Rating: 
Summary: Powerful story
Review: One of the most striking things to me, while reading this book, was that the author devoted only the barest minimum of text to the actual crash of the plane... barely a third of a page. This alone should illuminate the style in which this book is written. It is not gratuitous, nor fictionalized. Everything is laid out in a straightforward, almost documentary fashion. This approach to telling such an indescribable tale actually serves the story well. The experience of these young men over the 71 days they were lost in the Andes Mountains is simply unfathomable. To cloak the telling of the story in a barrage of parables and adverbs and overwrought descriptions would, I think, diminish the power of its truth: The will of these 16 human beings to survive at all costs rose above every brutal reality thrown at them on a sustained basis for 10 weeks. Truly, it's hard to imagine their plight being much worse. It's equally hard to read this book without being consumed by the question of "What if that was me?" We each doubtlessly like to think that we'd have been one of the 16 survivors, but as each chapter unfolds, I couldn't help but wonder to what extremes could I be pushed before succumbing? Having seen the movie and read the book, I can't help but think that the movie cheated the audience somewhat, first by sanitizing the eating of the dead. For the most part, the survivors were only shown peeling back strips of muscle tissue which looked an awful lot like chicken. I don't think it should have been a major focus in the film, but the reality of cannibalism in the extreme was what enabled these men to survive and cannot be overlooked or brushed aside with only a perfunctory acknowledgement. The book was not remotely indulgent or gratuitous on this issue, but no details were spared. The corpses were scavenged, skulls were split with axes to get to the brains, strips of fat were laid on the plane's roof to dry in the sun, the men endured horrible bouts of diarrhea and other maladies, on and on... there is nothing pleasant about this kind of survival. The matter-of-fact writing style simply laid it all out and yes, it's disturbing and quite difficult to read. Very little of the dead's remains were not used as food and the author presents it plainly, but it's no less graphic for the telling. The second aspect in which the movie cheated on the storytelling was the final expedition of Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa which facilitated the rescue of the 14 men who remained on the mountain. This was a 10-day journey of profound difficulty, the last few days of which, in the film, were condensed to a 30-second montage. The book also goes into quite a lot of detail on the searching efforts of the parents, as well (completely omitted in the movie). This slows down the story noticeably, but is a necessary part of its telling. ALIVE is a gripping tale of harrowing survival in one of cruelest set of circumstances imaginable. The book is well-written, utterly compelling and I highly recommend reading it if for no other reason than to inspire a profound appreciation for one's own life.
Rating:
Summary: An inspiring and thought-provoking true story
Review: I read this book many years ago, but the story has stuck with me all this time. It is both inspiring and thought-provoking. The reader is inspired by Nando Parrado who will do whatever it takes to escape the Andes to Chile (I still remember that name despite reading this so long ago). We are also inspired by other characters in the book who lend a part to the survival. But it is thought-provking as a character study as the reader wonders how they would react in that situation. As the group is short on supplies and definately not clothed to handle the temperatures they are facing, everyone reacts differently. The aspect of the book (and later the movie) that has gotten the most attention is the decision to eat the flesh of deceased passengers for survival. It is something every reader will consider - not only how far would you go to survive, but what would you want to be done with your body in that situation. Although you may know the basics of what happened, the reality of the situation will only sink in when you are wrapped in the story by the author. While he is able to make you feel like you are really there, then you will be able to feel truly inspired by Nando Parrado, and really think about the situation and the passengers' decisions. This book is still a must-read.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful Story of Survival
Review: "Alive" is a fascinating tale of survival that has acquired a notoriety because of something that happened during that period of survival. That notoriety is a shame because it detracts from the greater story of how so many individuals could have made through what had happened to them. For those totally uninitiated to the story, a plane load of Uruguayan rugby players (and family members) goes down in the mountains of the Andes en route to their game in Chile. All efforts to locate the downed plane were unsuccessful and the search eventually is called off. However, many of the passengers have survived and are essentially, in good health. They gather together their resources which were limited because the flight was relatively short and thus the on-board supplies were short as well. Things happen as the survivors await the rescue that doesn't come and the most infamous thing that happens is that many of the survivors take to eating flesh of their departed. Ultimately, in what is the most spectacular event of the book, a couple of men decide to reach civiliztion on their own (scenes from "Lost Horizon" come to mind) and they actually succeed. This leads to the resue of the others as the whole world discovers their amazing survival. They also discover one of the not-so-secret means of their survival; their canabalism. A variety of sleazy accounts in print and film sought to depict that shocking aspect of an otherwise amazing survival story. Fortunately "Alive" (both the book and, later, the film) rise above that to bring the real story. This account is one you won't be able to put down until you've turned the last page.
