Amazon.com
"It is an extraordinary coincidence," writes English physiologist Frances Ashcroft, "that the highest peak on Earth is also about the highest point at which humans can survive unaided." A coincidence, to be sure, and, like many other milestones of the limits of human endurance, one known to us through the joint efforts of scientists, mountain climbers, explorers, and athletes.
Ashcroft's book is a thoroughly engaging survey of those limits and their origins in the nature of things, of what happens to human beings in the most difficult environmental conditions. She writes, for instance, of why it is that astronauts have trouble standing after returning to Earth (because, in part, their leg muscles quickly atrophy outside of terrestrial gravity); of how the famed Japanese pearl divers condition themselves to attain such extraordinary underwater depths; of how and why the consumption of carbohydrates and caffeine can improve athletic performance; of why British children so easily suffer heat exhaustion on trips to such semitropical venues as, say, Disneyworld, whereas young Saudis can tolerate much higher temperatures (but would likely not thrive in an English winter).
Backed by extensive field research--the author has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, sweated it out in Japanese hot tubs, and run after her share of buses--as well as by a wealth of laboratory studies, Ashcroft's book is of great appeal to anyone who wishes to test the world's limits--or their own. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
The challenge of scaling the highest mountain, exploring the deepest ocean, crossing the hottest desert, or swimming in near-freezing water is irresistible to many people. Life at the Extremes is an engrossing exploration of what happens to our bodies in these seemingly uninhabitable environments. Frances Ashcroft weaves stories of extraordinary feats of endurance with historical material and the latest scientific findings as she investigates the limits of human survival and the remarkable adaptations that enable us to withstand extreme conditions.
What causes mountain sickness? How is it possible to reach the top of Everest without supplementary oxygen, when passengers in an airplane that depressurized at the same altitude would lose consciousness in seconds? Why do divers get the bends but sperm whales do not? How long you can survive immersion in freezing water? Why don't penguins get frostbite? Will men always be faster runners than women? How far into deep space can a body travel?
As she considers these questions, Ashcroft introduces a cast of extraordinary scientific personalities--inventors and explorers who have charted the limits of human survival. She describes many intriguing experiments and shows how scientific knowledge has enabled us to venture toward and beyond ever greater limits. Life at the Extremes also considers what happens when athletes push their bodies to the edge, and tells of the remarkable adaptations that enable some organisms to live in boiling water, in highly acidic lakes, or deep in the middle of rocks.
Anyone who flies in an airplane, sails the high seas, goes skiing or walking in the mountains, or simply weathers subzero winters or sweltering summers will be captivated by this book. Full of scientific information, beautifully written, and packed with many fascinating digressions, Life at the Extremes lures us to the very edge of human survival.
Customer Reviews:
An outstanding and accessible science book.......2003-07-24
I have always been fascinated with this topic, and this book opened my eyes to all kinds of interesting aspects of adaptation of animals (especially humans) to extreme conditions. Particularly interesting to me were the chapters on altitude and depth. Examples and sidebars were well chosen and well explained. I have used information from the book in lectures to students of physiology. Highly recommended.
Deceptive description, but still a good read.......2003-05-30
This book appealed to my inner nerd, and helped me understand from a physiological standpoint what is happening during when the body is put to the extreme test. It doesn't talk about when people are placed in extreme situations, which was the part I found pretty deceptive. But Dr. Ashcroft is an anatomy professor - that should have been my big clue. Still, a good read if you've got an interest in anatomy and physiology.
Almost An Adventure Book.......2002-04-16
I must admit that I was fooled by the description of this book on the dusk jacket. What I thought I was buying was a book that detailed what happened to individual people in extreme conditions, in space, tops of mountains etc. What the book provided me was a description of what happens to the human body in these extreme conditions. Overall the information was interesting, but this is not a book that would fall into the action / adventure category. You do not get the drama or tension of actual people being put in harms way. The book is well written, even in the parts that are medical descriptions. If you are interested in what happens to someone in extreme conditions or as a reference book next time you are reading an action / adventure book then this is the book for you.
