Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing and incomplete.
Review: What separates a survivor from a victim is a fascinating subject, but this book is a poorly edited montage of neuro-chemistry and narratives. The narratives are few and sparse and way overemphasize mountain-climbing accidents, all of which are avoidable. (Stay off the mountain, stupid.) There are way too few non-climbing stories in this book.Also, the author often starts into a good survival story and then pauses mid-way to throw in some neuro-anatomy and theories about the amygdala and other brain parts. This, of course, interrupts the flow of the story and feels like reading a textbook. Sometimes the author doesn't resume the story for many pages. A good editor should have tightened up this problem. If I wanted neuro-anatomy, I would get a neuro anatomy book - What I wanted in this book (and didn't get) were survivor tales and information on how they did it (and by inference, how I could do it if needed). If the author really wanted to go into the science of survival he should have been much more systematic and inclusive. Where was all the physiology information on calories and electrolytes? And the first aid info? The supply info? Etc., etc.. Also there are so many of these stories that it was disappointing to have so few in this slow-paced book. The author did include a few military sources but they were very incomplete. For example, why did the first female carrier pilot who even finished "first" in her aviation class screw up and kill herself? What does that say about training and evaluation? And what does that say about gender and survival? The author also missed out on the huge amount of military survival information. Things like the Israeli experience where an elite, well-trained unit completely disintegrated because of macho attitude and failure to keep hydrated while the unit of old, fat reserve dentists who had to relieve this elite unit did so well. I remember a term we used to use in the military when discussing chemical weapons accidents - TSTL. (Too Stupid To Live) The author could have really entertained with a few of these kinds of vignettes. Overall, the author (and his asleep editor) never could decide whether to concentrate on the amygdala or the will or "heart" that so many survivors seem to have. Overall, this book left me unsatisfied.
Rating: 
Summary: Compels and Empowers
Review: Years ago I put myself in a situation and got cold, very cold. It would have been a pain-free relief to have simply given in. Shut-down mode. Enough of the pain. Enough of the struggle. It'll be alright. This is the journalistic beat of Laurence Gonzales. Why some people hear that voice and assuage themselves with the endorphins of impending morbidity. And why in the brains of others there is a dialogue which cues simultaneous and contradictory impulses. Life-saving impulses. I did not read Deep Survival so much as absorb it into the fabric of my being. You too may have occasion to explore your own self in deeply personal, provocative ways while reading this book. This goes way, way beyond "armchair exploration" and into a deeper examination of self. Many of the like-minded among us now have cause to quote Gonzalesian priniciples to the uninitiated. Take from it what you will. Just get in touch with (and control of) that voice emanating from the base of your brain. This skill may one day be the best hope you've got.
| 
