Unless you've somehow found a way to live your life without ever hearing about what is possibly the best-documented [and unique] airplane tragedy of all time, chances are you know the story behind Piers Paul Read's Alive. I had seen the film from the 1990's, but it wasn't until this past Christmas when I was given the book that I really got to taste this incredible non-fiction story.
The Gist of It
A Uruguayan rugby team is flying to Chile in 1972. The plane crashes in the Andes, stranding the 45 passengers & crew for three months. People die. People live.
Yeah, so what?
Whether you think you know the story or know nothing about it, you will enjoy Alive. The story is simply incredible, and the knowledge that every bit of it is true is awe inspiring. To survive a plane crash is one thing, but to then survive 10 weeks in the Andes and make a mind-blowing trek to seek relief towards the end is inconceivable. The triumphs of some of the individuals are particularly amazing, but the fate of others quickly brings the story back to recognize the fragility and enormity of the predicament.
Chapters are structured in such a way that they alternate between detailing the survivor's situation with describing the considerable rescue effort, and eventually they merge together towards the end. The main area where Alive falls short is in describing the enduring effects that the 10 weeks had on everybody involved. Although Read elucidates both the physical and metaphysical condition of the survivors immediately after their salvation, he does not hint at what happened to the survivors in the years that followed. Given the great degree of spirituality in the survivors and the tough situations presented throughout Alive, it's highly unlikely that life just went on, and I would have liked to have read about that.
By today's standards, Alive hardly qualifies as being graphic or overly gruesome. Sure, blood and guts obviously play a significant role in the story, but watching an episode of CSI or ER can easily be more disturbing. The issue of constipation and other digestive issues can get a little messy, but on the bright side, it'll motivate you to get your daily intake of fiber. What can get particularly disconcerting is the cannibalism, simply because it is such a foreign concept that can be hard to digest. However, Read writes in a way that makes you feel like you're there, and you perfectly understand the dilemmas that the survivors faced, including the issue of cannibalism.
Read’s writing style is perfect, presenting things rather matter-of-factly and not dressing up sentences with unnecessary adjectives and frivolous details. The amount of data he collected and strung together is remarkable, painting an excellent picture every step of the way. The included photographs and maps help remind you that this whole story is true, as unbelievable as the words can get to be. Altogether, the presentation is much like that of a newspaper article, except it's considerably longer with close to 400 pages and it keeps your interest with every sentence. In fact, it is possibly the most gripping book I have ever read, finishing it in a mere three days (as opposed to my typical three months...).
Of a similar caliber is Elie Wiesel's Night, detailing his struggles through the Holocaust. The actual situations between the two books are considerably different, but the underlying questions and conflicts - faith, life, death - are near identical, and both books do an incredible job of making you feel involved. If you've read and enjoyed Night, you'll definitely appreciate Alive.
An Excellent Choice
If you're looking for a nice and light-hearted book, you're obviously looking in the wrong direction. However, if you're looking for an enthralling story that contrasts life and death in a situation no person would want to endure, I've yet to see anything incontrovertibly better than Alive. The book and the story may be from the 1970s, but Piers Paul Reid's rendition is a timeless account of a tragic situation, and whether you read this now or twenty years from now, you will like it.
Title: ALIVE | The Story of the Andes Survivors
Author: Piers Paul Read
Publisher: Avon Books
Published: 1975
Pages: 398
Price: C$10.99 | US$7.99
ISBN-10/13: 038000321X / 978-0380003211
Chapter OneUruguay, one of the smallest countries on the South American continent, was founded on the eastern bank of the River Plate as a buffer stat...More at HotBookSale
On October 12, 1972, a plane carrying a team of young rugby players crashed into the remote, snow-peaked Andes. Out of the forty-five original passeng...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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