing story of the crews of three sailboats who run into an unimaginable storm in the normally calm South Pacific. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they are drawn into the dramatic tales of everyday people suddenly cast into life or death situations. Whether out on a planned adventure or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, the heroes of these stories are connected by their fierce desire to survive against all odds. Wildfires, blizzards, attacks by grizzlies, jet crashes in the jungle, are just some of the conditions people face in these stories of survival. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they follow adventurers and laymen alike as they face down nature’s fury in the most extreme circumstances, and find strength they didn’t know they had, proving the depth and resilience of the human spirit. As Tim Cahill so elegantly puts it, “Then I knew, really knew, that there is a way to get from one extreme to the other, the peaks and valleys. And there is a beauty so fierce only savage emotions like fear and triumph allow us to see it.”
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 6, 2014
4 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Reader's Digest Association
4,604 books492 followersThe Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a global media and direct marketing company based in Chappaqua, New York, best known for its flagship publication founded in 1922, Reader's Digest. The company's headquarters are in New York City, where it moved from Pleasantville, New York.
The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.
The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 12, 2014
I got a really good idea of what all of these people went through surviving Mother Nature and animal attacks and I have to say that while I was intrigued by their stories, I am sorry that they had a story to share. On the same hand, I am glad that everyone survived their ordeal. I found the stories in the section "At the Mercy of a Wild Animal" to grab my attention and I felt like I was there with each person witnessing the tragic events up close.
I almost had a story of my own to share for "Facing Mother Nature's Fury" like Christopher Davis in Super Storm about surviving a tornado. My parents, my sisters young children, and I were in Denver, Colorado for my sister's college graduation. My sister came to the hotel to get the children for some fun on Saturday night. My parents and I were going to go out for dinner. My Dad and I were watching the hockey game when it was interrupted by a weather emergency warning. There were two tornado warnings in effect until about 7:10pm that evening. We have about an 45 minute wait to see if the warning would be dismissed or not. There was one tornado where we were planning to go to eat and the other one was outside of our hotel window across a field. My Mom and I watched the cloud changing before our eyes. Then the rain started and the tornado sirens were off. Luckily that was all, the clouds moved away. A tiny tornado did touch down in anotehr part of the Denver area but no one was hurt. If you enjoy reading or watching true survival stories, than you will want to pick up a copy of this book and check it out for yourself.
I almost had a story of my own to share for "Facing Mother Nature's Fury" like Christopher Davis in Super Storm about surviving a tornado. My parents, my sisters young children, and I were in Denver, Colorado for my sister's college graduation. My sister came to the hotel to get the children for some fun on Saturday night. My parents and I were going to go out for dinner. My Dad and I were watching the hockey game when it was interrupted by a weather emergency warning. There were two tornado warnings in effect until about 7:10pm that evening. We have about an 45 minute wait to see if the warning would be dismissed or not. There was one tornado where we were planning to go to eat and the other one was outside of our hotel window across a field. My Mom and I watched the cloud changing before our eyes. Then the rain started and the tornado sirens were off. Luckily that was all, the clouds moved away. A tiny tornado did touch down in anotehr part of the Denver area but no one was hurt. If you enjoy reading or watching true survival stories, than you will want to pick up a copy of this book and check it out for yourself.
April 2, 2018
I have always considered mountain climbers and other dare-devils nuts, and this book just strengthens that belief! Thankfully I would have never chosen one for my spouse!
This book also shows how foolish it is to rely on cell phones. In every single case, they were useless because they couldn't get a signal! A satellite phone is the only phone to have with you in back country.
Some really white-knuckle reads here! Highly recommended for those who like such reading. Also, a clean read.
This book also shows how foolish it is to rely on cell phones. In every single case, they were useless because they couldn't get a signal! A satellite phone is the only phone to have with you in back country.
Some really white-knuckle reads here! Highly recommended for those who like such reading. Also, a clean read.
September 1, 2016
I did not read this entire book. I checked it out to see how it would work for a school visit, and I think it will work just fine. The first few chapters deal with people caught in a tornado, a flood, a forest fire, etc. The chapters are pretty short and don't go into a lot of detail, but it would be a good book for a reluctant reader who wanted to read some short survival stories.
Book description:
Alive! is a heart-stopping collection of survival stories from the archives of Reader’s Digest’s ‘Drama in Real Life’ series. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they are drawn into the dramatic tales of everyday people suddenly cast into life or death situations.
