Branden's review
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Read in February, 2009
This was a very intriguing read that I really enjoyed. The title pretty much describes it, it's about survival and the author asks the question, why do some people survive certain situations while others succumb to death? He asks, if two people, of the same phyical health, same training are put into a life and death situation, what is it that will allow one of the two to survive while the other dies? The author searches for these answers by studying many cases of human survival and he shares these stories and the reasons why some people can be labeled as survivors. This book is part psychology, part neuroscience and part philosophy in the answers that the author discovers. This book doesn't just talk about literally surviving while being lost in the wilderness or stranded on a mountain, but also talks about how to survive in the business world and keep relationships alive. The main lesson I took from this and the main reason for why some people are survivors is that the survivors know ...more
This was a very intriguing read that I really enjoyed. The title pretty much describes it, it's about survival and the author asks the question, why do some people survive certain situations while others succumb to death? He asks, if two people, of the same phyical health, same training are put into a life and death situation, what is it that will allow one of the two to survive while the other dies? The author searches for these answers by studying many cases of human survival and he shares these stories and the reasons why some people can be labeled as survivors. This book is part psychology, part neuroscience and part philosophy in the answers that the author discovers. This book doesn't just talk about literally surviving while being lost in the wilderness or stranded on a mountain, but also talks about how to survive in the business world and keep relationships alive. The main lesson I took from this and the main reason for why some people are survivors is that the survivors know how to keep their cool. Whatever situation you may be in, whether it's surviving the wilderness or surviving a work situation, the best thing you can do is keep your cool while you assess your new surrounding and adapt to your new situation. Accept the situation for what it is and realize that you're not always going to be able to change your environment, you must adapt and focus your mind on what you'll need to do to survive and panicking while you do nothing definately will not help the situation. Those who don't adapt are those that will eventually die.
Again, a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading about real-life disasters (Into Thin Air, Miracle in the Andes, Touching the Void, etc.)and those that conquer those disasters.
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