What The Future May Bring.......2001-02-28
An amazing book for people who are into the possibility of extraterrestrial life and also those who fear that the demise of our own ecosystem will lead to an end to life on our planet as we know it. The best thing you can tell someone who insist life cannot exist outside our biosphere is "vent fish", these fish that live 5000 feet deep on the ocean floor where there is no light and the only source of food is the sulfur blowing from volcanic vents. This book is all about life in the harshest of places. This line from the introduction: "Environmental extremes are not the prerogative of the adventurous few - with the help of technology, all of us can tolerate severe conditions with equanimity." reminds me of the movie "True Stories" where John Goodman asked God to do something about all these malls and parking lots, so God created people who love malls and parking lots!!! Life At The Extremes might be a how-to guide to this uncertain future we are blindly racing into... It's a must read for environmentalists and ufologists alike. Remy C.
This is an excellent book for the curious-minded!.......2001-01-13
If you have ever wondered EXACTLY why and how humans get altitude sickness, what happens to the body when exposed to extreme heat or cold, why scuba divers sometime get the "bends," or what would happen to an astronaut if the Space Station developed a leak, this book is for you. Frances M. Ashcroft explains in complete detail - the detail that is so often lacking in the popular, dumbed-down modern media - why the body at high altitudes can't get the oxygen it needs, what happens to skin cells when you burn yourself or get frostbite, how nitrogen dissolves in your blood when diving deep in water, or how your blood would boil if exposed to the emptiness of space.
And she doesn't stop with humans. She examines the extremes of the animal world for creatures able to withstand and thrive in boiling cauldrons, the extreme depths of the oceans, or the extreme cold of Antarctica.
She presents not just a world of creatures living in incredible environments, but precise descriptions of how this is all accomplished. This makes for Really Amazing reading!
Book Description
How could it get any worse?
For the latest book in the phenomenally successful Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, the authors have pulled out all the stops, harkening back to the core appeal that made the first book a runaway bestseller. Here are all new scenarios for living life on the very edge. Imperiled readers will learn immediate, hands-on strategies for surviving an elephant stampede, a 16-car pile-up, a mine collapse, and a nuclear attack. Discover how to take a bullet, control a runaway hot air balloon, break a gorilla's grip, endure a Turkish prison, and free a limb from a beartrap. Whether stranded on an iceberg, being chased by a pack of wolves, spinning out on a motorcycle, or being buried alive, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Extreme Edition has all the right stuff for those times when everything goes wrong.
Customer Reviews:
No Luck If You Happen to Be in Prison.......2007-02-18
I had this book sent to a guy I've been seeing. He's in prison. He asked me to send him other books on spiritual enlightenment and how to unleash the brain's potential, but I decided on my own that what he could really use at a time like this was a copy of "The Worse-Case Scenario Survival Handbok: Extreme Edition." The instruction on how to gut a squirrel will probably not be of much use to him since there aren't any trees nearby, but the tip on what to do if choking on lint seemed pretty useful. He wrote back to me saying, "but I look and re-check for what to do when I'm stuck behind concrete and barbed wire and my [girl] is outside, any ideas?" I was hoping he'd make it back to me sooner than as scheduled. That is the only reason I gave this book 4 instead of 5 stars. Maybe they should come up with a Prison edition.
Worth it if only to laugh at some of the scenarios.......2006-09-17
The book is extremely entertaining and it might save your life, too. It covers scenarios James Bond would aspire to.
"How to endure a Turkish prison"
"How to survive an elephant stampede"
"How to survive a nuclear attack"
"How to take a bullet"
"How to control a runaway hot air balloon"
"How to break a gorilla's grip"
Plus other scenarios that are more practical and more likely for one to encounter.
