Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why

W.W. Norton & Company Deep Survival By W.W. Norton & Company

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Book Info

Authors: Laurence Gonzales
Binding: Paperback; 320 pages
Publication Date: 6/16/09
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.
ISBN: 0393326152
Bookhuddle Average Rating: (4.0)
Amazon.com^® Average Rating: (4.0)

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Number of Reviews: 171, Amazon.com^® Average Rating:

(4.0)

(4) It's about surviving...mountains and shipwrecks

Deep Survival was a reading recommendation included in Martin Capital Managment's 2008 annual letter. (They are a financial advisory practice with minimum investment requirements that are well above my means) However, I struggled to find any connection between the psychology of business and the collection of survival anecdotes that make up the book. The stories are interesting mostly in a factual-outdoorsy way, although the few survival tales set in New York around 9/11 aren't as well drawn as the mountaineering passages. The book's insights dwindle as the reader progresses - nearly all of its insights are available in the first 100 pages.

Read it for practical outdoors survival preparation, but not for its parallels to business or general psychology.

(5) Become a survivor

"Deep Survival" is about the psychology of survivors. We've all heard and read amazing stories about the seemingly impossible recoveries, and likewise, have come across many examples of "professionals" succumbing where beginners have survived. Turns out, as Laurence Gonzales points out, there is virtually no difference between these cases: it's not about the gear, or the years of experience (though both certainly help), but more about your mental struggle with the conflict in front of you.

The book analyzes a number of fascinating stories documenting the psychological stages, their consequences, and how different people react to these situations: surrender, accept the circumstance, adapt. You have to have the determination to win, but also humbly accept the possibility of losing - there are things we cannot control and coming to terms with this reality is tough business.

Reality is, all of us have to confront similar situations throughout our lifetime. This is not just a book for surviving in the wilderness. Health, wealth, family and friends all expose to us similar challenges, and how you deal with these situations will have a huge impact on your life and wellbeing. Do you have the tools to be a survivor?

(4) Better than the ode to machismo it appears to be at first

Mr. Gonzales often writes for the weekend warrior crowd which reads Outside magazine and the like, and his book about surviving in high risk environments is more a treasure trove of anecdotes than the disciplined inquiry he sometimes wants it to be. But it is an inquiry, rather than the collection of breathlessly told pieces about people with a taste for 'hardcore' activities it looks like at the beginning.

Because Mr Gonzales is on a quest. His father was a bomber pilot shot down during WWII. He was stuck in his seat, unable to reach his parachute, and hit the ground in the plane. He somehow survived, and his son has spent much of his life trying to figure out why, and what makes his father cool under pressure. Luck, or Providence, or what have you, plays a big, readily acknowledged role in survival. And sometimes the objective challenge to surviving is just too great. But a more precise subtitle to the book would be: Why Some People In Potentially Fatal Situations Die of Disorientation and Others Don't.

All flaws accounted for, including some hand-wavy applications of complexity theory, Deep Survival is a keeper.