The Greatest Survival Stories of All Time: True Tales of People Cheating Death When Trapped in a Cave, Adrift at Sea, Lost in the Forest, Stranded on a Mountaintop and More

by Cara Tabachnick

Discover the harrowing, true tales of those who have faced certain death...and survived!

The stories seem too unbelievable to be true. Lost individuals facing the most severe natural disasters, the most dangerous situations, and the most inhospitable conditions...and coming back alive. From plane crashes and sinking ships to surviving in freezing forests and dry deserts, this anthology of survival stories includes some of the most famous, unbelievable tales of beating the odds.

This book features gripping tales of sheer bravery and quick thinking, including:

Juliane Koepcke, the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Peruvian AmazonJose Salvador Alvarenga, who floated for 13 months alone in the Pacific oceanAron Ralston, who cut off his arm to escape the canyon he’d been trapped inLincoln Hall, who was abandoned on Mount Everest ...and many more.
Whether you want to be thrilled by close calls and narrow escapes, or get inspired by some of the greatest stories of human endurance, this collection of tales has something for everyone.

Genres: Nonfiction, Survival, History, Adventure

288 pages, Paperback

Published July 23, 2019

Reviews

[TrudyKJP]

The stories were really incredible. The writing really wasn't. The stories are small and snack sized so you could tell if you wanted to know more. There are references in the back so you can find more books, movies, articles. The stories themselves are worth the read, but the writing leaves much to be desired.

[Terry]

Not really stories, but sketches. At times I got more information reading Wikipedia instead of this book.
The book is poorly written, as if the intended audience were school children. Though I learned about some folks I hadn't heard of before I do believe that the title is a bit of an exaggeration.
It was a quick read.

[Jim]

The writing isn't the best. The writing style is very dry, and often simply "boring". But, the stories themselves are incredible and I found myself web searching a couple of the survivors to see where they are today.

[Elsie]

not as moving as expected.

[Dan Panke]

Poorly written as the content doesn't give feeling to the situation. I had high hopes for this book.

[Faith Rens]

It was okay. It was more of a mix of stories than just nature-based like I expected, some were war and crime too. Overall it's written fairly well, I thought it was a little subjective at times and a little too Sparknoted; some of the stories could have definitely included more facts than the little epilogue. Overall not bad but probably not something I would say everyone needs to read right now.

[Logan Wykes]

If all you want are the facts, this will do the trick. It will tell you just enough so you know what happened but reads like a collection of short newspaper articles. Should probably find individual books about each event.

[Connie]

you can do hard things!

The book reminded me of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning — the idea that when we have a why to live for, we can survive almost any how. There’s a similar echo of Nietzsche here too: purpose becomes fuel, even in the darkest moments.

[Koen Mars]

Good stories but odd word choices and mediocre writing style.

[Ana Duarte]

If only the writing was as good as the stories!

[Ashley Meyer]

Was ok. Good stories, not the best writing.

[Kenneth P.]

Loved the short story format


What great and inspiring stories of true survival. Easy and engaging read that I would.definitely recommend highly. Two
thumbs way up.

[Jeffrey Hyler]

Mildly entertaining.

[Steve Bera]

Condensing these great stories did them no favor. Also, the book was edited for a juvenile reader. Cannot recommend.

[Abby Humphrey]

Great book the short stories about each survival get to the point and don’t lack and important facts

[Annika]

Spännande och hemska händelser som tyvärr beskrivs stelt och styltigt.

[Randall McCauley]

Good stories but very condensed and brief. Wish they were longer and had more information in them. But now I know the people and can find out more by searching the internet, etc.

[peter lang]

Informative

A good introduction of the various events discussed. It whets your appetite to investigate further on the subject. Well done

[Thundy]

Awful writing and several of the stories felt like somewhat uninspired picks, still, some of the stories were interesting. A shame that it felt like a chore to read at times.

[Sohail]

This book consists of several stories written in the form of newspaper articles that all, except one, are about dire situations in which the protagonists must do their best to stay alive. They are far, far from 'greatest' survival stories of all time, but the good thing about them is if you are looking for interesting survival stories, they can act as introductions. I was looking for books about survival in tropical environments, and this book helped me find one.

[Marian J]

I purchased this book for a "Nature" book club that is just starting. Unfortunately, the writing in this book is not very good at all, one of the worst writing that I've seen in a long time! I personally would not recommend purchasing this book.

[Leslie Jonsson]

I had no awareness of most of these true to life survival stories. This is very readable.