Best Adventure Books Non Fiction Library: 50 Non-Fiction Adventure

Following on from our recent take on the world of fictional adventure literature, we now move on to the true life stories of exploration, adventure, and survival against all odds that have inspired countless readers for generations. Unlike their fictional counterparts, these compelling stories of conquests and fateful journeys are utterly true, and testify to man's unquenchable desire to seek out the unknown, often against all odds and unbelievable hardships.

This is not considered a complete list of all the great true adventure stories, so use the comments section to share what other true adventure stories you recommend to your fellows.

And now, to move on into the world of high adventure ...

Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Theodore Roosevelt

In this amazing story of adventure and survival, Roosevelt describes his participation in the 1913-1914 Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition, which took place a year after his unsuccessful offer was undertaken. for re-election. The team searched for the headwaters of the River of Doubt, then paddled across the river to the Amazon. What was originally intended to be "zoo-geographic exploration" quickly turned into a story of survival, with turbulent white water and danger around every bend of the river, so much so that it almost took the life of the "Bull Moose" itself.

READ ALSO : Top 50 Must Read Mystery Books for Kids

South: The Endurance Expedition Ernest Shackleton

Legendary Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton describes his own efforts to cross Antarctica by sleigh. Adventure story turns to a survival story when Shackleton's ship, Endurance, becomes trapped in the ice, where it would remain for ten months before the hull finally yielded to the force of the ice, forcing the men to set out on foot for a distant whaling station.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer

A chilling account of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, told by John Krakauer, author of Into the Wild, who witnessed the tragedy unfold firsthand. The onset of a powerful storm, just as multiple teams attempt to climb Everest, leads to devastating results, and those on the mountain are pushed to the brink of their stamina to get out alive.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

The tragic yet inspiring story of Christopher McCandless, a young graduate who left behind a promising future in exchange for a life on the road. As he hitchhikes across North America, McCandless eventually reaches his final destination, Alaska, where he wants to survive in the wilderness on his own. Krakauer follows McCandless's philosophical journey around the circle, from rebellious twenties who simply want to escape society to a man who fights for his life and realizes that a life without the company of others is incomplete.

“He walked the earth for two years. No telephone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic traveler whose home is the way. Escaped from Atlanta. You will not return because "the West is the best." And now, after two long years, comes the last and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and triumphantly end the spiritual pilgrimage. Ten days and nights with freight trains and elevators take him to the Great White North. In order to stop being poisoned by civilization, he flees, walking across land only to get lost in the wild. "

 Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a French pilot better known for his work The Little Prince, was both an adventurer and a literary giant. His poetic musings on the well-lived life, combined with recounting various disasters he and others experienced while flying the mail over the Sahara and Andes Mountains, make this one adventure book that no one should be without.

'Nobody grabbed you by the shoulder when there was still time. Now the clay of which you are formed is dried and hardened, and nothing in you will ever awaken the sleeping musician, the poet, the astronomer that may have inhabited you in the beginning. "

 The Journals of Lewis and Clark by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark

The account of the first expedition to travel west to the Pacific and return safely, as recorded by the famous expedition leaders. Follow this classic story as new species, new peoples and new worlds are discovered.

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose

Stephen Ambrose, better known as the author of the bestselling turned miniseries Band of Brothers, offers an insightful look into the life and adventures of Meriwether Lewis, co-leader of the Corps of Discovery, also known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Farther Than Any Man: The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook by Martin Dugard

Captain Cook is best known for his extensive travels across the South Pacific in the late 18th century where he first made European contact with many island civilizations, including the discovery of Hawaii. In this thrilling retelling of his life and adventures, Dugard explores Cook's unparalleled rise from farmer to sea captain, followed by his tyrannical turn and eventual downfall.

Death in the Long Grass by Peter Hathaway Capstick

In this, his first book, Capstick shows us why he became a legend in the world of big game hunting. Capstick makes a field of ten-foot grass (and the raging fauna that undoubtedly resides there) the most terrifying thing on Earth, but also the most exciting.

`` If 12,000 pounds of screaming, screeching, furious elephants hitting you have somehow rattled your nerves to the point where you miss the six-by-four-inch spot on his forehead ... then you might as well forget it . You couldn't rewire the most talented mortuary beautician in the world so your own mother would know if you were lying face up or down. "

 The Man Eaters of Tsavo by Colonel Henry Patterson

This is the 1907 account of Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson, who was sent to Kenya by the British East Africa Company to build a railway bridge across the Tsavo River. During construction, workers were regularly killed by a pair of man-eating lions later known as the man-eaters of Tsavo, or as the locals called them, the ghost and darkness. Patterson wanted to rid the workers of this threat, and the story is thrilling.