"How to free a limb from a beartrap"
"How to survive on an iceberg"
"How to survivean attack by a pack of wolves"
"How to recover a motorcycle spinning out of control"
"How to survive a 16-car pile-up"
"How to survive a mine collapse"
Bottom line, there is some practical advice here for emergencies, but it is the entertainment, laugh-out-loud factor that makes it worth it.
Very handy.......2006-03-12
Nice book wich completes the collection with useful tips among some
a bit weird ( vampires)
Hilarious! Don't leave home without it!.......2006-02-02
Ever imagined yourself in an elephant stampede? In a runaway baloon? Buried alive? Gripped by a gorilla? Stuck in a bear trap? Ever dreamed of being a hero(in) rescuing everybody in a helicopter that the pilots left?
If you have this book, then you have solutions to all these situations: You will be able to control the baloon, control the helicopter and land it, survive from a pack of volves, deal with a quadruple blowout, how to survive a nuclear fallout etc.
Remember the scenes from the movies that our hero(in) has to survive some kind of "tricky" situation (his/her food poisoned let's say)? And remember yourself thinking about what would you do if you were him? That's right: This book is absolutely for you!
Most probably you will never use the tactics you have read in this book. But believe me, it's a really interesting, fascinating, funny book that you'll finish in less than an hour.
The price tag is nice also. It's amazing, affordable, fascinating, a good time-passer. What would you want more?
Book Description
Modern methods of heaving-to for survival in extreme conditions. Trysail and para-anchor technology for all types of boats and sailors.
Customer Reviews:
best I've read.......2007-08-30
My wife and I spent four years living on our sailboat (55ft) voyaging from Calif. to the east coast and read every book I could find on heavy weather sailing. About half-way through I came across Pardey's book. I think it's far and away the best volume out there on the subject. Even if you pass on the parachute angle and just plan on heaving-to in a tough situation. Should be in every crusing boat's library, and read and implemented by the skipper.
Heaving to techniques from cover to cover.......2007-04-10
After reading this book you will know a lot of theory about when and how to heave to. Diagrams and well-written explanations describe methods and techniques of survival during a storm at sea. Also consider "Heavy Weather Sailing" (revised edition) as an excellent source of information on storm tactics and heavy weather sailing. It describes the yacht's stability in more detail.
MAKE SURE MAKE SHORE.......2007-03-09
this book goes a long way towards removing myth from the idea of what to do in a storm. running before the wind as a solution is revealed as a jackass stunt that only too late does the jackass discover he hadn't thought this out. not reducing sail early seems to be the gateway drug to this catastrophe waiting to happen. lots of boats weather gale conditions without crew. sailors get through a storm by luck and put it down to their skill as sailors. when i was in the demolition business we would sit around after work and get drunk and tell stories of getting hurt. complete with the proud display of scars received and fingers missing. I would partner with the guy, like myself, with no parts missing. always embedded in the story was, the mistake made, the warning ignored, the common practices disregarded or misguided. i think sailors are victims of this also. the recent tragedies off the Calif. coast point out the need to be prudent. give your self permission to think differently. "running before a storm" should be called what it is "running with a storm". the sailing community owes a great deal to the Pardies already but this book if not dismissed as the "global warming" of sailing will save lives and boats. read it, test it, spread the word. ed
It was good, but...........2007-02-16
I just could not warm up to the story. It seemed to drag out much longer than it should. The parts that were good were very good, but there was a lot of dead space between those. It is a good read, but not a top shelf book.
a clear discussion.......2006-12-04
In this small book, the Pardeys describe methods of enduring difficult sea states. While it may not be completely relevant to this review, I have noticed on Internet chat sites that some people seem to think that this book (and, I suppose, the companion video), are rather slender in content. I think perhaps such people miss the point. What this book does in some detail is describe ways to heave-to -- with and (mostly) without a para sea anchor. I suspect that the people who dismiss this book are the sorts of novice sailors who think that safety is something that can be bought, a piece of gear, rather than being a product of learned and practiced seamanship. This book is about learning and practicing a particular set of storm seamanship skills which are peculiarly suited to the sort of Mom and Pop crewed boats so prevalent in todays' cruising fleets. Really a nicely done little book.
