Gripping! I cannot tell you the emotions this book will bring you. This is a true story, an emotional account written by one of the survivors of a plane crash back in October 1972 in the Andes Mountains. Honestly, I had never heard of this before? Granted when the story unfolded I was merely 6 years old and even if over the many years that have transpired, if mention of it was on the news of an "anniversary", I had no recollection of the initial happening to make it memorable for me. Now...now, I will remember this story for the rest of my life.
Just a quick sentence or two of the overall tragedy. A plane, mainly carrying passengers that made up a Rugby team from Uruguay, was heading towards Chile. The weather conditions where not ideal and perhaps they shouldn't have taken off, either way, while over the Andes Mountains in literally blind conditions the unthinkable happened. The plane made contact and the tragedy quickly unfolds, this was October 13, 1972. There had been 45 passengers on the plane, 29 survived. There were varying degrees of injuries, some mere cuts and bruises, others had injuries so severe it was a waiting game until their final breathe.
The plane had been torn in parts, the weather at 11,000 feet was inhumane and unsurvivable, these people had no provisions. Their hopes were that rescuers would find them and soon. Days turned into weeks and as circumstances grew more dire so did hope of rescue. Seventy-two days later due to the determination of two men, Nando and Roberto who traversed time and distance as a last resort to either help rescue themselves and the remaining survivors or die trying, the sixteen remaining men were all brought to safety.
What this book details is from the perspective of one of those men, Nando Parrado. It is more than a factual account of what happened and how they survived, although you will be transported into some of those grisly and unimaginable details as you read. This is true human fear, despondency, hope, anger, drive, determination and all those things that when you have nothing else you still have love and that may be the last and only thing that you are living for - and it pulls you through.
Would I recommend this book! A definitive YES! It will leave you speechless and in awe.
Read more about the author on his webpage by clicking the photo of the front cover of the book to the left of this posting.
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