|
This is one of the most inspirational stories you will ever read. I highly recommend it. It's well written too. If you are experiencing some kind of trouble in your personal life and you think that you can barely make it through, this is book will help you.
In a nutshell, the book describes an extraordinary experience, an exceptional display of fortitude and grit, and more importantly, one man's life lessons from the experience that can be shared and used by people all around the world.The book was written pretty well and managed to keep my interest over the course of the passengers' 72 day ordeal. It is one thing to read of their experiences and try to evaluate each of the survivors based on their fortitude and endurance shown during the ordeal. Although some passages were quite ordinary, perhaps because of the timelessness of the experience (cold, fatigue, thirst, hunger, boredom, etc)., there were other passages that were simply fantastic. More importantly, Parrado's thoughts on the experience and what he has taken out of it are what make the book truly worth reading. I think it is as important, if not important, to see how the ordeal shaped their subsequent lives and their outlook on life.
I never have read "Alive" (or seen the film of the same title), but I'm skeptical that it could rival the quality of this book. Nor could it possibly give the kind of insight into what it was truly like to struggle for survival while watching friends die that only a survivor could express. This book is extremely well-written and captivating. I read it once to myself and then aloud to my husband (he can read just fine but enjoys being read to, especially when we're camping), and I was just as hooked the second time through.
It ended up feeling forced, as if the Parrado felt he HAD to say something nice about everyone.That being said, I enjoyed the story immensely, and am amazed by what those who survived, and died while stranded, were forced to endure. Parts of the book read more like a dictated conversation, which would have been fine if it was being sold as a documentary interview and not a nonfiction book.
I knew OF the story, but didn't know the details. I'll preface this by saying I have not read Alive.
There are several typos, and I got tired of "Once, for example", which has to appear a dozen times in one chapter. I found the story itself to be quite moving.
It has interested me enough to order the original book.I was disappointed in the writing and editing, however. For my personal taste, there was a little too much "touchy-feely everyone was a hero in his own way".
I appreciated Nando's point of view, but wish he had chosen a better writer to illustrate it.
Though had I bought and read "Miracle In the Andes" several times in early 2008, I was startled by the dimension and power that was revealed by the words through my unfiltered pain and loss later in the year.Parrado's depth of feeling shines through his writing with Rause. Live fully for yourself and the loved ones who no longer can. This book saved my life. The book made one thing abundantly clear: For love to exist in this harsh, sometimes cruel world, THAT in itself is a miracle. The more I read it, the more the book dragged me back onto the cliff and allowed me to emerge from the painful fog in which I had been drifting aimlessly and angrily. The book gives a human dimension to his experiences, focusing on his psychology alone. Share love.
Perhaps it was his beliefs were already similar to mine, or that his words were so compelling it made me examine my own faith. My goal in this review isn't to explain the contents or to judge it objectively, but to describe how it impacted MY life.I was struggling with the darkest days of having lost a loved one in a sudden random and senseless tragedy last Fall, which subsequently brought a stark and clear picture of how fragile the world around me was. Do not allow a tragedy to define you, but do allow it to teach you.I am fortunate Parrado has shared his intimate, unimaginable losses and experience with readers. The pacing is perfect, making it an easy read yet forcing me to simplify the complexities in my own life. Death is a certainty, so embrace life. In the end, it didn't matter- I was engrossed. It reminded me that the world still rotates, that "getting on with it" to overcome my "personal Andes" was the best gift I could give myself.
|
