Having a news story like "12 people died on Everest in averse weather conditions" chronicled in such an intense way with background, counterpoint and, in case of Krakauer, first person experience really scratched an itch. I'd like to read more of this genre, so please hit me with your polar expeditions, desert explorations and jungle adventures!
by tyeunbroken
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Into the wild
***Miracle in the Andes*** by Nando Parrado: A plane carrying a rugby team crashes in the remote Andes. This book tells the story of the following 72 days where the survivors struggle to hold on and be rescued.
***Wild*** by Cheryl Strayed. A 22 year old woman hits rock bottom and without experience or training, decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.
Endurance – Alfred Lansing is also incredible
The most harrowing tale of survival in the desert that I’ve read was Skeletons on the Zahara. It’s a historical account but written like a novel.
Endurance by Alfred Lansing. Tells the true story, in narrative format similar to how Krakauer does, of the 1914 expedition of Ernest Shackleton and crew to be the first to cross Antarctica through the South Pole, how everything went wrong, and their two year long survival ordeal. What makes the book so incredible for me is that it was written in the 50s and the author was able to have access to a huge amount of the crew’s own diaries they kept during the entire experience, which he weaves into the narrative as it goes.
Feels weird to be worried about “spoiling” true history haha but the outcome of it all blew my mind and had me turning pages and more on the edge of my seat than any work of fiction. Even includes within the pages photos that the crew took during the entire ordeal.