The Four Journeys: His Own Log, Letters and Messages with Connecting Stories by Christopher Columbus

What Kind of Man Was Christopher Columbus? Eccentric? A madman? The greatest explorer who ever lived? Draw your own conclusions by studying Columbus's own magazines, where he describes the lead-up to the first voyage in 1492 and all the expeditions that followed.

"I should not be going over land to the east, as is usual, but by a westerly route, which direction so far we have no sure evidence that anyone has gone."

 Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger

Cultural explorer Wilfred Thesiger went to the wild deserts of the Middle East to seek reprieve from the oppression of society. While there, he became the first man to cross the Rub 'al Khali, also known as' The Empty Quarter'. The Empty Quarter is one of the largest sandy deserts in the world. It compromises much of the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula and comprises 250,000 square miles of the deadliest terrain on solid ground. Thesiger set out to cross this vast expanse and planned to create a map of the region during his journey. He managed, not once, but twice, between 1946 and 1949, to cross the vast unknown of the Empty Quarter.

“For years, the Empty Quarter was the last, unattainable challenge the desert presented for me ... For others, my journey would be of little consequence. It would produce nothing but a rather inaccurate map that no one would probably ever use. personal experience and the reward was a sip of clean, almost tasteless water. I was satisfied with that. "

 The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell

A masterful description of the Colorado River, told by the leader of the first expedition to follow the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. A must for white water rats.

High Adventure by Edmund Hillary

Hillary's own account of he and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay's summit of Mount Everest in 1953, the first confirmed Everest summit ever.

“My solar plexus was stuck with fear as I plowed on. I stopped halfway through, exhausted. I could see 10,000 feet down between my legs, and I've never felt more insecure. "

 Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Journey by Alfred Lansing

The best-selling account of Shackleton's legendary Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which turned from an ambitious expedition into a brutal struggle for survival against the extremes of Antarctica. Lansing's extensive research into Shackleton's diaries and interviews with surviving crew members provide an exciting insight into the shocking ordeal facing the men of the Endurance.

Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival by Yossi GhinsbergPlays

Conflicts and wills of personalities are put to the test as an unlikely group of backpackers get lost in the wild in this modern-day survival story set against the backdrop of the Amazon rainforest.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

When Joe Simpson and his climbing partner Simon Yates set out to climb the treacherous Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, they knew they were taking on a very dangerous task. When Joe falls into a ravine in an accident, Simon assumes he's dead and has to go on without him. Left alone and seriously injured, Simpson crawls down the glacier and barely arrives at his base camp 3 ½ days later. An amazing story about one man's will to survive.

Into the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick Hailed

As the story that inspired Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, this naval tale chronicles the experiences of the whaling ship Essex, which was attacked and sunk by an enraged sperm whale in 1820. of the crew escape to a local island where they are slowly ravaged by hunger and disease, eventually resorting to cannibalism to survive.

Live by Piers Paul Read

The horrible account of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed in the Andes Mountains with a Uruguayan rugby team and friends on board. The survivors were alone for 72 days with no other resources available, and were forced to eat their own dead to survive.

Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King

Dean King's re-exploration of the 1815 wreck of the Commerce off the coast of Africa and the incredible hardships faced by the crew as they struggled to survive in the deadly Sahara is one of the greatest survival stories ever told. While reading, hold a large glass of water next to you, you will never appreciate it again.

Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen

A fascinating account of the life of Ferdinand Magellan, especially his seminal journey around the world. Bergreen even transforms the details of the voyage preparation and basic elements of life at sea into events in this excellent historical story.

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

The quest for The Lost City of Z, a mythical city believed to be hidden deep in the Amazon, has drawn adventurers and treasure hunters alike for centuries. Follow the author as he tries to solve the mystery of the fate of Colonel Percy Fawcett, Z's original seeker, and provide insight into Fawcett's life and adventures along the way.

Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan

After the sinking of his boat in a transatlantic sailing race, Callahan got lost at sea with only rudimentary equipment and a life raft. By fighting the weather, exposure and shark attacks, he survived seventy-six days before being rescued.

The Marsh Arabs by Wilfred Thesiger

Explorer Wilfred Thesiger takes a turn in writing travels with The Marsh Arabs, in which he recounts his time spent in the indigenous Madan culture of southern Iraq during his Arabian adventures.

