The first book I remember reading as a boy was Pier Paul Read's "Alive". I must have been 10 years old and I recall reading the book in record time. I was fascinated by the story of the rugby team whose plane crashed in The Andes and were forced to eat human flesh in order to survive. As a kid I saw the book as a mind blowing adventure while barely grasping the ethical dilemmas involved.
I read the book again maybe 20 years later and realized what an amazing story it really is. It's human survival at it most basic form. It became more than an adventure story. I tried to imagine how it must have been like for these men up there. And I imagined how one's life had to be changed forever by that experience. After all, once you have gone through something like that, what problem in your everyday life could ever affect you? In fact there are so many layers and philosophical aspects to the story that they impossible to sum up in a few paragraphs.
Now 30 years after "Alive" one of the survivors Nando Parrado tells his story. I can't wait to get the book. I was reading a review and it says that whereas "Alive" simply told what happened, "Miracle in the Andes" tells us what was going on in the minds of these young men as they were going through the ordeal. And the book also covers the aftermath of the event. How everyone's life was changed.
I want to get this book.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nando Parrado, interestingly enough, became an advertising man, a Creative
Director, I think. Can you imagine telling him the world is going to end if a copy is not on time?
1 comment:
debe ser el mejor jefe del mundo, esa proteina humana puede hacer maravillas!!! (no mentira, que mala soy).
pero de hecho que si, para el los deadlines deben ser un rato de sana diversion introspectiva. viste la pelicula no? el papa de nando parrado creo que es pintor, mi ex que se la pasa filmando comerciales en uruguay lo conocio en su casa museo....
Post a Comment