Customer Reviews

Deep Survival

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Deep Survival Review

Last year my family visited the west (Sedona, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Lake Powel). Upon arrival at Bryce I walked from the lodge to the canyon. Despite warning signs and the fact that I had all the information I needed right before my eyes if it had not been for a lady sitting on a bench at the edge of the canyon I warning me I would have walked right off the edge of the canyon and fallen surely to my death. I was about thee inches from the edge when she spoke to me and I 'perceived' that I was about three inches from the edge and the next step would be my last.

I thought a lot about that experience as I read Deep Survival. The author's discussions about perception of danger and the lack of it leading to deep trouble in the wilderness, on you home street or in business was invaluable. This is a wonderful thought provoking book. It caused me to think back over several trips into the wilderness I have taken and I now view them quite differently. It will also affect future explorations. This book kind of reminds me to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

My recommendation: Get this book. I originally read a library copy but I have ordered my own copy so I can mark it up and highlight important passages. If you love the adventure of life get this book so adventure does not turn into tragedy.

Laurence Gonzales has written a riveting book, not about survival technique, but survival philosophy. The points he makes can be applied to any situation in which you find yourself endangered physically, mentally, or emotionally. He weaves together the tao te ching, chaos theory, musings on Roman military tactics, biological lessons on how the brain works to help us preserve the species by preserving ourselves, true-life experiences from people who have endured some of the more bizarre "accidents", and his own taste for thrills.

Gonzales bookends the essays with the story of his father, a scientist who, as a young flier during WWII, was shot down over Germany. He FELL out of his plane--he didn't parachute, he literally fell--and lived through a harrowing recovery as a POW.

Why did his dad make it when the rest of his crew was killed?

Some of this has to do with events you can't control, and some of it has to do with how to control yourself so that you can find a way out of dire straits. He points out that some people can make every correct decision and end up being killed, while others make every wrong decision and walk out of the woods (or off a mountain...) unscathed. But, you can learn to THINK like a survivor, and greatly increase your chances of getting through what may seem, even to others in the same sinking boat, like a no-win situation.

Gonzales's dad taught him, "Plan the flight. Fly the plan, but don't fall in love with the plan." Being prepared is only part of the equation; being able to adjust to changing circumstances is what a lot of us forget about.

Reading this book is an adventure in itself. If you're a city dweller, like me, and don't anticipate not having the Sears Tower in your line of sight if you get disoriented, it's still enjoyable, and applicable to what you will eventually experience.

This book should be on every high school reading list. (Preferably BEFORE the kid takes driver's ed.)

I also recommend Gavin DeBecker's books, such as THE GIFT OF FEAR. He discusses some of what Gonzales does, insofar as honing your inner resources so they work FOR you, but he is also very specific regarding cases of direct threats from other people. Gonzales does discuss how non-survivors can compromise a survivor, but most of what he talks about is environmental.

If you are planning a wilderness trip or just a seemingly innocuous weekend hike, this book is a great reality check. It's also an inspiration. Some of these stories are just amazing, and they prove how tough, and sometimes dumb, a species we are.

It really does. This book is not about the technical elements of how to survive, such as how to build shelter, find water and eat in harsh conditions. You will probably end up feeling like you could do those things better after having read the book, but to focus on those skills would be to lose the point of the book. It is a detailed explanation of what it means to survive. Gonzales tells us what surval means in our brain as well as what it means to our personality, specifically the lessons that can be learned and the growth that can take place through a survival situation. What I found most powerful about the book were his regular references to his father's survival in WWII and how learning about that experience and trying to understand it steered his own life toward adventure. Gonzales uses survival as a vehicle to explore what drives people to do things others would think insane or even deadly. He also provides one of the most compelling and simple explanations for that behavior: we do it in order to build skills that will save us later. In one way or another, everyone will face a survival situation in their life from which they will either live or die. Gonzales' point seems to be that when that time comes having had some practice can make all the difference.

I don't know how this book rates compared to books on survival, but it's now at the top of my recommended reading list for anyone who wants to learn about emotional intelligence. In particular, the first few chapters provide the most compelling and lucid descriptions I've ever read of the complex interaction between mind, body, and emotion. When he starts bringing in the work of EQ greats like Antonio Damasio and Joseph LeDoux, I knew he'd done his homework. Gonzales answers the question we all ask when confronted with the hazardous and foolhardy acts of our fellow humans--What were they thinking? You have to read chapter 2 to find the answer--it's worth it. His background as an adventure journalist gives his writing punch; he creates suspense and drama in every chapter and helps us learn from the harrowing experiences of people who did and did not survive. This book also makes a no-brainer gift for anyone on your list who is inclined towards high-risk activities--flying, climbing, rafting, sailing. They'll thank you for it.

I'm not an extreme outdoorsman; the extent of my outdoor adventures consists of a bit of fishing and camping well on the beaten path (where, as Mr. Gonzales shows, you can still get into very bad trouble). Nevertheless I've experienced some rare situations, as probably nearly everyone has, where I've been outdoors and suddenly in danger. This book does a great job of explaining in layman's terms what happens psychologically and physiologically to folks who find themselves in those types of situations, and more importantly how you can work to maintain control when your life may depend on it. The real life examples used are utterly fascinating and kept me totally engrossed. Mr. Gonzales has has written a highly illuminating book on the nature of the human animal at its deepest core.