Kon-TikiGo by Thor Heyerdahl with Thor Heyerdahl

to see as he seeks to confirm his hypothesis that the Polynesian Islands were inhabited by a Peruvian sailor who traveled across the Pacific in balsam rafts. To prove his theory, Heyerdahl built his own raft out of balsam wood and set out from South America. 101 days later he arrived at his destination.

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

The tragic true story of the swordfish boat, the Andrea Gail, lost at sea during the 1991 Halloween Nor'easter. Sebastian Junger offers a glimpse into the life of a Gloucester fisherman and the dangers of life at sea.

In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton

After the sinking of the USS Indianapolis by a Japanese submarine in July 1945, the surviving crew found themselves alone in the Pacific Ocean, many without as much as a life jacket. The crew huddled together for four days to repel shark attacks before they were rescued. Of the 880 sailors who survived the initial sinking, 317 were recovered alive.

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

This masterpiece of adventure literature, written by a survivor of the doomed British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913, chronicles the events leading up to the expedition and the tragedies that befell expedition leader Robert F. Scott. and his men as they traveled on foot through the great southern continent.

"Polar research is at the same time the cleanest and most isolated way to have a bad time that has been devised."

 High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places by David Breashearsmaker

An experienced mountaineer and documentary best known for the IMAX film Everest, David Breashears is no stranger to adventure of the highest order. In his autobiography, he takes us from one bushy with death to another on some of the world's most impossible peaks and offers a unique insight into the life of a professional mountaineer.

The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo

This work by the famous 13th century explorer, a cornerstone of travel literature, has inspired generations of explorers. Most notable among them was Christopher Columbus, whose desire to find a western route to the Far East was inspired by Polo's account of the culture and resources there.

Annapurna by Maurice Herzog

Herzog's account of the first summit of Annapurna, an 8,000 meter mountain in the Himalayas. As the expedition leader, Herzog and his team had to not only reach the top, but also complete a climbing route, as the mountain was almost completely unknown. A classic in the mountain sports genre.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

The story of Ralston is one of pure determination and the will to survive. While climbing a canyon in Utah, a falling boulder wedged Ralston's arm between the rock and the canyon wall, effectively trapping him. Surviving for six days on next to nothing, he eventually cuts off his own arm with a pocket knife and escapes, including one-armed fending off a cliff and a long walk before finding rescue.

K2: The Savage Mountain by Charles S Houston & Robert H. Bates

K2, the world's second highest mountain, has rightly earned the nickname the savage mountain, dying about one in four trying to reach a summit. This is the story of the first Americans to reach the top of K2 and successfully return, as told by the mountaineers themselves.

The Darkest Jungle: The True Story of the Darien Expedition and America's Ill-Fated Race to Connect the Seas by Todd Balf

With less than 100 miles between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in parts of Panama, you'd think finding a route around the world would be easy enough. However, as this book shows, many dangers awaited the 1854 American Darien Exploring Expedition, which failed miserably in its task, suffering from disorientation, illness, and death before returning.

The Race for Timbuktu: In Search of Africa'sAfrica's by Frank Kryza Legend

Gold City's search for Timbuktu,mythical gilded city, drew adventurers and treasure hunters like moths to a flame, and often at your own risk. Here the author provides detailed accounts of the main expeditions in search of Timbuktu, along with the excruciating hardships faced by those who endured them.

Cabeza de Vaca's AdventuresAmerica's Unknown Midlands Intoby Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca

The story of Spanish adventurer Cabeza de Vaca, who led a group across the North American continent long before the days of Lewis and Clark. On an eight-year journey, he traversed much of modern day Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before heading south to Mexico.

True North: Peary, Cook, and the Race to the Pole by Bruce Henderson

A vivid account of the turn of the century race to reach the North Pole. Frederick Cook was not long back from reaching the North Pole when Robert Peary surfaced and claimed to have struck him there. So who was the conqueror of the north? In an adventurous retelling of the men's expeditions, Henderson tries to settle the debate once and for all.

Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest by Jamling Tenzing Norgay

Another account of the 1996 Everest disaster (see Krakauer's Into Thin Air), as told by the then leader of the IMAX expedition on the mountain, Jamling Tenzing Norgay. Son of the legendary Tenzing Norgay who first conquered Everest with Hillary, Norgay gives his own account of the disaster while sharing intimate stories about his father's storied climbing career.

