Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why

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.


Listen Up, Grasshopper   February 13, 2004
Mary Esterhammer-Fic (Chicago, IL United States)
149 out of 160 found this review helpful

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.


Profoundly effective read   October 26, 2003
Godfrey T. Degamo
23 out of 29 found this review helpful

I was hooked when I read the inside cover. Gonzales will try to explain why a guy in a raft would say "I'm going to pick up the car." Then jump into the ocean to be eaten by sharks, and then explain why a person with no survival skills could survive the jungle. What could explain these differences in catastrophe? Does Gonzales, a very experienced adventurer, succeed?

No! Catastrophes are too complicated, nature is too capricious, and no one can fathom why someone was given -divinely or otherwise- the mental fortitude to survive while another surrenders. Gonzales admits this, but he does better. He shows us that many of those who survive have a mental profile that helps them survive and he encourages us to find this resilience which we all have by varying degrees. He does this through pages of wisdom.

So there are 15 chapters, each presenting a main lesson, and a fantastic tale of accidents, catastrope or survival. Minor points in each chapter is supported by 'minor' stories. Thus Gonzales masterfully weaves several stories in each chapter.

The stories presented are just awe inspiring. Let me give whet your appetite. Two raft guides steer their boats down a raging river. One notices entire trees racing by and has enough, the other doesn't and dies. A teenage girl falls a mile from an airplane with just her high heels and her dress. She survives, but now must face an inhospitable jungle below. SCUBA divers drown underwater with plenty of air in their tanks.

Gonzales does not get into the 'gadgetry' lessons of survival. There are no techniques about how to apply first aid, or rappel a cliff. Instead, Gonzales presents psychology and the neurology of why we make mistakes, why we sometimes do 'bonehead' acts, why some seem to be lucky to never get into trouble, and what it takes to persevere through indomitable odds; the 'survival personality'. He also discusses tightly interlocking safety systems and 'adventure plans' that give us a false sense of security and can exaggerate the problems that they are trying to prevent!

Gonzales draws heavily from a few science books which are accessible to most readers. I suspect those who have read this book, may already have read them:

-The Emotional Brain by Joseph LeDoux
-Descartes' Error by Antonio Damasio

Both these books are very good, and I recommend them. It is not necessary to read them first to enjoy Deep Survival, but reading all three books, will be more enriched. So 'armchair' academics will delight in this original -albeit, light- application of science.

Gonzales so masterfully writes that Nature just IS, but the inner world may be against us. So while we cannot control our outside world, we can construct an inner world which will increase our chances of survival. And let me try to abbreviate them here:

-Be prepared. Have the proper training.
-Be humble. Observe and adapt your knowledge, Nature is not a textbook.
-Stay calm and don't rush.
-Have a loose plan and be ready to change or lose the plan.
-Enjoy nature with each small step.
-Do it for others

There are about 20 points scattered throughout the book, then nicely summarized in an appendix. These points are illustrated with clear, and non trivial examples. This may very well be the best self-improvement book I've ever read.

In addition, Gonzales presents us with other facts and statistics. He discusses the mental stages of being physically lost. He mentions children between the ages of 1-6 having the highest survival rates and why is this consistent with survival psychology/neurology.

This wisdom can be applied to anywhere. I have used it in competitive events and it has helped me. I'm pretty sure any outdoors person, adventurers, thrill seekers or vacationer will reread passages from this book before they go out on their journeys. Just like me, the book will have a positive affect on you. I think -for me- it may very well be permanent.

I hope that is enough for you to buy this book. Right now, I want to discuss some of the negatives. These are minor, but important points which may enrich or aggravate your reading. So you may want to skip it.

I wish this book contained the pictures of the locale of disasters and potential disasters. The lesson that we consistently underestimate nature would be very effective to show an inviting picture of a Hawaiian beach and a caption stating that swimming on this beach will kill you. I'm not exaggerating.

Gonzales is too contradictory. A survivor must be one with his world, but a paragraph later, it's important for the survivor to have a private world, and an outside world. A survivor must have empathy for those injured. Yet pages later, the same survivor cuts his friend's rope to save his own hide. Gonzales talks about balancing the rules of survival, but these contradictions are not what he intends, and there are more than just these two.

Gonzales admits that nature is capricious; not only do you need to survive, you need luck. But, luck is not emphasized enough. It can't because chronicling survival versus death means one-sided results. Still Gonzales could give forensic stories of survivors who did everything right, and still died. Also remember, not many panicked survivors will readily admit they timidly escaped.

Finally, you will mentally compare yourself with these survivors. And, you might ask yourself if you actually want to hike with a survivor. Do you want to be on a raft with a person who wishes an injured person to bleed to death? Do you want to rappel with someone who will cut your rope to save his butt? Do you want to be friends with someone who wishes a cripple will fall off a cliff to make things more convenient for him? I realize by reading this book, I do not have all the qualities of surviving. I'd be the one landing on an exploding grenade to save my comrades and Gonzales would then extol my comrades for surviving. What I'm trying to say is that I sometimes wish Gonzales would tone his prose down. Survivors may be the 'real heroes', but we need all personalities for our species to survive; from the survivors to the martyrs to the techno-geeks which make the med kits and the radios that rescue survivors. Ultimately, nature doesn't give a damn if you are a survivalist or not.

Interestingly, the two climbers in the rope cutting incident survived, and continue to climb. It's not mentioned whether the climbers have climbed together since.

In summary, Gonzales book is excellent. And deserves multiple readings. Every page is filled with wisdom and science coupled to a vivid story that makes the lesson stick. The lessons you learn will stay with you regardless if you adventure or not. You will awe Mother Nature and be humbled by her. But remember the negatives I mentioned, and you will fully appreciate one of the underlying messages Gonzales has conveyed: that, life is extremely precious. So, savor it.


An Important Book   January 27, 2004
12 out of 15 found this review helpful

Having read well over 1,000 non-fiction books, ranging over my 50+ years, I place Deep Survival within my list of top five most important, and fascinating, books. The title is somewhat misleading since the information discussed is helpful for anyone dealing with life's problems, not just wilderness travelers in life and death situations. Interesting situations in the backcountry have popped up in my life occasionally, such as bear encounters and lightning storms, and have taught me how necessary psychological as well as physical preparation is to survival. The importance of carrying that same preparedness and attention to environment to the rest of my life somehow slipped past. The author did a great job of leading the reader to the conclusion that this state of mindfulness, of being centered, is helpful in all aspects of life. The survival stories, as well as the scientific explanations, were fascinating to read, and the book had a sort of smooth rhythm that carried me quickly and effortlessly through to the end (not totally effortlessly -- I did lose some sleep when I couldn't put it down). Very highly recommended!


Are you experienced or just very lucky?   April 11, 2007
Timecheck (Oakland, CA United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This should be mandatory reading for anyone doing moderate risk activities, let alone thru-hikers, backpackers, mountain climbers, etc. It certainly made me rethink the things I do when backpacking. It makes fascinating reading, but to summarize what I got out of it: Be sure that what you are thinking of as many years of experience, is not really many years of being very lucky.