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Learning to Breathe: One Woman's Journey of Spirit and Survival
A searing and uplifting account of one woman�s spiritual journey from surviving a terrible accident to a triumphant ascent of Kilimanjaro
On the second day of this century, world- renowned photojournalist Alison Wright was traveling on a windy mountain road in Laos when the bus she was riding in collided with a logging truck and was severed in half. As Alison waited for h...more
On the second day of this century, world- renowned photojournalist Alison Wright was traveling on a windy mountain road in Laos when the bus she was riding in collided with a logging truck and was severed in half. As Alison waited for h...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
August 14th 2008
by Hudson Street Press
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What an amazing life this woman has had. What was most striking to me is that her near-death experience didn't really lead to a big change in her life; instead, it helped her see with even more clarity how she'd been living the life she truly wanted. How many people can say that?
I also love how her life of travel is so meaningful. She touches, and is touched, by many people along the way.
The reason I didn't give this 5 stars is related to the fact that she's done so much: there were significant...more
I also love how her life of travel is so meaningful. She touches, and is touched, by many people along the way.
The reason I didn't give this 5 stars is related to the fact that she's done so much: there were significant...more
This is an amazing story of a one woman's journey to wellness after a devastating accident. It is truly remarkable how she was able to stay alive through the ordeal and to stick to her desire to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro by her 40th birthday (which she acheived).
However, I gave it three stars because I felt that she failed to really convey the emotions of the enormity of what happened to her. Nor was she able to articulate her struggles in a way that allowed the reader to share the journey. She came...more
However, I gave it three stars because I felt that she failed to really convey the emotions of the enormity of what happened to her. Nor was she able to articulate her struggles in a way that allowed the reader to share the journey. She came...more
Despite the cheesy title and subtitle, this is the story of a remarkable woman, her incredible energy, experiences and grit. Alison Wright is a photojournalist who specializes in documenting the plight of underprivileged children throughout the world. In 2000, Wright survived being a victim in a debilitating bus accident in which all of her major organs were shoved up under her left shoulder. Because the bus collision happened on a rural mountanside in Laos, she didn't receive real medical atten...more
Alison Wright was in a severe bus accident in Laos when a logging truck hit the bus head on. Alison was sprawled on the pavement, covered in blood with life threatening injuries. The pain was excruciating and combined with her difficulty breathing, she was hanging onto life by a thread. She had practiced meditation for years and applied her tools of the trade and concentrated as intently as she could on every single breath she took, she was determined she wasn’t going to allow herself to die.
Aft...more
Aft...more
I loved this book. It was fun to live vicariously through her many life adventures as well as seeing her strength and motivation during her recovery.
Last night as I finished it and was falling asleep, I did wonder how much easier it is to stay in the present moment when traveling around the world on endless adventures, because you have to. That is the beauty of traveling, everything is new and fresh. Staying present in the day in an day out of typical life with kids and soccer practice and dinn...more
Last night as I finished it and was falling asleep, I did wonder how much easier it is to stay in the present moment when traveling around the world on endless adventures, because you have to. That is the beauty of traveling, everything is new and fresh. Staying present in the day in an day out of typical life with kids and soccer practice and dinn...more
Learning to Breathe is a memoir by photojournalist Alison Wright. In her book she describes barely surviving a horrific bus crash in Laos and her subsequent recovery.
What is truly amazing about Wright's story is that she really should not have survived given the extent of her internal injuries and the fact that it was nearly 24 hours before she was even able to get to a hospital in Thailand with just adequate enough care to operate on her.
What remains so vivid for me about her story is how her...more
What is truly amazing about Wright's story is that she really should not have survived given the extent of her internal injuries and the fact that it was nearly 24 hours before she was even able to get to a hospital in Thailand with just adequate enough care to operate on her.
What remains so vivid for me about her story is how her...more
My wish for this book was that it could have been separated into two parts. I found both the story of Alison Wright's accident and journey to recovery and her accounts of all the amazing things that she has done in her life inspiring, it was just a little bit too much for one book. It felt a little bit like she thought this might be her only chance to write about her life, so she wanted to get as many stories in as she could. Switching from her recovery to memories of her earlier life to her hop...more
This was a pretty amazing story of a woman adventurer who was critically injured in a bus accident in Tibet. She only survives because of the actions of the strangers who came to her aid and transported her--with great difficulty--to a hospital. Despite the severity of her injuries, and the years of subsequent rehabilitation and ailments, she draws upon her inner strength, an unfailing optimism and her spirituality to conquer and thrive.
It was a relief, almost, to follow the story of a woman wh...more
It was a relief, almost, to follow the story of a woman wh...more
I found the book content to be very interesting, but felt the author didn't quite present the Buddhist message. She claims that her Buddhist practice was responsible for her amazing recovery and I'm sure it was instrumental in her being able to survive and conquer her injuries. However, her attitude seems unchanged. Buddhism is all about not clinging to our self concepts, and not clinging to certain outcomes of life...but instead, flowing with life. Her dogged determination to regain what had be...more
Mar 05, 2011
Maura Walsh
added it
Written by my dear friend Alison who went through a horrible bus accident that has changed her life. This is her account of her journey to recovery along with flashbacks of her life of adventures as a world traveling professional photographer. If only one of the events in her life had happened to me, I'd be working that story the rest of my life, but for Alison, her adventures are just a day in the life. Thankfully, God has kept her safe! From war zones to base camp at Everest to the Amazon to t...more
I enjoyed the incidents in her life as a world wanderer. I was amazed with what she survived. I felt at times that she was an adrenaline junkie, albeit with all good intentions on her part. I liked her basic message of connection and living in the moment. I was a little disappointed in the lack of detail about aspects of her spiritual growth. I do definitely think it is worth reading just for the survival and her basic message of connectedness.
There was a wonderful quote at the end which applies...more
There was a wonderful quote at the end which applies...more
I guess I picked up this book because my daughter got in an accident,and I wanted to read about someone who had it much worse, but was still okay at the end. This woman's life is completely incredible. The misfortune keeps following her, and every time she comes out of it stronger and better than before. I am glad I read it. Things are possible, I guess, with the right attitude. It was very interesting to read about Tibet. I hope to pick up more books on the same topic.. The book reminded me a l...more
Maybe 2.5 stars. I enjoyed the details of her accident and the amazing heroes and selfless individuals who helped this stranger during the tragic events. I also enjoyed most of her stories. However, I wasn't mesmerized by this book. I felt the Buddhist teachings are so different from my own Christian beliefs that I had trouble relating. I'm not sure if that makes me ignorant or not! All along I was wishing I could share my beliefs about the purpose of life as I know it with her. I felt like I wa...more
The story of her survival and recovery are amazing. There truly is no limit to what you can achieve if you set your mind and heart to it. Obviuously her faith plays a BIG role in her achievements. The peace with which she and other Buddhists look at things does give you pause for thought. Americans are always going going going - striving for more; Asians seem more in the moment and happy with the little things - like a plastic bag kite or the stars. If all you take away from this book is the des...more
Weaving stories of her world travels with the harrowing tale of a bus accident in Laos and her lengthy recovery, Alison Wright captures the interconnectedness of humanity despite the disparate cultures in which we live. She is obviously a risk-taker and a truth-seeker - her passion for telling people's stories through her photography is evident. It was fun to peek inside her crazy life lived mostly abroad. Her determined recovery was also inspiring...I would recommend this book to everyone. As...more
Thanks to my sister Susan for suggesting this inspiring book. The author was unbelievably heroic through many, many challenges including a bus accident in Laos she should have died from. It made me want to go outside my comfort zone a little but I couldn't even relate to some of the things she did and the way she pushed herself. My question is: what drove her to take such risks? She is truly someone to be admired both for her photographic work in third world countries as well as the way she over...more
Alison Wright, author of this memoir, has been a photojournalist for 20 years. She has traveled all over the world,particularly in Asia. In 2000 she was a victim in a horrific bus accident in the hills of Laos, and was not expected to survive. With excellent recall, she tells of the incident, with all the medical and cultural details, and credits individuals who helped her. She is also a practicing Buddhist, and believes that her training in meditation and yoga allowed her to survive and endure...more
"Working in such dirt-poor countries was a reminder that life is such a fragile thread, and that the simple fact of where you are born can determine how you will die."
page 86
"I was inspired by a quote by Yousuf Karsh, one of the most famous and accomplished portrait photographers of all time. 'To make enduring photographs, it is far more important to know about the inner workings of the human mind and soul, for the heart and the mind are the true soul of the camera.' I needed to physically touch...more
page 86
"I was inspired by a quote by Yousuf Karsh, one of the most famous and accomplished portrait photographers of all time. 'To make enduring photographs, it is far more important to know about the inner workings of the human mind and soul, for the heart and the mind are the true soul of the camera.' I needed to physically touch...more
An amazing story about a photojournalist who is nearly killed in a bus accident in Laos - she recovers, against all odds, and is able to climb Kilimanjaro.
I was inspired by her attitude and how her Buddhist practice saw her through a very pain-filled time.
I would have rated this book more highly, but I felt there was some pieces of her experience that she glossed over. I thought the book would have been stronger if she had been as forth-right about the hard times as well as her stronger times.
I was inspired by her attitude and how her Buddhist practice saw her through a very pain-filled time.
I would have rated this book more highly, but I felt there was some pieces of her experience that she glossed over. I thought the book would have been stronger if she had been as forth-right about the hard times as well as her stronger times.
This is a personal memoir of a young woman who survives a terrible accident off the beaten track in rural Laos, when she should have died. Helped by her faith and her physical and mental strength, she makes it through and recounts her life from them. It's a sort of "Eat, Pray, Love" meets "Three Cups of Tea".
Engaging and inspiring, I enjoyed it as I always find look to books about strong and adventurous women to re-engage my own journey with live.
Engaging and inspiring, I enjoyed it as I always find look to books about strong and adventurous women to re-engage my own journey with live.
I have been a bit disappointed with this book. I thought the writer was going to tell about some of her experiences in the East. Instead is seems to be a book about a near death by a bad bus ride experience and how she overcame the odds of surviving. I feel that the book is something the author needed to write for her own healing but it has not been that exciting. She is a noted photographer and has published several photo books but her ability to tell an interesting story did not raise it's hea...more
Loved this inspiring story of a photo journalist who survived a nearly fatal bus accident in Laos in 2000. It took her nearly 24 hours to make it across the border to a Thai hospital. The story covers her many adventures living in Nepal and traveling to many fascinating places documenting her experiences via photos. She also documents her struggle to recover from her vast injuries setting a goal to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro by her 40th birthday. I had a hard time putting it down and read it in just a...more
This book is a photojournalist's account of a horrific accident and her recovery with flashes back to other events, while at the same time highlighting the plight of various communities dealing with poverty and the effects of war and oppression. Reading this, phrases like "profoundly unlucky", and "magnet for trouble" kept popping up in my mind. This woman has experienced an incredible number of illnesses and injuries in her travels. Also, having family members with ADD/ADHD, I couldn't help thi...more
Learning to Breathe is the story of Alison Wright an international photographer who nearly dies in a bus accident. I really identified with her spiritual journey and because of that I enjoyed the book. The message was well communicated through her writing but did run a bit long in the end. I also think if you are a devout Christian you probably wouldn't enjoy the book as much as Alison takes a Buddhist view throughout the book’s entirety.
Unbelieveable story. Favorite messages: I believe when you lose someone who's loved you, that person's energy and spirit become a part of your being and you become more powerful than you have ever been.
We make our lives so complicated - really we all just want to have some work with a sense of purpose, safety, and health for ourselves, family and friends, and most of all to feel love and be loved.
We make our lives so complicated - really we all just want to have some work with a sense of purpose, safety, and health for ourselves, family and friends, and most of all to feel love and be loved.
This is actually a strong 3 1/2 star rather than a full-fledged 4, but it is a very good story. This is the memoir of a photojournalist who fights for her life after a terrible accident. Additionally, she fights for her life as a person after this accident and in pursuit her life prior to the accident. Great story. It was a bit dry and slow reading occasionally, which results in the lower 3 1/2 stars.
This one is written by another Bay Area resident. She is a photographer who tells her incredible true story about literally coming back to life. She's a true adventurer and done some super cool things. One of her friends is the Dalai Lama. It is a very fast read.
She has published several books of her photos and they are beautiful!
She has published several books of her photos and they are beautiful!
Just what I needed... the story of a photojournalist that has traveled the world over. Fantastic account of her travels (primarily in fascinating places such as Tibet, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, etc.) trials, and the interesting people, cultures, and faiths that she finds along the way. Read it in a matter of a few days, so enjoyable!
Received as a Christmas gift from a family friend last year. This woman had a truly horrific accident, and was essentially saved by her years-long meditation practice and the presence of mind it gave her during the trauma. Shocking and inspirational, certainly, but probably still not enough to convince me to meditate...
A memoir of recovery from immense physical trauma, "Learning to Breathe" suffers offers a powerful description of the author's amazing survival of a bus crash in Laos. The book suffers a bit from repetitive writing but is worth reading, especially if you're interested in Buddhism.
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Apr 06, 2011 03:57pm