Rating:
Summary: They were Survivors: Will you survive?
Review: On October 12th, 1972, a small plane carring 45 rugby players and their families crashed in the Andes, after their pilot made a wrong tuirn in the Andes. In the begining there where 45, and their story has gone down in history as one of the most unique and terrifying stories ever told. In the mountaisn slowly, accident, lack of food, avalanches and other un-foreseen causes destroy the men. But, their faith in God and their faith in their remaining families to find them and save them remains. Horrifying problems arise, such as what to do for food. the common idea is to eat the dead, and the survivors remain alive off their loving and caring friends who have already passed. Cannibalism. Soon, the men releize that no one is coming for them and they are going to have to get out by themself. And they do. In the middle of nowwhere, 2 of the survivors stuggle to civlization and save them all. This book tells the truth of their survival and portrays the truth of what these men had to endure to stay alive. A story of truth, endurance, honesty, faith and wonderous and undying belief in surviving against the odds, 16 men survive for more than 2 months in the Andes, while the world around them slowly for gets them. My favoriate part is when, the father of a rugby player whom has never stopped trying to search for his son, is reading the list of the survivors. He only knows that there are 16 survivors and he doesn't know if his son is one of they remaining, it is his job to read the list on-air to the family members listening to the radio to tell them of the survivors. He has been deticated to finding his son and never gave up, even when the Government refused to fund his searches anymore. He found help from strangers who had heard about the plane crash and had planes of their own, and were willing to help. " "Fernando Parrado," he said, "Fernando Parrado." he pulled the paper a little further. "Jose Luis Inciarte...Jose Luis Inciarte," Then a little further: "Danial Fernandez ...Danial Fernandez." Then a little further: "Carlos Paez...Carlos Paez." Whereupon tears choked his voice, and for a moment he could read no more." -Alive, Piers Paul Read The book is an amazing story of endurance and anyone and everyone should read this story of real survivors.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Story
Review: I read this book while I was going through chemotherapy five years ago. It may sound corny, but this book really helped me to get through the chemo. I would think, "at least I get to sleep in my own bed." It is unbelievable what these young men went through. Everyone focuses on the cannibalism part of the story, but it is really about so much more than that. It is an incredible story of survival, and it left me wondering if I could have survived through what they did.
Rating:
Summary: The best non-fiction adventure novel ever written
Review: I recently just finished reading a great novel: Alive - the Story of the Andes Survivors written by Piers Paul Read. This is a well-written novel about a team of strong rugby players and their loyal fans and family who crash on a plane in the high Andes Mountains. Their only shelter was the plane's shattered fuselage and their only supplies consisted of wine, marmalade, and a few candy bars. This story captures this horrific catastrophe and the amazing survival of the original thirty-two survivors to the final sixteen that actually made it out alive after they resorted to canabalism. I loved this novel and believe it is the best non-fiction adventure ever written. As I read about their story, I felt as though I knew the characters personally and began to truly feel emotions and troubles they were experiencing. Alive is very realistic and captures the hopelessness of the situation and the special bonds between the survivors. After reading Alive, absolutely no one will underestimate their will to survive. Alive is especially appealing to those people who enjoy suspenseful adventures novels. Anyone who loves detailed accounts of nature and its landscape will enjoy it thoroughly. I would venture to guess that a wide range of people would love it and would never want to set this great novel down including; health professionals, athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.
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