Spotlight on True Adventure: Survival & Natural Disasters

As most avid readers will tell you, a book can offer an escape from your everyday life. Nonfiction or True Adventure stories deliver the adrenaline rush of exploration, survival, and discovery, without having to leave your comfiest chair. Though similar to Adventure Fiction (see Clive Cussler), part of the enjoyment to be found in True Adventure are the practical details. Whether it's the tools and procedures for mountain climbing, or descriptions of far off or extreme landscapes, readers will be immersed in a fantastic, but all too real, world.

Whether you're already a fan or you're looking to try something new, we've put together a list of suggestions for True Adventure. You can read our second True Adventure post, which focuses on Voyages of Discovery and Spies & Conmen, by following this link: carnegiestout.blogspot.com/2012/02/spotlight-on-true-adventure-discovery.html
Stories of Survival
Lost in Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff
(940.548 ZUC) Three Americans survive a WWII plane crash in remote New Guinea.

Not Without Hope by Nick Schuyler
(910.452 SCH) Mr. Schuyler survives a terrible boating accident that kills three of his friends, two of whom played in the NFL.

Miracle in the Andes: 72 days on the mountain and my long trek home by Nando Parrado
(982.6 PAR) Mr. Parrado's tragic tale of survival after a tragic plane crash high in the Andes is considered a classic of the True Adventure genre.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston
(Biog Ralston) While hiking in Utah, Mr. Ralston becomes trapped beneath and boulder and must make a difficult decision. His story is the basis for the film 127 Hours.

Into Thin Air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster by Jon Krakauer
(796.522095496 KRA) Journalist Jon Krakauer's deadly 1996 Mt. Everest expedition is another classic in True Adventure writing.

The Ledge: an adventure story of friendship and survival on Mount Rainier by Jim Davidson
(796.522092 DAV) This more recent account of mountain climbing tells of a 1992 disaster on Mount Rainier, and its inspirational impact on survivor Jim Davidson.

Natural Disasters
The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin
(977.031 LAS) The story of a tragic blizzard in 1888 that caused the death of many recent and unprepared immigrants, especially school children.

F5: Devastation, survival, and the most violent tornado outbreak of the twentieth century by Mark Levine
(551.553 LEV) In April of 1974 more than one hundred tornadoes struck the central U.S. Mr. Levine focuses on the impact of these deadly storms on a community in rural Alabama.

The Perfect Storm: a true story of men against the sea by Sebastian Junger
(974.45 JUN) This account of the deadly storm which struck the New England coast in October of 1991 is another True Adventure classic and served as the basis for the 2000 movie.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
(976.335 EGG) Mr. Eggers tells the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun who disappeared in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: empire, intrigue, murder, and the new Madrid earthquakes by Jay Feldman
(551.22 FEL) The story of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and '12 and how they affected the people and politics of the day.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!