Rating: 
Summary: Loss of Appetite
Review: I must say that Piers Paul Read is an excellent writer, but I strongly dislike this book! Let me state that I am the only one in my family who doesn't believe in "God". I was not surprised by the fact that the ones who put all their energy and concentration in "God" were the first to die. For example; Eugina and Susana Parrado. Those who believed in teamwork and self survival were the ones to survive. I felt that it is hard enough if one should have to live through a tragedy, one does not need to pick up a book to get his or her share tragedy in life. Since I've read this book, I have not been able to put a piece of meat towards my mouth without putting it down and remembering how people ate their friends and family to survive. Then, I think, will I die if I don't eat this poor animal that was killed and only means of life was to feed men and women who don't understand that the poor animal's life was cut short and killed by us? I've rated this book a one only because it is an awful book, but I must give the writer some credit on his hard work and effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Alive By:Piers Paul Read
Review: It is a story about a plane crash that took place in the Andes. The plane's destination was to reach Santiago in Chile, which it never did. As the plane flue over the Andes mountains, a snowstorm was making it very difficult for the pilot of the plane to see. The plane's elevation was too low causing it to hit the side of one of the mountains, which resolved in a crash. From that point the survivors of the crash were forced to do whatever was necessary in order to survive. They ate the flesh off of their dead friends' bodies and those who didn't died. What made the story lively was Piers Paul Read's well made setting, good characterization, and in depth description of different events. All of that made the story as if it was a movie. The setting is what set the tone for the story. What makes the sting in this book so good is that it doesn't just talk about where the story took place but it describes what the game of Rugby is. As it does that it also tells the reader about the most important 15 characters of the book. It describes the game as, "Two teams of fifteen men face one another on the field. They wear no helmets or protective padding and there are no substitutes. The objective of each team is to place the oval ball on the try line defended by the other side or to kick the ball over the bar and between the posts of the H-shaped goal." After a well made description of the game the book goes on to tell why the plane was headed to Santiago. It mentions why the Christians want their rematch so badly. It all makes the reason for the whole trip to Santiago, make sense. The book says "The first fifteen of the Old Christians had, through overconfidence, lost the Uruguayan championship to a team they considered inferior; as a result, some of the club's officers thought that they did not deserve another trip to Chile." The setting also mentions why the plane had 40 passengers instead of the few that the rugby team was made of. The extra passengers are what made the trip to Santiago a reality. To fly on the plane it cost $1,600 U.S. dollars no matter how many passengers there were on the plane. So the team found extra passengers to go on the plane to make the cost of the trip only $40 per person. This problem was described as "Another problem they faced was filling the forty-odd seats of the Fairchild F-227 which they had chartered from the Air Force." These are only some of the examples from the setting of the book. The setting is what made the book exciting from the start. The other strong element in the book is it's good use of description. All authors have their own way of using description in their books, because that is what makes up the style of a book. Piers Paul Read uses good description without overdoing it like some authors do. He only goes into detail when it's necessary not just to make the book longer. One good example is when he describes the game of Rugby. It is described as, "The ball can be kicked, carried or passed back; the player who holds it can be tackled by an opponent who will throw himself through the air to bring him down-grabbing him around the neck, the waist, or the legs." The book has many weird parts, which makes it good. In order for the survivors of the plane crash to survive on the Andes without food for tens of days they needed to eat. So they ended up eating the dead, which provided them with enough food to survive. Those who didn't eat had to pay with their lives by starving to death. It's amazing what people will do to survive and this book does a good job of making a person see what people are capable of once it comes to life or death. They tried to make the flesh taste as good as possible, and the book describes this as, "The embers of the fire were still hot; it seemed sensible to try cooking a piece of meat on the hot foil. They did not leave it on for long, but the slight browning of the flesh gave it an immeasurable better flavor-softer than beef but with much the same taste." The book can also use very little detail by just saying what is needed. It talks about many little things without talking about things too much. When the author tries to describe the feelings of a character in the book he gets to the point without over doing it. The author describes one of the characters as, "Eohavarren, in considerable pain from his smashed leg, remained cheerful and outgoing, screaming and cussing at anyone who stepped on him but always making up for it afterward with a courteous apology or a joke." In my own opinion I think that the book is very good and easy to follow. I love the parts where the characters of the story eat the human bodies down to the end, when they get rescued. It is interesting from the start down to the end. Some of the parts may make a reader sick, but that's what makes the book so good. It is that what brings the story to life as a reader reads on. After reading the book I found out that there are many uses for dead bodies. In conclusion I want to say that this book is worth reading and I give it an eight.