Book Description
The range of environments in which people can survive is extensive, yet most of the natural world cannot support human life. The Biology of Human Survival identifies the key determinants of life or death in extreme environments from a physiologist's perspective, integrating modern concepts of stress, tolerance, and adaptation into explanations of life under Nature's most austere conditions. The book examines how individuals survive when faced with extremes of immersion, heat, cold or altitude, emphasizing the body's recognition of stress and the brain's role in optimizing physiological function in order to provide time to escape or to adapt. In illustrating how human biology adapts to extremes, the book also explains how we learn to cope by blending behavior and biology, first by trial and error, then by rigorous scientific observation, and finally by technological innovation. The book describes life-support technology and how it enables humans to enter once unendurable realm, from the depths of the ocean to the upper reaches of the atmosphere and beyond. Finally, it explores the role that advanced technology might play in special environments of the future, such as long journeys into space.
Customer Reviews:
Academic and excellent.......2007-01-10
A fascinating look at what happens to the human body in extreme environments. Clear explanations of dehydration, hypothermia and starvation. Lots of wonderful factoids and anecdotes. An academic book, but I found it well worth the effort.
Understanding your limits.......2003-10-01
This is a scholarly work which is accessible to lay readers while informative to trained physiologists. The language is polished, well edited and communicates easily. The chapter length is convenient to a 20-30 minute session making this rather slender volume very enjoyable to read as pleasure. Its well documented material makes it wonderfully informative. Many excellent reports of heroic and sometimes tragic outcomes of man's intrepid adventures. The topics cover everything from the ocean depths (pressure and cold) to deserts to outer space. A great read.
Book Description
The Extreme Survival Almanac is written specifically for the vast majority of regular people who may someday find themselves thrust into an emergency survival situation far from assistance - everyday travelers who have no specialized skill or gear to help them reach safety. It provides decision-making guidelines to walk the reader step by step from the first signs of trouble all the way through to the rescue. It includes thousands of useful tips and directions that can be understood and followed by panicked, possibly injured laymen stranded in the woods, in their vehicle or at sea, plus resource lists for scrounging usable survival equipment from a car, plane or boat as well as the natural environment.
Customer Reviews:
I never leave home without it........2005-08-01
Although a bit heavy this book is a must for any serious outdoorsman. Whether you like mountaineering, ice or rock climbing, hiking, biking, canoeing, snowboarding, piloting or just simply travelling this book is suffused with helpful tips on staying alive.
The book is replete with diagrams and hand drawn pictures illustrating important points.
The most helpful aspect of the book is the section which shows you how to make a survival kit with minimal weight and volume that you will NEED to survive.
What a Great Book!.......2004-01-06
This book is full of Information that anyone can use, especially if they are an outdoors person, or travel alot. You can not go wrong buying this book. Way to go Reid.
A friend from Metlakata Alaska!
Amazing Amount of Information.......2003-07-05
I certainly hope I don't have to use such fascinating information!
I find it incredible that one author can know so much about survival in rare and difficult conditions. Note: this is not a survival guide for the average outdoorsman; it's a guide for the average person who finds him- or herself in extraordinary situations.
It's a great addition to the sort of coffee-table books one lays out to entertain friends!
...
If traveling in remote areas you need this book.......2003-04-09
What do you do when your car dies in the desert, or the small plane in which you are a passenger crashes into the water a long way from land, or someone on your hiking trip suffers a major injury miles from the nearest help? That's what this book is all about.