Editors have mined the Reader’s Digest archives to bring readers Alive! Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People Who Survived Deadly Tornadoes, Avalanches, Shipwrecks and More. In “Super Storm,” Rick Gregory, an off-duty patrolman watches an F3 tornado ravage his small Tennessee town where split-second decisions make the difference between life and death. ... Adventure writer Tim Cahill recounts how he barely survives the extreme heat of Death Valley despite his experience as an outdoorsman in “Across the Valley of Fire”; and in “Pacific Cyclone,” Tony Farrington tells the harrowing story of the crews of three sailboats who run into an unimaginable storm in the normally calm South Pacific. Whether out on a planned adventure or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, the heroes of these stories are connected by their fierce desire to survive against all odds. Wildfires, blizzards, attacks by grizzlies, jet crashes in the jungle, are just some of the conditions people face in these stories of survival. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they follow adventurers and laymen alike as they face down nature’s fury in the most extreme circumstances, and find strength they didn’t know they had, proving the depth and resilience of the human spirit.
Book description:
Alive! is a heart-stopping collection of survival stories from the archives of Reader’s Digest’s ‘Drama in Real Life’ series. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they are drawn into the dramatic tales of everyday people suddenly cast into life or death situations.
Editors have mined the Reader’s Digest archives to bring readers Alive! Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People Who Survived Deadly Tornadoes, Avalanches, Shipwrecks and More. In “Super Storm,” Rick Gregory, an off-duty patrolman watches an F3 tornado ravage his small Tennessee town where split-second decisions make the difference between life and death. ... Adventure writer Tim Cahill recounts how he barely survives the extreme heat of Death Valley despite his experience as an outdoorsman in “Across the Valley of Fire”; and in “Pacific Cyclone,” Tony Farrington tells the harrowing story of the crews of three sailboats who run into an unimaginable storm in the normally calm South Pacific. Whether out on a planned adventure or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, the heroes of these stories are connected by their fierce desire to survive against all odds. Wildfires, blizzards, attacks by grizzlies, jet crashes in the jungle, are just some of the conditions people face in these stories of survival. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they follow adventurers and laymen alike as they face down nature’s fury in the most extreme circumstances, and find strength they didn’t know they had, proving the depth and resilience of the human spirit.
August 12, 2018
Good read
I have always enjoyed Readers Digest true stories. Anybody interested in a good variety if stories should try this. Thanks to all contributors
I have always enjoyed Readers Digest true stories. Anybody interested in a good variety if stories should try this. Thanks to all contributors
May 14, 2018
The adventure stories in this collection, although all previously having been published in the Reader’s Digest magazine itself, remain as fresh and gripping as they were on their first day of print. For decades, Reader’s Digest has narrated tales that transcend human anxieties and fears, showing how we nearly all, when we are pushed to the very limits of our endurance, are, nevertheless, somehow able to rally ourselves to overcome the odds that sometimes seem to be overwhelmingly stacked against us. All of the tales in Alive!: Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People Who Survived Deadly Tornadoes, Avalanches, Shipwrecks and More originally formed part of the regular column entitled “Drama in Real Life” during the previous two decades, with most of them coming from the 21st century. However, as is stressed in the introduction to this fine volume of intrepid amateur exploration and outward-bound activity, which is set, more often than not, in the wilderness, or at sea, although sometimes in the apparent sanctity and security of the protagonists’ own homes, these tales are, essentially, “timeless.”
What makes these stories a great deal more than just simply anecdotes is the nature of the combatants themselves. The individuals who people these tales, and with whom we become familiar on first-name basis, can, at times, be seen to be at harmony with elements in the wild that serve to attract them to participating in situations where their very lives are often imperiled. When not vying against primeval forces of tempest and environmental mayhem, such as typhoons and hurricanes, they can be seen savoring the beauties and wonders of just such a double-edged nature. For instance, the noble mustangs after which Tom and Tabitha Garner search for spiritual solace in “Into the Wild” are felt almost to empathize with the couple when they are marooned by howling blizzards: “The blizzard was petering out, and a crowd of mustangs peered at the truck through the trees. ‘Look, Tom,’ Tamitha whispered. ‘Our guardian angels.’”
The objective and thoughtful recounting of these stories of human endeavor is balanced by the insights that the tales provide into the inner workings of the human mind under stress. With the circumstances in which the various characters find themselves being contextualized in such a way that readers are easily able to relate to them, even if they have not personally encountered such situations themselves, when it comes to moments of high drama, the perspective is presented from the eyeview of the proponents themselves. Once the crisis is over, the aftermath is then once more narrated from a more objective standpoint. This alternate narrowing and broadening of focus helps to make the accounts not only highly readable and exciting, but also capable of conveying a deeper message than might otherwise be possible. Many a budding journalist out there might well take note of this tried and true technique, in order to improve their own stylistic rendering of similar situations.