A Man On the Moon: Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin

July 20, 1969 will long be hailed as the ultimate proof of mankind's spirit of discovery. With no more distant lands to explore, humans took to the stars, embarked on what would be the next stage of exploration, and boldly stepped back into the unknown. Chaikin recalls in detail the triumphs and tragedies of the Apollo missions, puts us in the middle of the command module and shoots us into the heavens next to the brave men who have achieved what most had long thought impossible.

Mawson's Will: The Greatest Polar Survival Story Ever Written by Lennard Bickel

In 1911, Sir Douglas Mawson, who set out with a small team to map the Antarctic coastline, had little idea that he was embarking on what was one of the greatest stories about survival in the history of polar research. After the death of his entire team and the loss of most of his equipment, Mawson is left alone to survive in the frozen wilderness and lives to tell the story.

The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America by Anonymous

Nothing says adventure like a good Viking sea tale. This is an account of the Viking's accidental encounter, and the later attempted exploitation of what is believed to be North America, five hundred years before Columbus left.

My Life as an Explorer by Sven Hedin

Image courtesy of the Center for History of Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Lilla Frescativägen 4A, PO Box 50005, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.

In this vibrant mix of adventure and academia, Swedish geographer Sven Hedin narrates his exploration of many of Central Asia's unknown regions in the late 1800s. Many editions contain maps of the region drawn by the author himself.

Of Whales and Men by R. B Robertson

An intimate look at the lives of the men aboard the whaling ships of the 1950s; this book offers a glimpse into the harsh life at sea in a bygone era.

The Kid Who Climbed Everest by Bear Grylls

Man vs Wild host Bear Grylls recalls his transition from being bedridden (the result of a faulty parachute deployment) to being the youngest Briton to climb Everest. An inspiring tale of determination and adventure, Grylls is as entertaining on the page as it is on the screen.

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain

Follow Mark Twain as he travels through Old World Europe on his first pilgrimage to the Holy Land, marking the curiosities of the foreign lands with the distinctive humor and irony that made him famous. A classic in travel literature.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people desperately need it for these reasons"

 Trespassers on the Roof of the World by Peter Hopkirk

For hundreds of years, men have set out to discover the secrets of Tibet, hidden high in the mountains of Asia and long known as 'the roof of the world'. In this collection of records, Hopkirk explores the various expeditions that set out to investigate the mysteries of Tibet and their successes and failures.

On Horseback Across Asia Minor by Frederick Burnaby

A captivating report of a deadly thousand mile winter journey on horseback from Constantinople to Turkey, as narrated by Frederick Burnaby, best known for being the first man to cross the English Channel alone by hot air balloon .

The Man Eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett Corbett,

a legend in the world of big game hunting, was matched only by his ability to tell a good story. In this, his most famous work, Corbett describes the hunt for several man-eating tigers in the Kumaon region of India, including the Champawat Tiger, which alone killed 436 people before Corbett came along.

Brazilian Adventure by Peter Fleming

The autobiographical account of Peter Fleming, brother of Ian Fleming from 007, as he and a team embark on an expedition through the Amazon in an attempt to discover the fate of Colonel Fawcett, who disappeared years earlier in the jungle during The Search for the Lost City of Z.

Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Dugard

Dugard paints a portrait of the famous African explorer Henry Stanley and the famous Dr. David Livingstone, unlike so many historical stories before him, and thus in its usual exciting style. A true page turner guaranteed to keep you awake at night as it follows Stanley and Livingstone through the wilderness of East Africa at a time when danger lurks.

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the human will to survive. The effort people will make to survive is truly amazing.

As such, I enjoy reading non-fiction survival books and often look for them. A lot of. What drives people to overcome apparently impending death? Hmm. Does that sound like a serial killer to me? Don't answer that.

Either way, the dark tourist in me can't help it. I am all for macabre media. The dark, the horrible; it just pulls me in. Plus, as a frequent traveler, I am always on the lookout for true survival stories about travel failures.

To be clear, I don't think survival stories are a fun way to gawk at those who endured these hardships. I just find it inspiring and strangely calming, and I think if you share any of my shady tourism interests, you might too!

So I've put together a book list on one of my favorite topics, covering everything from being stranded at sea to my weird obsession with Mount Everest. These are what I consider the best non-fiction adventure books on survival and resilience (and a few further reading recommendations for each, as I literally can't help myself).

To clarify, these are adventure survival stories. There are no books on survivors of genocides and other atrocities, such as the Holocaust or Chernobyl, or survivors of war. While these are survival stories, of course, I feel they differ significantly, but they can be included in future lists.

