Alive: The True Story of the Andes Survivors (Paperback)

Theirs is a journey born of tragedy and human endurance. The author unfolds a tale that is gripping in the telling, as enthralling as it is almost unbelievable. It is investigative reporting at its best, because it does not fail to convey the human drama and pathos behind the story of this remarkable struggle for survival high up in the Andes mountains. Masterfully written, it is a well balanced narrative that takes great pains to ground the experience of the survivors in the context out of which it arose.

The plane had crashed in the Andes mountains on Argentinian territory. It was an exercise in terror for those on the plane, as it barreled down the mountain, before finally coming to rest in a valley of snow high up in the Andes. Of the forty five persons on board, thirty two had initially survived the crash. Some, however, had sustained serious injuries. Time would not be their friend. Moreover, with little warm clothing (keep in mind that October is springtime in South America), the survivors were exposed to the extreme cold of the night air, high up in the Andes mountains. Though spring, this still meant temperatures well below freezing. Damp, cold, and hungry, amid the anguished cries of the injured, thus began the first of many such nights.

By their tenth day in the Andes, the limited food supplies, which they had rationed with all the care of a miser, had virtually run out. Starving and ravenously hungry, they voiced what they all knew to be true, but had not dared to voice before. They must eat, or they would die. The only thing left for them to eat, however, was abhorrent and deeply repugnant to them. Digging deep into their conservative, religious souls, they found a way to justify actions that would have them transcend a new reality. Their fallen comrades would now provide the means of their sustenance. All eventually succumbed to this only means of survival.

This, while one of the most dramatic parts of their story, is just that, a part. Their survival entailed much more. They had to endure other deprivations. They had to survive the elements. They had to overcome a profound despair over being seemingly forgotten by the outside world. Ultimately, only sixteen were able to do so. How they did so will fascinate all readers of adventure literature. The means that they took to let the world know that they were still alive will astound even the most jaded of readers. It is an account of human endurance that is thought provoking and compelling, a quest to reconcile physical needs with the spiritual. It is, above all, a riveting testament to life.

The boys themselves had their own sort of society in that valley in the Andes -- not everyone was helpful or had the instinct for survival and none of them had ever been through this kind of hardship, but they made it work and their system kept 16 of them alive for 72 days. They had their share of so much bad luck (not knowing where they were, the expeditionaries took a longer/harder route to civilisation; their parents had the right idea of their location a few times but looked elsewhere) and some good luck (they did not lose a single boy in their many expeditions). What got them through was a mixture of hope, love for their families, resourcefulness and extreme stubborness -- all of which are admirable qualities and make their story worth telling.

What is a little suprising is that even in the face of the most inhuman circumstances some still found humour. A true story of amazing solidarity and faith in themselves and humanity.

I read it in three days and couldn't put it down.

If you have Google Earth, take a look at the terrain using the tilt feature...it is truly an amazing achievment.