It covers a surprising number of subjects, all having to do with survival when help is a long way away. It doesn't tell you how to prevent an accident from happening, but concentrates on what to do now that it has happened. It's biggest recommendation: Don't Panic. Among the subjects covered are; How to build a shelter, starting a fire, finding and purifying water, edible and inedible plants and animals, waiting for rescue and navigation with and without a compass. There is also a large section on survival medicine, covering everything from CPR to spinal injuries to frostbite to infection to insect bites to seasickness. The author hasn't forgotten psychological first aid, too. After a disaster has happened, psychological injuries can be worse than physical injuries.
This is the sort of book to get familiar with before you go on your trip. You don't want to be reading it for the first time as the disaster is in progress.
Those who do a lot of traveling in remote areas need this book. Those whose traveling is limited to hiking trips in a national park or state forest also need this book. It presents things in a very clear, step-by-step way, with lots of illustrations. Even those of us whose traveling is limited to watching TV travel shows could really use this book. One day, it will come in very handy.
Book Description
"Clearly, surviving a nine-month jungle kidnapping requires courage and endurance. But Hart Dyke and Winder came equipped with something else in addition: pluck. It's that quality, crackling on every page, that makes
The Cloud Garden one of the strangest and most satisfying adventure reads in recent memory."--Men's Journal magazine
The Darién Gap, the only break in the Pan-American Highway, is a place of legend. In this almost impregnable strip of swamp, jungle, and cloud forest between the land masses of North and South America, stories of abduction and murder are rife. In recent years, more people have successfully climbed Everest than have crossed the Darién Gap.
In 2000, Tom Hart Dyke, a young botanist, set off to Central America with one thing in mind: orchids. To find the rare and beautiful species he so fervently admired, he would have to visit some of the most inhospitable places on earth. At the same time, another young explorer, Paul Winder, was backpacking through the area. Though he sometimes worked freelance in the City of London, Paul was essentially a fearless traveler. Pure chance brought Paul and Tom together in northern Mexico; they formed an instant bond and their fate was sealed.
Ignoring a final succinct warning from the Lonely Planet guide--"Don't even think about it!"--Tom and Paul set off into the Darién, Tom in search of orchids, Paul in search of adventure. They would find plenty of each. For six days, they made good progress. Then, just hours away from Colombia, the dream ended and the horror began. Ambushed by FARC guerrillas, they were held hostage for the next nine months. From that day on, their survival was a matter of extraordinary endurance, incredible ingenuity--and not a little good luck . . .
Customer Reviews:
True Adventure Fun Read.......2005-06-22
The Cloud Garden came to my attention through a review in Outside Magazine. True adventure books make for an excellent break from novels and heavier literary works. This one is a perfect example. The story is gripping, the characters are likeable, and the book is hard to put down. The bad guys are painted honestly and roundly as real people. No one is all good nor all bad. This is a story about survival, wits, humanity and the romantic ideals of adventure of which so many of us dream. Find your synopsis elsewhere.
Not Where I Want to Go.......2005-01-16
The discoveries made by eccentric British naturalists down through the years have literally turned the scientific community on its ears. But not all exploring trips have yielded spectacular results. In 2000, a young botanist set off to Central America in search of rare and beautiful species of orchids. He met up with another young explorer in northern Mexico. Where else to go but the Darien Gap, the only place where the Pan-American Highway isn't finished.
Traveling through the Gap, collecting along the way, they were just hours away from the Colombian border when they were ambushed by FARC guerillas who were to hold them hostage for the next nine months. From then on, their survival was a matter of extraordinary endurance, incredible ingenuity and not just a bit of luck.
The book written by this pair is a combination of travelogue, adventure store, and surprisingly not without a bit of humor.
can't put it down.......2005-01-07
I am half way through and I love it, well written, fun, exciting.
