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.
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"This book was so well written in parts that it surprised me. I read it in two days, and I was disappointed that the reading was interrupted by the need for sleep - I'm sure you know this feeling, that's how much I was drawn into this story. The author is deeply insightful and completely honest, my compliments and thanks to the teamwork that resulted in this fine story. I like that he waited so long to write about the experience and how it affected him. It's a great look into the Uruguayan culture of that time, and into all of the ways human beings act when under unbelievable physical and emotional duress. The tale is beautifully told at a comfortable pace that leaves out nothing of the human experience. This is a survival story with a little bit of mountain climbing included, if you like either I don't think you will be disappointed. The author is so sincere and completely open with his feelings I'm still moved by his story." — Mike (5 out of 5 stars)
"This book was so well written in parts that it surprised me. I read it in two days, and I was disappointed that the reading was interrupted by the need for sleep - I'm sure you know this feeling, that's how much I was drawn into this story. The author is deeply insightful and completely honest, my compliments and thanks to the teamwork that resulted in this fine story. I like that he waited so long to write about the experience and how it affected him. It's a great look into the Uruguayan culture of that time, and into all of the ways human beings act when under unbelievable physical and emotional duress. The tale is beautifully told at a comfortable pace that leaves out nothing of the human experience. This is a survival story with a little bit of mountain climbing included, if you like either I don't think you will be disappointed. The author is so sincere and completely open with his feelings I'm still moved by his story."
“More than a companion to the 1970s bestselling chronicle of the disaster, Alive, this is a fresh, gripping page-turner that will satisfy adventure readers, and a complex reflection on camaraderie, family, and love.”
“Given up for dead after an air crash in the Andes in 1972, Nando Parrado not only survived but showed the strength and determination that saved his own life and that of his fifteen friends. Now he gives his own account of his ordeal—enthralling, enlightening, modest, and moving. An impressive testimony to what love can achieve.”
“Miracle in the Andes is an astonishing account of an unimaginable ordeal. In straightforward, staggeringly honest prose, Nando Parrado tells us what it took—and what it actually felt like—to survive high in the Andes for seventy-two days after having been given up for dead. If you pick this book up, you will not be able to put it down.”
" Riveting story told from the perspective of one of the survivors from the plane crash in the Andes in 1974. It is an emotional, riveting, personal journey of survival, fear, love, desperation and hope. I thoroughly enjoyed it. "
" Insanely good book. Disturbing that this is a true account of one of the survivors but that makes it all the more better. "
" This was a compelling read. Just not my choice of subject matter. "
" I love this book, it is so inspiring. I've read it three times and come back to it every couple of years or so to read it again. "
" This is a great book in which several members of a Uruguayan rugby team crash landed in the Andes. Tells the story of what one most do,though extreme, to survive and come home alive. "
" This is a great survival book.. I couldn't put it down. "
" I had read "Alive!" which was written in 1973, a year after the plane crash. That was nonfiction, and this was Nando's feelings and thoughts, as well as factual information. I probably wouldn't read them one after the other, but both are quality books. "
" Very intense and vivid. I admire the way Parrado finds a deep spiritual meaning from his experiences, in spite of not having a clear relationship to the concepts of religion/God as he's familiar with them. "
" Great book. Extremely admirable author. Especially interested in his philosophy of life after his experience. "
" Captivating story of survival and teamwork. Difficult to put the book down once you start. "
" Affectionately known as the "crack" book due to it's addictiveness (everyone of the 9 people I've loaned it too so far read it in < 3 days.) It's one of those ones that stays seared in your memory forever! "
" An amazing book of survival. "
" So far this is a good book. An amazing story of people traveling from Uruguay to Chile and the plane crashed in the Andes. Great book! "
" I love this book. It demonstrates a great story of overcoming all odds and surviving an event that most people do not have the will-power to survive through. "
" Don't read this book if you're squeamish about cannibalism. Just sayin'. "
" I highly recommend this book. It is an amazing story, told with a perspective on life that I could easily relate to. "
" A gripping page turner that brought me to tears and was written in a way that I could feel as though I was with the rugby team in the andes. "
" I'm a big fan of the "ALIVE" story and survival stories, in general, so this was a quick read and pretty interesting. Nice pictures of the author and the rugby team included. "
" I read this for summer reading for AP Global...it was a good story, but I felt like it dragged on for a while and got somewhat boring at the end. Overall, it was a really amazing and unbelievable story, with a not-so-amazing writing. "
" Great, great book, especially if you've read or seen "Alive". Nando Parrado is a pretty amazing guy, and it's worth reading this book just to hear the story from his point of view. "
" Gripping story of survival both mental and physical "
" This book is about the plane crash in the Andes. The author was one of the survivors. What an incredible story. I couldn't put the book down! "
" Never get tired of this survival story! Always saddens and inspires me. "
" Good book, but really not sure how much I believe. I have read a lot of books about mountain climbing and when veteran climbers are dying when they are over prepared, there is a lot of doubt in my mind. Not that is didn't happen, it just seems quite exagerrated. "
" I recieved this book for my 12th birthday and when I looked at it, I immediently thought I wasn't going to like it. I started to read it, and it began nice and slow. Much to my surprise, I could not put this book down. It felt so real, the situations so intense. I loved every aspect of this book. "
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.
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