Alive!: Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People Who Survived Deadly Tornadoes, Avalanches, Shipwrecks and More should prove to be a worthwhile addition to any home, school or school library. It comes thoroughly recommended for all ages and all audiences, as, naturally, does the Reader’s Digest magazine itself.
What makes these stories a great deal more than just simply anecdotes is the nature of the combatants themselves. The individuals who people these tales, and with whom we become familiar on first-name basis, can, at times, be seen to be at harmony with elements in the wild that serve to attract them to participating in situations where their very lives are often imperiled. When not vying against primeval forces of tempest and environmental mayhem, such as typhoons and hurricanes, they can be seen savoring the beauties and wonders of just such a double-edged nature. For instance, the noble mustangs after which Tom and Tabitha Garner search for spiritual solace in “Into the Wild” are felt almost to empathize with the couple when they are marooned by howling blizzards: “The blizzard was petering out, and a crowd of mustangs peered at the truck through the trees. ‘Look, Tom,’ Tamitha whispered. ‘Our guardian angels.’”
The objective and thoughtful recounting of these stories of human endeavor is balanced by the insights that the tales provide into the inner workings of the human mind under stress. With the circumstances in which the various characters find themselves being contextualized in such a way that readers are easily able to relate to them, even if they have not personally encountered such situations themselves, when it comes to moments of high drama, the perspective is presented from the eyeview of the proponents themselves. Once the crisis is over, the aftermath is then once more narrated from a more objective standpoint. This alternate narrowing and broadening of focus helps to make the accounts not only highly readable and exciting, but also capable of conveying a deeper message than might otherwise be possible. Many a budding journalist out there might well take note of this tried and true technique, in order to improve their own stylistic rendering of similar situations.
Alive!: Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People Who Survived Deadly Tornadoes, Avalanches, Shipwrecks and More should prove to be a worthwhile addition to any home, school or school library. It comes thoroughly recommended for all ages and all audiences, as, naturally, does the Reader’s Digest magazine itself.
December 28, 2017
Amazing true short stories!
January 9, 2021
This was great, lots of short stories that allowed me to finish one and go do something else then come back and not need to remember where I was.
July 11, 2014
Did I enjoy this book: This book has a vast variety of stories told by ordinary people who survived extraordinary events. You’ll find shipwrecks, tornados, plane crashes, fires, etc. It’s a great book to have at the doctor’s office or car pool. You can enjoy a story or two without getting sucked into a whole novel.
I want to give a shout out to “The Tot and the Twister” by Derek Burnett. It is one of my favorite stories from the anthology. I remember that tornado. I used to live just down the road from that neighborhood. It serves as a reminder of just how close something like that can come to any of us at any time.
Would I recommend it: Yes.
As reviewed by Belinda at Every Free Chance Books.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
http://everyfreechance.com/2014/07/re...
I want to give a shout out to “The Tot and the Twister” by Derek Burnett. It is one of my favorite stories from the anthology. I remember that tornado. I used to live just down the road from that neighborhood. It serves as a reminder of just how close something like that can come to any of us at any time.
Would I recommend it: Yes.
As reviewed by Belinda at Every Free Chance Books.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
http://everyfreechance.com/2014/07/re...
July 15, 2014
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to survive a tornado, flood or shark attack? ALIVE is a compilation of first-person articles previously published in the READER'S DIGEST magazine that describe such events. Twenty-two people share their memorable experiences with airplane crashes, cougar attacks, avalanches, firestorms and so on. It makes for gripping but not graphic reading. All the stories have an inspirational message.
Mike O. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
August 20, 2014
As a child, I always looked forward to the new edition of Reader's Digest and one of my favorite sections was the "Drama In Real Life" stories.
In "Alive," the editors of Reader's Digest have gathered some of the best of recent stories of ordinary folks who survived disasters that most of us can only imagine going through. All of the stories are fascinating and mesmerizing, with some so real that it will have the reader on the edge of their seats!
This is a well-done collection of short, but captivating stories of bravery.
(A Side Note: As a survivor of a massive tornado, I found the tornado stories a little tough to read, but they captured the sensations and feeling of being in such a storm realistically and vividly.)
In "Alive," the editors of Reader's Digest have gathered some of the best of recent stories of ordinary folks who survived disasters that most of us can only imagine going through. All of the stories are fascinating and mesmerizing, with some so real that it will have the reader on the edge of their seats!
This is a well-done collection of short, but captivating stories of bravery.
(A Side Note: As a survivor of a massive tornado, I found the tornado stories a little tough to read, but they captured the sensations and feeling of being in such a storm realistically and vividly.)
June 20, 2014
Borrowed this interesting book from the library. It is the best of the "drama in real life" stories from Reader's Digest. A quick read and excellent true stories.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews