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Unburied: One Woman’s Impossible Survival Story Against All Odds
“Something is crawling over my face. My body turns to stone as panic takes hold of me, and I freeze with fear. Then I hear loud banging sounds, growing louder and louder. Everything begins to throb, a steady pulse beating all around me. I feel the texture with my hand; it's sticky and warm. The taste of metal floods my mouth all at once. Blood.”
Incredibly moving and powerful, Unburied is the harrowing memoir of a young woman’s journey to survive in a foreign land following one of the worst natural disasters in history.
Having arrived in China only three months earlier, twenty-seven-year-old Maayan Sebbag and her friend decided to visit the Chinese countryside in Sichuan when the worst earthquake in Chinese memory hit the region, burying them both under the ruins. Wreathed in darkness, gasping for the smallest breath of dense, polluted air, Maayan wakes up knowing one she is about to die.
Her face broken and bleeding from intense injuries after having a near-death experience, Maayan makes the impossible decision not to wait for a rescue but to find one herself. Constantly on the verge of death with nothing but hope and a backpack, she begins the three-day trek to the hospital in Chengdu through the wild landscapes of southern China. Over literal mountains and raging rivers, flooded villages, and chaos, Maayan’s story is an uncanny testament to resilience and bravery, a reminder of the enormous strength that we have within all of us in a time of need, as well as the rare but life-changing kindness of complete strangers.
Incredibly moving and powerful, Unburied is the harrowing memoir of a young woman’s journey to survive in a foreign land following one of the worst natural disasters in history.
Having arrived in China only three months earlier, twenty-seven-year-old Maayan Sebbag and her friend decided to visit the Chinese countryside in Sichuan when the worst earthquake in Chinese memory hit the region, burying them both under the ruins. Wreathed in darkness, gasping for the smallest breath of dense, polluted air, Maayan wakes up knowing one she is about to die.
Her face broken and bleeding from intense injuries after having a near-death experience, Maayan makes the impossible decision not to wait for a rescue but to find one herself. Constantly on the verge of death with nothing but hope and a backpack, she begins the three-day trek to the hospital in Chengdu through the wild landscapes of southern China. Over literal mountains and raging rivers, flooded villages, and chaos, Maayan’s story is an uncanny testament to resilience and bravery, a reminder of the enormous strength that we have within all of us in a time of need, as well as the rare but life-changing kindness of complete strangers.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 30, 2025
This memoir is not only about a miraculous rescue; It is also a spellbinding account of how the author physically saved her own life, against all odds with the help of some amazing people along the way. After her profound near-death experience Maayan shares her insights on how she views and experiences life in a new way. This book left me with lots to think about !!!
January 18, 2026
Read this in a twenty-four hour period
I didn't expect a real survival story but this is amazing. One of those stories that made me wonder how I would fare. I am really glad that I read this.
I didn't expect a real survival story but this is amazing. One of those stories that made me wonder how I would fare. I am really glad that I read this.
January 24, 2026
Absolutely loved this book
It spoke to my soul
It spoke to my soul
January 5, 2026
I don't normally leave a review for memoirs but had to give this 5⭐. What an amazing story of strength and survival.
February 8, 2026
Quite the Story
The author of this book, Maayan Sebbag shares with the reader of her education and experience as she journeys from her home in Israel to India and ultimately to China. It is her experiences in China that take her on a journey she could not have imagined!
She describes looking forward to meeting her friend Anat for lunch early on in her trip. They are hungry, and looking forward to their afternoon experience visiting a nature reserve and exploring. But Maayan sitting there with her friend in the restaurant suddenly feels this sense that something isn't right with this day. She isn't sure WHERE this sense of unease is coming from but mentions it to her friend Anat. They begin to discuss how they wish to proceed once their lunch is served. Maayan hears the birds chattering constantly and it gives her a strange feeling of apprehension. Then without warning a severe earthquake strikes the area and she and Anat are temporarily separated by the very destruction and rubble that buries them alive, very nearly crushing the life out of Maayan as she fights for air and feels that her jaw has nearly been destroyed as she bleeds profusely... Anat too is injured, her hand crushed and fingers severed as the result of her time beneath the rubble. Separately, they make their way to the surface and find each other again not long after. The fight for survival and healing has just begun...
Although I found there were several times of repetition, it doesn't detract from the story itself. I found it to be a compelling read and am glad she chose to share it with us. I wish them well.
The author of this book, Maayan Sebbag shares with the reader of her education and experience as she journeys from her home in Israel to India and ultimately to China. It is her experiences in China that take her on a journey she could not have imagined!
She describes looking forward to meeting her friend Anat for lunch early on in her trip. They are hungry, and looking forward to their afternoon experience visiting a nature reserve and exploring. But Maayan sitting there with her friend in the restaurant suddenly feels this sense that something isn't right with this day. She isn't sure WHERE this sense of unease is coming from but mentions it to her friend Anat. They begin to discuss how they wish to proceed once their lunch is served. Maayan hears the birds chattering constantly and it gives her a strange feeling of apprehension. Then without warning a severe earthquake strikes the area and she and Anat are temporarily separated by the very destruction and rubble that buries them alive, very nearly crushing the life out of Maayan as she fights for air and feels that her jaw has nearly been destroyed as she bleeds profusely... Anat too is injured, her hand crushed and fingers severed as the result of her time beneath the rubble. Separately, they make their way to the surface and find each other again not long after. The fight for survival and healing has just begun...
Although I found there were several times of repetition, it doesn't detract from the story itself. I found it to be a compelling read and am glad she chose to share it with us. I wish them well.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews