Survive! : My Fight for Life in the High Sierras

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read For All Ages
Review: Having personally known Pete and his family since childhoodand already knowing this story since the day I saw it on the news in Los Angeles (KKLA TV) for the two weeks he went missing, seeing the docudrama on ABCs 20/20, and finally hearing about it from PEte himself, I can attest to the excitement and encouragement you will feel while and after reading this book. You will not be able to put it down, which is rare for any book. Honestly, it is problably not even possible to comprehend that this actually happened to someone you do not know, let alone someone you do. But I can tell you this, which I told Pete: being on the other end of a hockey stick as a goalie against Pete if only momentarily, I can say with confidence that very few people on earth could have or would have survived such an ordeal as described in his book, which is a testament to this man's courage, tenacity and fighting spirit.

I promise it will be a movie and it will not need very much "Hollywood-izing" to make it exciting, which is rare for true stories.

Good job, Pete. Congrats on a fine work. Stay safe, stay sane.

Bobby Z.
Southbury, CT

Rating:
Summary: Nagging Question
Review: I must agree that the book is fascinating to read. I started reading and couldn't put the book down until I finished ( at 2 a.m. ). Peter's story of survival is amazing. The question that continually nagged me throughout the book was why didn't Peter or any of his passengers carry HF radio equipment. I am a Extra Class FCC Amateur Radio Licensee and know that any travel ( by air, foot or car ) into remote wilderness areas dictates carrying proper radio communications gear. In 1994, HF radios for Amateur use were less than $800. IF any of the crew were trained operators with simple HF radio gear, they would have spent no more than one cold night on the mountain and been home for pancakes in the morning.

Bill
KF4UZS

Rating:
Summary: I really wanted to like this book
Review: I'm a pilot and love stories like this, so when I saw the book at my local bookstore, I snapped it up right away.
First, the good. The author definitly had the character and courage to walk out of the mountains and survive to hopefully save his friends. I kept wondering as I read it, whether I would have had the same determination or if I would have given in to sleep or exhaustion. So you gotta hand him that. And, he seemed to write the book himself without help which is admirable.

On the other hand, while the whole event itself really is a great story, the writing just kind of fell flat to me. I had trouble believing that the author could remember his exact thoughts and actions in such vivid detail. The author seems to remember every detail of each hour along with his actions, thoughts, words, etc. I realize that a lot of that was literary licence, it just seemed very padded and was distracting. Also, unless I missed it, the author didn't mention that he was determinted to be at fault in the crash. Here's a quote from the NTSB report on the cause:
"the pilot's entry into a box canyon at an altitude insufficient to maintain clearance from the surrounding terrain and obstacles. Factors in the accident were the high density altitude condition and the steep, rapidly rising nature of the mountainous terrain." That's a pretty serious detail to leave out.

To be honest, when I got to the last 30 or so pages of the book, I lost interest to the point where I was skimming rather than reading. Maybe I missed a mention of the cause of the accident.

To sum it up, great story of courage and determination. Not a great job of actually telling the story.

Rating:
Summary: We need more hero's
Review: Positive, inspiring I could not put it down. It reminded me what I appreciate and aspire to in life. Recently there has been so much negative information over political issues that I had forgotten what it was like to get completely wrapped up in a story with a positive hero. When the book moved to other background things happening during his trek I found myself anxious to get back to Pete. Survive! allowed me to get back to what's important. Pete Deleo let me believe in the human spirit again.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent survival book
Review: This is an excellent book -- it's amazing that the author survived 13 days in hypothermia mountain conditions, and it's an amazingly well-told story. Anyone who enjoys backpacking, climbing, winter camping, or survival stories will enjoy this fast-paced, rich story.

My only nagging question (and in light of the compelling story, it's a small one) is this: why did it take 10 years after the crash for the book to be written and published?


Rating:
Summary: Fascinating story of survival & determination
Review: This story told in this book rivals many of the survival epics of the genre; it's a fascinating, detailed, and well-told account of Peter Deleo's 13-day high Sierra ordeal after his plane crashed in the mountains with two companions aboard. It's a thrilling tale, hard to put down.

The missing elements are subtle. While he obviously possessed incredible stength and will to live, the story is sometimes overly focused his superhuman qualities, with the reader wondering at times if he plans to make a movie starring himself. The gut-wrenching humility and self-doubt that is so genuine in Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" seems lacking, with important people like his girlfriend, Susan, hardly mentioned; and the obvious questions "How did this happen?" left unanswered, along with details of how his companions fared while he was walking out.
In the end we read page after page of his "ordeal" with the press when it's over, how all the big media names want to get his story. His bravery and endurance become tainted, unfortunately, with this self-promotional slant...

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read Book!
Review: Wow! What a captivating story. An amazing accomplishment for a first time author. The story is told in a way that made me feel I was there. Very detailed and descriptive with interesting flashbacks. I couldn't put this book down.