In the first hours there was nothing, no fear or sadness, just a black and perfect silence. Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as their family members and supporters, to an exhibition game in Chile had crashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon learned that many were dead or dying--among them his own mother and sister. Those who remained were stranded on a lifeless glacier at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, with no supplies and no ...
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In the first hours there was nothing, no fear or sadness, just a black and perfect silence. Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as their family members and supporters, to an exhibition game in Chile had crashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon learned that many were dead or dying--among them his own mother and sister. Those who remained were stranded on a lifeless glacier at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, with no supplies and no means of summoning help. They struggled to endure freezing temperatures, deadly avalanches, and then the devastating news that the search for them had been called off. As time passed and Nando's thoughts turned increasingly to his father, who he knew must be consumed with grief, Nando resolved that he must get home or die trying. He would challenge the Andes, even though he was certain the effort would kill him, telling himself that even if he failed he would die that much closer to his father. It was a desperate decision, but it was also his only chance. So Nando, an ordinary young man with no disposition for leadership or heroism, led an expedition up the treacherous slopes of a snow-capped mountain and across forty-five miles of frozen wilderness in an attempt to find help. Thirty years after the disaster Nando tells his story with remarkable candor and depth of feeling. "Miracle in the Andes"--a first person account of the crash and its aftermath--is more than a riveting tale of true-life adventure: it is a revealing look at life at the edge of death and a meditation on the limitless redemptive power of love. "From the Hardcover edition."
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Good. 8 AUDIO CDs withdrawn from the library collection. Some library sticker and marking. We will take the time to polish each Audio CD for a smooth quality of sound. Enjoy this reliable AUDIO CD performance.
Most folks are somewhat familiar with the story of the South American rugby team that was stranded high in the Andes mountains after their plane crashed, in 1975. The book and movie "Alive" told the story of how survivors of the crash remained alive for two months before their rescue.
"Miracle in the Andes", however, was written by Nando Parrado, who, along with fellow survivor Roberto Canessa, finally walked out of the mountains and reached civilization, an amazing ten-day journey that allowed the rescue of the rest of the survivors. Parrado's gripping book provides an intimate, first-person account of the crash and its aftermath in a way that "Alive", with its journalistic approach, could not.
When this book arrived at my home, I thought I'd read just a few pages a day, busy as I was with work, other reading and regular errands, household tasks, gym, etc. However, I couldn't put the book down that day and finished it the next. "Listen to this!" I kept saying to my husband as I read him passages from the book.
The ingenuity, tenacity and hard work of the survivors enabled those who survived the crash to remain alive in unimaginable conditions for two months before their improbable rescue. Parrado's book is an honest, unflinching description of how this astonishing event unfolded. Read this book!
catamaran179
Nov 28, 2009
Extraordinary. Made me cry.
How we face life "in extremis". Well perhaps not we, but they and where there is intersection, we know how they felt and what drove them to continue in the face of extreme odds. Where there is not an intersection, we can but imagine and cheer.
I was very connected being born in South America, playing rugby, rowing competitively, and having skied in the Andes as a teenager and having a granddaughter who plays rugby.
jkboyd
Feb 5, 2009
I loved the movie Alive and read that book, this new book gives a more infomation on the boy Nando who and another boy got out of the moutains and saved the rest from dieing. Great!!
quasar
Dec 31, 2008
I read 'Alive' many years ago and was happy to see a follow up book . This is a surprisingly moving account of Parado's experience, in which he discusses the nature of God, the meaning of suffering and his transistion from a somewhat shallow (his description) young man to an adult. He also describes, in more detail than some may want, the crash and how the survivors came to the decision to do whatever it took to survive in a hostile environment that provided no food or shelter.