Rating: 
Summary: could not put down!!
Review: I have read this book years ago and it is still one of my favorites! The ordeal that these people went through is unlike anything that most of us have experiencd so our fascination with it is understandable. On a deeper level, the decision making process and our optimistic natures are thing we can relate to.
Rating: 
Summary: very good, but to uninteresting a beginning.
Review: Although Piers Paul Reid has tried his best to make this a factual piece of writing, he goes a bit overboard in the beggining, but if you can last it out, its well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: The harsh beauty of life, told passionatly and beautifully
Review: I've read this book so many times. When I'm sad, it elates me. When I'm depressed, it shows me that I have nothing to be depressed about. When I doubt, it re-affirms me. It is one of the most wonderful, inspirational books that I have ever read. A must for anyone who doubts the strength of thier own souls, or that of humanity as a whole. It is simply breathtaking.
Rating:
Summary: YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!
Review: A very powerful, moving story, I couldn't put it down! I highlyrecommend this book, when finished, you will have a better realizationof the important things in life and a good, long, hard look at human nature, both the good and the bad... Everyday problems pale in the light of what these people endured. I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone.... PS: My daughter, Dawn, age 11, also read and reviewed this book, and feels the same way!
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS TRULY AMAZING!!!!
Review: I am only 11 years old and I first saw this movie and my family and I both wanted to read the book so we checked it out three days ago and I finished today. There really are no words to describe the power and meaning of this book. I also very much so think that this will be a book I will remember the rest of my life. Once again this is just a amazing book and it has touched my heart the way they survived out there for so long and most of them had so much faith that they were going to live. I only hope that I would have had enough strength to make it through all that.
Rating:
Summary: Pure will
Review: Pure will allowed these survivors to carve a niche out of the frosty, hostile realm of impossibility and to inhabit it for two months. I don't know whose decision was more difficult: Nando's and Canessa's decision to make the superhuman trek to Chile, or the others' decision to entrust their lives to these two men, and to wait, agonizingly, for a rescue that might never come. Thankfully, it did.
Rating:
Summary: makes you appreciate life much more.
Review: THIS BOOK IS EXCELLENT. I BOUGHT THE VIDEO AND I CANT STOP WATCHING IT.IM A TRULY OBSESSED FAN AND THE FILM MAKES YOU IMAGINE WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE DONE, HAD YOU BEEN THERE. WHAT I LIKE MOST ABOUT THE FILM IS THE OPTIMISM OF CARLITOS AND HE BELIE- VES THAT GOD IS TAKING CARE OF THEM. I WANT TO MEET THE ACTORS AND THE TRUE SURVIVORS BECAUSE THIS FILM MAKES ME THINK ABOUT GOD MORE. I LOVE THIS FILM SO MUCH THAT MY FRIENDS ARE GREETED BY THE SONG "AVE MARIA" ON MY ANSWERING MACHINE, WHICH WAS SUNG BY AARON NEVILLE AT THE END OF THE FILM. I FEEL VERY EMOTIONAL AFTER WATCHING THIS FILM AND THE ACTING IS INCREDIBLE. THE BOOK IS A REVELATION AND IS SO REAL THAT IT ACTUALLY TAKES YOU THERE.I KNOW THE FILM SCRIPT AND THE NAMES OF ALL THE CHARACTERS, NOW I WANT POSTERS OF THE GORGEOUS "CARLITOS" BRUCE RAMSEY, WHOS CHARACTER HAD THE MOST EFFECT ON ME BECAUSE OF HIS BELIEF IN GOD.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting moral dilemma
Review: We have been watching this film in our RE lessons. We have been studying issues to do with life and death. We have found it an excellent example of difficult decisions that human beings have to make in life and death situations.
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