Interesting story of survival lacks suspense.......2004-10-05
The book's topic caught my interest as did a good magazine review. (The copy we purchased from Amazon.com was without pages 118 to 179 so check before you begin to read. Amazon.com was great and sent us a replacement volume which also was missing the same pages. We finally found a bookstore that exchanged it for a correct version.) The story here is about two young men who choose to hike into the guerrilla held The Darien Gap between Panama and Columbia. The gap where there is no longer any Pan-American Highway. At the end of their telling (I'm not giving anything away, after all the authors wrote the book so you know they survived) the authors make the comment that the British press caught on to the story because of Tom Hart Dykes love of flowers. It was the "hook" all newspapers look for in such stories, and that is also the hook they use in telling their story. But your not going to learn much about Orchids from this story is told in parallel first person narrative which centers on their immature decision to tempt fate and danger and then tests their ability to survive. In a strange way the book reminded me of Jon Krakauer's excellent "Into the Wild" about a youth who graduates from College and ends up alone, dead in the wilds of Alaska. Both books share that same desire to decipher why some young males make such choices. Overall I would recommend the book as an interesting first person adventure, but it is strangely lacking suspense and I really was let down that we really learn nothing about the band of guerillas who hold them captive. I certainly missed that insight which is so strong in the novel "Bel Canto".
Guns and orchids.......2004-09-23
On maps, the Darién Gap doesn't look like a hotbed of armed guerillas. But you have to ask yourself why the Pan-American Highway, which runs otherwise unbroken from Alaska to the bottom of South America, takes its one and only break between Central and South America-at the Darién Gap. The gap's jungles have been effectively off-limits even to the hardiest backpackers for the past 10 years. Guidebooks and Central American officials alike have just two words for it: "Don't go."
So why would Tom Hart Dyke and Paul Winder, two well-brought up British lads, disobey so many direct orders and venture into the Darién Gap with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a couple of packs? In their "true story of adventure, survival, and extreme horticulture," The Cloud Garden, Dyke and Winder explain themselves. Dyke's passion is orchids. For him, the untrammeled jungles and wetlands of the Darién Gap represent a botanist's dream-an opportunity to see rare flowers undocumented by any other scientists. Winder, an escapee from a boring bank job, is in search of the ultimate adrenaline rush. The fact that almost no one dares traverse the gap makes it an irresistible challenge. Both adventurers get what they are looking for-and a lot more than the original bargain.
Just as Winder and Dyke are about to cross into the relative safety of Columbia, they are kidnapped by a band of FARC guerillas. What follows is a harrowing tale of torture and a fight for survival. The young men know enough Spanish to hear the kidnappers talking matter-of-factly about murdering them on an almost daily basis. For months, Winder and Dyke are marched from one makeshift camp to another-deprived of clean water, threatened and humiliated.
Cloud Garden is not, in the end, a travel documentary or an orchid study. Nor do Winder and Dyke take any position on South American politics. Their tale is one of two men figuring out how to make it out of the jungle alive. What makes the book interesting reading is the sense of humor the writers bring to even the most sordid aspects of their capture. While making an outward show of cooperation, Winder and Dyke assign belittling nicknames to their captors, like "Tank Bird," "Space Cadet," "Nutter," and "Lost Cause." When asked for English lessons, they teach their kidnappers obscenities. When the opportunity presents itself, the captive Brits even pee into their tormentors' drinking water. By maintaining an invisible, inner resistance to their capture, the two men keep their high spirits intact, even in the face of constant death threats.
But Dyke and Winder emerge, in the end, as more than just adolescent pranksters; they are also incredibly brave. Their kidnappers form the wild notion to ask for $3 million dollars in ransom. Dyke's family could, technically, raise that amount of money and more-by selling Lullingstone Castle in Kent, their ancestral home. When ordered to write home, demanding millions for his return, Dyke writes: "Dear Mum and Dad. Our kidnappers are all idiots. They are a bunch of gits. Give them absolutely nothing. We are well. Don't worry about me."
Readers will find themselves turning pages and delaying dinner while Winder and Dyke slowly blossom into the heroes of their own misguided adventure.
