Survival stories that rattle your soul… what would you do?
Admit it, at some point in your life you thought it would be cool to be stranded on a desert island. To be left alone to fend for yourself, build a fire, make a shelter, and go fishing for your dinner. The romance of it attracts but we never fantasize about the things that can go wrong, like the bugs, the injuries, the animals, and Mother Nature. It’s the same with thoughts of North American Pioneer life, all covered wagons and wide open spaces. It seems simple and satisfying but back then even a simple cut could kill.
Read on for two recommendations: a survival story written for kids ages 10-14 but adults should read it too, it’s that good. Read it with your kids! Then there’s the harrowing true life horror story of the pioneers whose arduous journey west landed them in the Sierra Nevada mountains during a devastating winter. Do not read this with your kids, but if you dare, place yourself in their shoes through the power of this incredible book.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Pub date: 1987
How I read it: Audiobook
Narrator: Peter Coyote. He sounded just like Henry Fonda to me and did an excellent job with the story, his voice calm and quick, expressing gentle compassion. There’s background music as well which adds to the drama.
Tags: Survival, divorce, young men, nature
In a nutshell: Brian Robeson is on his way to see his father when disaster strikes – the small plane he’s in goes down and the pilot is dead. He’s alone on a secluded lake with no way of contacting anyone. And the mosquitoes, ‘vampires’ he calls them, instantly swarm, the first of many challenges.
Brian ends up spending 50+ days on his own. He uses everything he’s ever learned along with his trusty new hatchet, a farewell gift from his mom, to survive.
Writing: Paulsen’s prose is simple and descriptive with an interesting convention of repeating words and phrases for emphasis. His plotting and timing are right on, with lots of twists, shocks, and breakthroughs included in the short book (~ 200 pages / 4 hours).
Fire! Then he leaned back against the wood brace of his door opening and smiled. “I have a friend,” he thought. “I have a friend now, a hungry friend but a good one. I have a friend named Fire. Hello Fire.
And another thing: I read about Hatchet in one of those articles that list the top books all men should read. It’s worthy and of course, not just for the boys.
Bottom line: I loved this book and can understand why it was a 1998 Newberry Honor winner.
Hatchet has so many great moments like when Brian notices tracks coming from the water to the sand and back, with small piles of sand at the intersection. He wonders why and thinks maybe the creatures are playing. Then he chides himself, “city boy” he says, because he’s figured it out, they’re turtles and they didn’t emerge to play but to bury eggs! A most satisfying discovery.
In another scene he creates a safe place to store food. 10 feet above the door to his shelter was a small ledge. He used his hatchet to make a ladder from a fallen pine tree using the small branches sticking out for rungs and then took time to weave a door from willows. “When he finished he stood back and looked at the rock face, his shelter below and food shelf above, and allowed a small bit of pride…not bad, he thought.”
Finally, after he deals with an animal attack and a tornado:
C’mon he thought, baring his teeth at the darkness, c’mon is that the best you can do?…he had changed and he was tough. I’m tough where counts, tough in the head.
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown
Pub date: 2009
How I read it: Audiobook
Narrator: Michael Prichard
Tags: Survival stories, pioneer life, US history, cannibalism
In a nutshell: “Westward ho!” read George Donner’s advertisement, “who wants to go to California…” The Graves family, including daughter Sarah and her new husband, meet up with the Donners and the rest is tragic history. The hits just kept coming for this group, but in the end there were survivors, including Sarah, who is the focal point of the story. When you get to the part when they start contemplating IT, the book takes a stomach wrenching turn.
Writing: The author’s research skills and respect for the subject matter come through in this history book. He uses source material like diaries and letters, and his own treks along their path to set the scenes. The book reads like an academic wrote it, one who cares deeply about his subject. The writing is matter-of-fact and includes some of Brown’s personal observations, as well as a few interesting digressions that more fully explain certain aspects of the story.
And another thing: These people were tough, smart, clever, brave, and equipped. Reading about their journey made me feel soft and got me wondering if there’s a ‘California’ I’d be willing to sacrifice for.
Bottom line: The Indifferent Stars Above is tough to read, brutal, and way worse than you think it will be. Not just the desperate parts when they were starving to death, but the whole grueling, painful journey. It wasn’t easy, but I’m glad I read it.
Want more survival? Check out Wildfire
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