Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read is a gripping nonfiction account of the 1972 crash of an Uruguayan plane carrying a rugby team in the Andes mountains. The survivors faced extreme conditions, including resorting to cannibalism to survive. The book narrates the harrowing experiences of the passengers, their resilience, and the ultimate will to survive against all odds. Piers Paul Read's writing style is described as matter-of-fact, focusing on the stark reality of the survivors' ordeal without sensationalism.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is straightforward and respectful of the events, which some may find slows down the reading but ensures authenticity and sensitivity.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative follows the harrowing survival tale of a rugby team whose plane crashes in the Andes, detailing their struggles against the elements and the subsequent ethical dilemmas they face.

Setting:

The setting of the Andes Mountains is crucial to the narrative, marking both the beauty and peril of the landscape that challenges the survivors.

Pacing:

The pacing effectively maintains tension through most of the narrative, though moments of slower character development can affect momentum.

Uruguay, one of the smallest countries on the South American continent, was founded on the eastern bank of the River Plate as a buffer state between the emerging giants of Brazil and Argentina. Geogra...

Genres:

nonfiction

survival

adventure

Topics:

plane crash

survival techniques

human endurance

morality in extreme situations

faith and spirituality

survival against all odds

cannibalism for survival

teamwork

Notes:

The story involves 45 passengers, mostly from a Uruguayan rugby team, who crashed in the Andes Mountains on October 13, 1972.

Thirty-one of the passengers survived the crash, but only 16 were eventually rescued after 70 days.

The crash resulted from bad weather and pilot error, which caused the plane to clip a mountain.

Survivors faced extreme cold temperatures at high altitudes, with nights well below freezing even during spring in South America.

Initially, the passengers had little food and clothing, and many suffered serious injuries from the crash.

They were ultimately forced to resort to cannibalism to survive, consuming the bodies of deceased passengers.

The survivors endured additional tragedies, including an avalanche that killed eight more people after the crash.

Two of the fittest survivors, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, embarked on a trek to find help, eventually encountering a farmer who aided in their rescue.

The book 'Alive' by Piers Paul Read is based on extensive research and interviews with survivors, as well as relatives and officials.

Despite the gruesome elements, the story is also about teamwork, faith, courage, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include graphic descriptions of cannibalism, trauma, and the psychological impact of survival in extreme conditions.

From The Publisher:

#1 New York Times Bestseller

"No one will come away unmoved by the book, and no one will be able to put it down…. There is no way of reading Alive without a heightened sense of one's own life and its value." - New Republic

Sixteen Men, Seventy-Two Days, and Insurmountable Odds-the Classic Adventure of Survival in the Andes

On October 12, 1972, an Uruguayan Air Force plane carrying a team of rugby players crashed in the remote snowy peaks of the Andes. Ten weeks later, only sixteen of the forty-five passengers were found alive. This is the story of those ten weeks spent in the shelter of the plane's fuselage without food and with scarcely any hope of a rescue. The survivors protected and helped one another, and came to the difficult conclusion that to live meant doing the unimaginable. Confronting nature at its most furious, two brave young men risked their lives to hike through the mountains looking for help. A tale of astonishing bravery and adventure, Alive is much more than a survival story, it is a breathtaking saga of human courage

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Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors

Piers Paul Read