Book Description
After reading The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, did you ever wonder what it s like to be struck by lightning? To run with the bulls in Pamplona? To ride the crushing swell of an avalanche? Extreme Encounters describes these adventures and 37 others with endlessly addictive you-are-there second-person narratives so you chill to the numbing effects of frostbite, you hear the 110-decibel roar of a grizzly bear, and you feel the stomach-lurching drop of an elevator freefall. Extreme Encounters is a moment-by-moment, blow-by-blow account of what happens to you physically, emotionally, and scientifically during life s most perilous experiences. Like a cross between The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook and Into Thin Air, these heart-racing stories take readers where few have gone before.
Customer Reviews:
Extreme Encounters.......2006-11-10
For those who have always dreamed of moments after seeing Jaws, and the like, this book is perfect. Describing all the goriest details in the second person view. I found this book extremely interesting, along as educational with all the scientific phenomena associated with each painful experience.
Do you want to FEEL a quick thrill.......2006-06-08
This book was outstanding. The only complaint I have is that it wasn't longer. What I enjoyed most was that each story refers to the characters as YOU, and has enough scenerary information to give you a clear image in your head of where your suppossed to be, then BAM something crazy happens and your drowning in a lake in the middle of nowhere. I could literally taste the water in my mouth during that story. Then after the climax of each story the author throughly describes how each situation can kill you. He is very descriptive and interprets it in an easy to understand language. He must have done his homework to be able to describe those many different situations as he did. I loved this book, it is a quick fun and factual read for anybody at any age level.
So-so.......2006-05-07
I thought the concept for the book a little more exciting than the book itself. The stories seemed too short, and a few end abruptly without much explanation as to what happened next. It seems only obvious that extreme encounters should have extreme details, but that's not the case here. Overall, I think 5th through 8th graders would appreciate this book most.
A Quirky Reprise of Multifarious Demise.......2006-02-02
Quirky apropos of its publisher, Quirk Books, "Extreme Encounters" is formatted like one of those books to keep in the bathroom: the information is fascinating but not sufficiently in depth for anything more than morbid curiosity. Nevertheless, this is a fun little book to read, with anecdotes of demise as diverse as the effects of a shark attack to Civil War amputations. In a break from the subject matter (which mostly deal with death or dismemberment), author Greg Emmanuel also describes the experiences of sky diving and rocketing into space in a Gemini capsule.
Emmanuel is definitely on to something with "Extreme Encounters". We are drawn by our fears toward descriptions of what scares us the most, and the author does describe some of the neurological processes that govern our behavior while under life-threatening stress, but the book is a little haphazard and mixed-one can envision a series of books on this topic, more in depth, with the non-lethal, purely experiential anecdotes such as sky diving filling a book of their own.
A consistent theme in this book is our neurological responses to stress in life-threatening situations. Readers can get more information about these responses than Emmanuel offers with Laurence Gonzales' book "Deep Survival".
So what DOES it feel to die?.......2005-06-01
So what does it feel like to die? According to author Greg Emmanuel, it all depends on how you go. 39 separate, horrible fates are chronicled in this book, and though not all of them end in death, they do all make your skin crawl. The categories include When Animals Attack, The Great Outdoors, Somebody Get a Doctor, Crime and Punishment, Everyday Mishaps, and Going to Extremes. Most of the scenarios only last for 2-3 pages which makes this a great book to pull out at parties and read aloud from, or take with you on vacation. The story style is conversational and informal, and the book length is a scant 175 pages, so it's a quick read all around.
Yes, the stories are creepy and gross, and at times they'll make you laugh though you might feel a little guilty for doing so. This is a novel and fun book.