These are all real survival stories too. You won't find books on the dystopian apocalypse here.

Read now!

INCREDIBLE NON-FICTION STORIES OF SURVIVAL

Alive: There Was Only One Way To Survive - Piers Paul Read

This is one of the most famous true survival stories in the world, but in case you're not familiar with it, I'll sum it up. Alive is the story of a Uruguayan rugby union team - and some of their friends and relatives - whose plane crashed in the Andes on their way to a game in Chile.

They were trapped in the mountains for 72 days.

During that time, the survivors were forced to resort to cannibalism to survive as the aircraft's resources were minimal. Those who survived the crash agreed that their own bodies would also be eaten if they succumbed.

THE REAL SURVIVAL STORY THAT STARTED IT ALL

Living woke up something in me. Actually, two things. (Neither is cannibalism!)

Alive inspired what has become a lifelong obsession with Uruguay. Yes, it is a story of survival, resilience and despair. But it is also the story of people who wanted to be at home. The more they shared their memories of Uruguay - of friends and family, food, the beautiful scenery - the more I longed for it too.

But the more central theme of Alive is survival. And this book sparked an intense love for non-fiction adventure books. After all, the dark side of travel (and life) has always been my passion.

So I looked them up. Since then, I've read what feels like an unhealthy number of these non-fiction adventure survival books that I've grown so fond of. And across a wide range of topics and areas.

Below are nine more true stories of survival (and further reading recommendations for each) that I hope inspire (and maybe comfort) you as much as they do me. 

FURTHER READING: 

If Alive doesn't satisfy your curiosity, I also highly recommend the memoirs of one of the survivors:

- Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home - Nando Parrado

And this non-fiction book about a young boy surviving a plane crash in the mountains after everyone else on board has died:

- Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival - Norman Ollestad

I would also consider the following a good follow-up to this book. It's a bit different in that it's not quite an adventure, but it's certainly an inspiring survival story. And I wish I could visit Chile. As someone obsessed with dark spaces (caves, mines, etc.), I also have another itch:

Got-Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free - Hector Tobar

Kon Tiki - Thor Heyerdahl

In 1947, Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer, set out on a handmade raft from Peru to the Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia. His goal was to prove that ancient civilizations could (and thus may have traveled) great distances over water.

In addition, cultures could have been shared or spread around the world. His crew included five others and a parrot named Lorita. To be as authentic as possible, Heyerdahl and his crew built the boat from balsa wood and other local materials.

Not surprisingly, the team went through difficult times at sea. Heyerdahl, who nearly drowned as a child, later even admitted that he often feared for his life on the raft.

It is worth noting that this book is definitely of its time. Some descriptions of the Peruvians and Polynesians are very problematic, and the book can be very Eurocentric. But as someone who is partially Norwegian, this book was so important to me as a child, and probably a big supporter of my later anthropology studies (which has its own problematic issues, but that's another story).

FURTHER READING

This is definitely less of an extreme adventure survival book. But if you think this kind of non-fiction survival story is for you, I would also recommend the following which will make me want to jump on a boat and sail the world, despite the fact that I literally had no idea what I was doing. was:

–Rowing After the White Whale: A Crossing of the Indian Ocean by Hand - James Adair

–Maiden Voyage - Tania Aebi

–In Bed with the Atlantic: A Young Woman battles Anxiety to Sail the Atlantic Circuit - Kitiara Pascoe

438 Days: een buitengewoon waargebeurd verhaal over overleven op zee - Jonathan Franklin

In 2012 vertrok Salvador Alvarenga op een visexpeditie voor de kust van Mexico met een onervaren zeilmaatje, vermoedelijk Ezequiel Córdoba.

Niet lang nadat ze vertrokken, werden ze opgezogen en uit koers gezet door een storm die vijf dagen duurde. Hoewel het grootste deel van hun vistuig verloren ging in de storm, wisten ze te overleven door rauwe vis te eten en hun eigen urine en schildpad bloed te drinken.

Ik ga niet liegen, ik zou dat dieet niet volhouden.

Dit is een van de beste non-fictie boeken over survival avonturen over verdwaald raken op zee. Het is meeslepend en Franklin geeft duidelijk om zijn onderwerp. Alvarenga's liefde voor zijn vaderland, El Salvador, schijnt door. Net als zijn overheerlijke beschrijvingen van zijn favoriete El Salvadoraanse gerechten, waar hij tijdens zijn reis vaak van droomde.

