Surviving Survival by Laurence Gonzales
Laurence Gonzales’ Surviving Survival neatly follows on from his previous book, Deep Survival. Whereas Deep Survival detailed incredible stories of human endurance against the odds, his newest writings detail both new stories and the continuation of some characters from his previous book. Following them into their darkest days after their harrowing ordeals.
One such case involves Micki, a bubbly and outgoing lady who suffers from a near-fatal shark attack. Only surviving due to a surgeon and nurse also being aboard the same boat, she was left with such debilitating fears they pushed her into depression and below what Gonzales describes as her own personal ‘scum line.’ A line we all have which we can’t bear to drop below. She resented the pitiful state she had become and faced her fears. Getting back on her horse as soon as physically possible, putting a sharks image on her screensaver so she had to face it every day and eventually getting back into the water to dive again.
Gonzales’ accounts of both physical and mental survival are both uplifting and inspiring, with similar themes of facing one’s fears, re-adjusting ones thinking and accepting new situations. His scientific and neurological approach to these cases is truly fascinating but the occasional line where he seems to insert a slightly spiritual opinion is rather jarring. For example: “How much more we know that we can ever know we know.” After a couple of re-reads, you understand the points he is trying to make but it causes you to lose the flow of an otherwise absorbing factual read.
Buy Surviving Survival by Laurence Gonzales