Those who are focusing on whether or not Gonzales is actually instructing you on how to survive in the wild are completely missing the point of Deep Survival. As a totally urban chick who'd rather die than hike, I bought the book not because I wanted to learn about mountaineering, but to investigate why I've survived a blood disorder that has killed others. And thanks to this book, I've gotten my answer. Gonzales beautifully explains and explores the paradox that must be absorbed completely if one is to live through a catastrophe--which is that to survive something, you must surrender to it, basically fall into it, accepting all the pain and suffering, if you're ever going to get out of it. When you're able to quickly adapt to a new reality and make this new place--however frightening--your new home, you've a much better chance of surviving than the person who's in denial. For one thing, your sense of spirituality and wonder deepens, and this is a tremendous life force in and of itself. It helps you enjoy where you ARE, instead of frantically trying to get to where you think you should be. This is simply a great life lesson, whether you're lost in the woods, or just trying to live a happier existence.

He explains the paradox so well--that in order to survive, one must surrender, yet at the same time not give in. There must be a sheer raw determination to win the game, yet an acceptance of possibly losing it as well, which paradoxically, gives you an edge. And if you can muster a playful spirit on top of it all, well--then you're just golden. A *great* read.

The author leads with his strongest material--In Chapters 1 and 2, the author gaves a convincing explanation of logic and emotion interact in the brain, and how this affects behavior under stress. He applies this explanation to two actual examples where knowledgeable and trained people did stupid, self-destructive things that are in direct opposition to their knowledge and training. That in itself was probably worth buying the book for. The author claims that the majority of people, when confronted with a highly stressful situation, don't react appropriately. This doesn't mean that they will fail to come through the situation, they may survive through luck, and they may have the opportunity to regain their composure and function properly before anything fatal happens.

In the succeeding chapters, the book gives detailed description of actual emergencies, and describes how those involved reacted. Each chapter focuses on a particular type of behavior that is typical of survivor types. This is the bulk of the book, and it is not as instructive as the first two chapters, though it is very interesting reading.

The epilogue summarizes key things the author believes mark those who are survivors from those who are not survivors. The behaviors won't come as a big surprise to most people.

One thing that disturbs me about the book is that the author almost harps on how much more important these behaviors are than actual skills. I don't think the author believes that skill is unimportant--In particular two of his accounts of survival at sea show that skill is quite important--But I'm concerned some readers will decide that acquiring basic skills isn't urgent. Which would be the wrong lesson to take from this book. The book does acknowledge that training is important, but doesn't really do so until the epilogue I spoke of, where he urges those who will go into the wilderness to "take every training course you can find". But that's a little late to start emphasizing that point! Throughout the book, the author refers back to his father's frightful experience during World War II, which started his interest in what marks a survivor.

Those who want to supplement this book would benefit from Leach's "Survival Psychology", which discusses some of the same ideas and applies them to less outdoorsy situations such as hostage scenarios.

Deep Survival is an outstanding and long-overdue book on the mechanisms concerning why some survive overwhelming odds and others perish. The book contains a great body of research, anecdotes, and the author's personal insights into the inner-workings of the mind when faced with a wilderness survival situation or life-threatening predicament. As someone who teaches outdoor survival for a living, I can say that this book is now required reading for my students and one that most of us in the survival training community have long been waiting for. As Mr. Gonzales points out time and again, survival has only a small portion to do with what you carry in your pack or pockets and everything to do with how well you manage and utilize that incredible survival tool between your ears. I highly recommend this book to outdoor enthusiasts, educators, and anyone else wanting to know what makes a person tick when the pressure is on.

Having survived a pretty serious mountaineering accident myself a few years ago, I found the book absolutely fascinating and very consistent with my own experience both as a climber and member of a volunteer mountain rescue organization. I was familiar with many of the survival stories profiled in the book as an avid reader of mountaineering, exploration, and rescue literature. However, this book really helped answer a number of lingering questions I have had about survival, particularly those related to my own accident--about how/why I reacted the way I did and how it led to my own survival.

I think the book (particularly the last chapter) will be a very useful addition to the mountaineering and rescue training literature. I will certainly be using portions of this book in upcoming climbing and rescue training that I help design and conduct.

Bill Romberg
Alaska Mountain Rescue Group

Years ago I put myself in a situation and got cold, very cold. It would have been a pain-free relief to have simply given in. Shut-down mode. Enough of the pain. Enough of the struggle. It'll be alright. This is the journalistic beat of Laurence Gonzales. Why some people hear that voice and assuage themselves with the endorphins of impending morbidity. And why in the brains of others there is a dialogue which cues simultaneous and contradictory impulses. Life-saving impulses. I did not read Deep Survival so much as absorb it into the fabric of my being. You too may have occasion to explore your own self in deeply personal, provocative ways while reading this book. This goes way, way beyond "armchair exploration" and into a deeper examination of self. Many of the like-minded among us now have cause to quote Gonzalesian priniciples to the uninitiated. Take from it what you will. Just get in touch with (and control of) that voice emanating from the base of your brain. This skill may one day be the best hope you've got.