Testosterone Condensed Into a Book

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’re behind the times on this book as well. It came out in 2003, but just emerged in unabridged form on Audible.com a few months ago. And, yes, it was worth the wait. It’s Laurence Gonzales’ book Deep Survival.

The author–an acrobatic pilot, rock climber, and all-around adventurer (I’m trying to figure out what extreme sport he hasn’t personally done)–set out on a life-long mission to discover what it is that some people have that gets them through life-threatening events. He goes so far as pitching it as “the first scientific investigation of human survival.”

While I’m not sure I’d go that far, I will say that it’s a terrific book, gripping right from the very beginning when he gives you a taste of what got him started on his quest: the story of his father’s survival after being shot down in a plane over Germany during WWII. He comes back to personal themes time and time again, but the book is mainly tales from folks who survived life-and-death struggles, and how they did it. And, I’ve give away the ‘ending’: it’s not super, high-tech gear. It’s determination and heart and being in-the-moment.