Rating: 
Summary: A must read for action/survival fans
Review: I read this book for the first time about ten years ago and I have never forgotten it. It was one of the most compelling, absorbing books I've ever read, if not the most. How he survives is truly amazing, and this story belongs in the collection of anyone with an interest in true stories of survival. It made me wonder how I would handle such a situation, and would I be tough enough to make it. I'm sure anyone who reads this will ask themselves the very same questions.
Rating:
Summary: Survival at Sea: Journey of extrodinary spiritual endurance
Review: I think I am one of the last people to read this book. There are many books which detail harrowing experiences but non which have allowed me to share at such a depth with such realism. I was empty.I was at times empty of spirit, searching for something deep within on which to cling for a reason to live. Steven Callahan did a wonderful, magnificant, and masterful job of crafting together the emotional and spiritual turmoil he endured. Throughout his ordeal he held the reader fast to each challange by portraying the life and death reality of his daily struggle to survive. The effort it took to maintain his sanity, his will to live, and his need to command a rational state of mind was at the extreme limit for almost any solitary person to command. Did God send the fish? Did God will their sacrifice? Are we not all not all creatures in need of a power or force to help us overcome seemingly impossible odds? Steven Callahan is one who may write about this more indepth someday. I hope he does. Wonderfully written.
Rating:
Summary: an exciting read, you won't be able to put it down!
Review: I truly enjoyed this book. It is what it says it is "Adrift...76 (yes, that is SEVENTY SIX) days lost at sea." This is Steven Callahans true account of those days and it is quite a ride. With each fish he catches and each tablespoon of water he collects in his still, you just want to keep cheering him on and to keep rooting for his undying will to survive.
Rating:
Summary: A amazing tale of perserverance against all odds!
Review: I was awed by this tale of survival. The ingenuity Steve Callahan displayed in order to live through his harrowing ordeal was incredible. I am grateful to a friend who told me of this book because it is one of the most memorable I have read in recent years. I was particularly happy to read this story while lying in my warm, dry, comfortable bed!
Rating:
Summary: It was a great experience
Review: I'm glad, in a sick way, that this happened to Steve Callahan because it happened, it happened to someone else, he happened to live through it and I happened to read the book. After reading this story, I'm just glad that it didn't *happen* to me! You know, it's funny.. I read this book on my Honeymoon cruise through the Mediterranean.. freaked me out, boy.
Rating:
Summary: The author teaches the true meaning of "never, ever give up"
Review: I've always been an avid reader of tales of true adventure and survival, many on the high seas. Rickenbacher's survival in a raft and Shackleton's disastrous expedition to the Antarctic have been two of my favorites--man being pushed to the very edge of the void. But this book, "Adrift", dwarfs and transcends them all. This hearty soul (the survivor/author) has taught me what it means to be a member of the most determined and successful species of life on earth. My god, the cunning perseverance and tenacity of this fella must be legendary by now. He manages his time and meager resources in preparing for the worse, even in the face of awesome physical and mental discomfort for an incredible length of time. His genuine emotional connection with the ocean and its creatures is unique and very moving, which has tended to quiet many fears which I (and I'm sure many others) have had about the deep blue. The author's intricate and logical details--and his somewhat understated style--are what make his account so extremely powerful and believable. I've read this book several times during the past decade--it is the most triumphant and inspirational reading experience of my life, to date. It's one of those few that will remain 'alive' within me, always there in case I should ever find myself in a grave predicament--don't panic, calm down, think, don't rely on others, take thoughtful steps and plan ahead knowing that your life is in your own hands, be inventive and persistent, and never ever give up.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: I've read this book several times and have always been mesmerized by it. While it is a stirring tale of man against the sea, it is also a great story of a man dealing with crisis, with loneliness, with self-doubt. I've recommended this book to many people I've known who were in the midst of dealing with personal crisis---illness, divorce, loss of employment and such. All of them have told me that the book moved them and helped them. All of us can be "adrift" in life, feeling we're cut off from what is important to us, that the world seems to be against us. Callahan's experience shows that it is possible to meet crisis with faith in God, faith in oneself, ingenuity and just sheer perseverence. That if you do not lose hope, that if you endure, landfall and rescue are eventually going to happen. What I thought was most inspiring about Callahan's book was that, after all he'd been through, he continued to go sailing. Lesson? That no matter how difficult an experience you've had, in a lousy job, a bad relationship or whatever, that after you've reached landfall and have recovered, you "set out to sea" again, seeking new challenges, new relationships, and new knowledge about oneself.
Rating:
Summary: Adrift
Review: I've read this book several times over the years, and I still enjoy it. I'm a writer---"God Bless Mr. Devil"---and I still draw inspiration from this miraculous story of shear will. There are countless stories of unbelievable survival out there, but this one appeals to me because I cannot imagine anything more terrifying than being lost at sea. Whether landlover or sealover, and whatever goal you may have, I recommend this extraordinary story for anyone who questions the power of the "Never give up" attitude.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: It is amazing how far man can go physically and emotionally in order to survive, and on how little you can get by when necessary.
What's even more amazing that somebody can still be alive to tell about an experience like this!
Rating:
Summary: Awe Inspiring Tale
Review: Probably one of the most incredible sea survival stories since the Indianaplolis saga of WW2. Callahan masterfully weaves his personal trials of survival in a format that is accessible to everyone. Sailors and land lovers a like will be able to appreciate this harrowing story of the human will to survive. For all true adventure fans, and even those who are not, this is a must read.
|
