BOOK REVIEW
Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why
True stories of miraculous endurance and sudden death
by Lori MacKay
Steve Callahan was shipwrecked for 76 days before being rescued. He had
journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean alone in a six-person life raft. Why
was he able to survive and others do not?
There are many compelling stories and forays into other people's lives,
throughout Laurence Gonzales' book Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies
and Why. The 278-page book presents an interesting look into the human
condition as seen through the survival tales of sailors, pilots, mountain
climbers and outdoor enthusiasts.
With examples from his own life, other peoples' lives and studies, Gonzales
explains that even the most unprepared person with no survival skills
can become a survivor under the utmost adverse conditions, while a seasoned
survivalist with all the survival equipment and knowledge can become a
casualty. What may seem like a minor decision can mean the difference
between life and death.
This book is not a survival guide by any means, although it does include
an appendix of survival strategies. This book is about how a person's
reaction in a threatening situation can mean the difference between survival
and death, regardless of survival equipment. The author describes numerous
stories where a person's emotions can be their greatest asset - or greatest
weakness. During times of stress, emotions are what drive a person to
act and react - not cognitive thought. A person who can use his or her
emotions instead of succumbing to them may have a better chance at survival.
For example, Gonzales describes how just having a goal can take the focus
away from the negative thoughts of "we're never getting out of here."
The goal can be caring for the injured, reaching a distant target or guarding
the survival area from predators - anything to forget despairing thoughts
and concentrate on surviving.
 Gonzales
describes how each person develops his or her own "mental model"
from short-term memory that shapes their behaviour and reactions. People
who are lost rely on their short-term memory to make decision on what
they think should be the outcome, instead of adapting to the world in
front of them. Gonzales says good survivors aren't immune to fear, but
can manage it better and are able to adapt to the new situation.
There isn't a dull chapter in the book, and once it's picked up it will
be hard to put down. The reader is driven to find out how a man who broke
his leg on a 20,000 foot peak was able to crawl six days without food
and water to make it out alive. And why someone else with extensive survival
training ends up dying from hypothermia. There are many more examples
and each one is as compelling as the last.
From beginning to end, this book is a keeper.
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