Book Description
Jake, Peter and Moses are thrilled to spend their spring break helicopter skiing in the mountains. Jake, already a junior guide, is helping to train Peter. Moses, the helicopter pilot's son, is along for the fun. At the same time, Fiona, a snowboarding fanatic from England, is embarking on a snowboarding adventure on a nearby peak. Soon after takeoff, Fiona's helicopter crashes, killing the pilot and guide. The three boys -- themselves stranded due to unexpected weather conditions -- realize they must try to help her. Minutes after they rescue her, an avalanche rips the group apart and buries Jake. After rescuing Jake, the four recognize that they must save themselves. Thus begins their perilous ten-day descent. Faced with everything from finding shelter and surviving the cold, the group must use their skills to help each other survive. Do they have what it takes to make it out alive?
Customer Reviews:
My Review of Peak Survival.......2004-11-15
This book was an average adventure book. Of course adventures are exciting, so it was a pretty good read that kept my attention. It wasn't boring to read, but it wasn't the most interesting or exciting story in the world the pictures the author painted in my mind were very detailed and gave a good view of what was going on.
The author did a good job of describing the events and making it feel as if you were there experiencing the same adventure as the characters in the story. The only trouble is that the way it was written made it very, very predictable. (I'm a little bias for this story because not only does it involve my favorite sport, snowboarding, but it also involves my favorite place in the world, Whistler, B.C.)
Not only does it hold attention, but also it is a valuable warning and caution sign to snowboarders and skiers about riding backcountry. It is a valuable lesson and is told in an interesting way. After reading this story, the reader will have more knowledge about backcountry and its dangers and they will know that it's nothing to take casually.
This book is a good read for anyone who skis or snowboards. If someone is looking for an easy read that will keep you amused, this is a great book for them. But, if someone is looking for a more difficult and sophisticated read, I would suggest finding a different book. In conclusion, I enjoyed the story as well as the lessons provided in the book.
How I hate this book.......2004-10-10
My Teacher read it to us in class. It sounds in exciting but I don't think it was the greatest. The author should make the story happen quicker and she should have less characters so they'res less to concentrate on. Also think that the author should have more then one problem then of them being stuck in a snow cave.
Average customer rating:
|
Surviving Extreme Weather
Gerrie McCall
Manufacturer: MBI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Boating
| Water Sports
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
Safety & First Aid
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 076031750X |
Book Description
Surviving Extreme Weather is a comprehensive single-volume treatment of a topic which affects us all. The text is packed with real-life examples and uses the latest research from disaster organizations. Practical measures are explained with the assistance of 120 detailed black-and-white artworks showing the step-by-step processes of survival. Surviving Extreme Weather is invaluable reading no matter where you live-countryside or city-and provides an essential reference work for any home.
Books:
- Lord John and the Private Matter
- Managing Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Multimedia Information and Systems)
- Maple V Programming Guide (Version A): Release 5
- Mathematical Ideas
- Mathematical Modeling and Numerical Techniques in Drying Technology
- MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-290, 70-291, 70-293, 70-294): Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Core Requirements, Second Edition
- Metamagical Themas: Questing for the Essence of Mind and Pattern
- Microsystem Design
- Molecular Modelling: Principles and Applications (2nd Edition)
- Nation-building in the Post-Soviet Borderlands: The Politics of National Identities
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living from the Inside Out: Every Woman's Guide to Real Beauty, Renewed E
- Healing the Whole Man Handbook: Effective Prayers for the Body, Soul, And Spirit
- Death in Danzig
- Duke of Deception
- Freak The Mighty
- Foundations of Algorithms Using C++ Pseudocode, Third Edition
- Draw 50 Birds: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Chickadees, Peacocks, Toucans, Mallards, and Many More o
- The First Lady Diana: The Life of Lady Diana Spencer, 1710-1735
- Energy Prices and Taxes: Third Quarter 1994
- Private Journal of Judge-Advocate Larpent : Attached to the Headquarters of Lord Wellington During t
The Biology of Human Survival: Life and Death in Extreme Environments
Performing In Extreme Environments: Training and Working in Intense Heat, Frigid Cold, Under Water, High Altitude, Air Pollution
Last Breath: The Limits of Adventure
Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
Surviving the Extremes: A Doctor's Journey to the Limits of Human Endurance