VERDERE LEZING

Als je een voorliefde hebt ontwikkeld voor meer verhalen over mensen die verdwaald zijn op zee, kijk dan eens naar:

- Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea door Steven Callahan

- Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea - Tami Oldham Ashcraft (dit is het verhaal waarop de film Adrift uit 2018 is gebaseerd)

My Journey to Lhasa: The Classic Story of the Only Western Woman Who Succeeded in Entering the Forbidden City - Alexandra David-Neel

Vandaag staat Lhasa open voor buitenlandse bezoekers - hoewel niet zonder problemen. Toen Alexandra David-Neel in 1923 vertrok - en in 1924 toen ze in Lhasa, Tibet aankwam - was dit niet het geval.

Ondanks het feit dat ze eigenlijk goede vrienden was met de Dalai Lama, werd David-Neel nog steeds niet toegelaten tot de verboden stad Lhasa.

In plaats daarvan reisden zij en Lama Amphur Yongden, haar reisgenoot - en later haar geadopteerde zoon - in het geheim naar Lhasa. Ze verborgen zich voor het leger en kwamen vermomd de stad binnen. Omdat ze vloeiend Tibetaans sprak, waren ze in wezen in staat om zich een weg. 

naar binnen te lokken Om echter zelfs Tibet te bereiken, overleefden ze extreme omstandigheden met zeer weinig voorraden en stierven ze bij meerdere gelegenheden bijna aan de ziekte.

Haar verhaal schetst een uniek portret van de traditionele Tibetaanse bevolking en cultuur, en het is duidelijk dat David-Neel echt van Tibet hield.

Let op: ik ben niet 100% zeker of ik het eens ben met wat David-Neel deed. Hoewel ze door velen werd geprezen - inclusief de Dalai Lama - voor haar werk en bijdragen aan Tibetaanse studies, denk ik niet echt dat ze het recht had om daar te zijn, alleen maar omdat ze wilde zijn.

 

In termen van rolmodellen voor jonge meisjes is ze echter onmiskenbaar inspirerend. Ze reisde de wereld rond en maakte haar eigen pad in een tijd waarin vrouwen zelden aan de lijn werden gelaten. 

FURTHER READING

If you find that you like reading about treacherous journeys across inhospitable lands, I would also recommend:

– The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz

– Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback – Robyn Davidson

– Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail – Cheryl Strayed

– Stranger in the Forest: On Foot Across Borneo – Eric Hansen

Alternatively, another good survival adventure story about Tibet (Lhasa, in fact) is:

– Seven Years in Tibet – Heinrich Harrer

Lost in the Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Adventure and Survival – Yossi Ghinsberg

I'll be honest, non-fiction adventure stories set in the Amazon was not a genre I paid much attention to prior to this book. But in 2012, while living in Doha, I went on a bit of a binge, catching up on many of the adventure survival books (and films) I'd missed over the years – or just hadn't had time for due to uni.

This was one such book.

After completing his Israeli military service, Yossi Ghinsberg, inspired by Henri Charrière's Papillon, travelled to South America. While there, he and two friends (Kevin Gale and Marcus Stamm) were approached by an Austrian man named Karl Ruprechter.

Karl told them he was a geologist and he intended to explore the uncharted forests of the Amazon and discover unknown tribes. Yossi, desiring to explore new cultures like Charrière, jumped at the chance. As did Kevin and Marcus.

Once in the Amazon, however, things don't exactly go to plan. Soon the team is separated as they grow ill and priorities shift.

FURTHER READING

If survival adventures in the Amazon sound like a thing you'd enjoy, also check out:

– The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon – David Grann

– Ruthless River: Love and Survival by Raft on the Amazon's Relentless Madre de Dios – Holly FitzGerald

After the Wind: Tragedy on Everest: One Survivor's Story – Lou Kasischke

One of my really weird micro-obsessions is true survival stories on Mount Everest – and mountain climbing in general. I have read an unhealthy number of books about Mount Everest.

And it started with the 1996 tragedy on Everest. At the time, it was the worst tragedy in Everest's history following the deaths of eight climbers.

Unpopular opinion: I actually don't consider Jon Krakauer's account to be the best. It's just the most famous because he was literally there to write a book, so it was the most well marketed.

Don't get me wrong, it's a well written book. Krakauer is a great author, it's just not my favourite. And it's biased, which annoys me.

I prefer Lou Kasischke's account. Unlike many of the others, which rolled out in the next few years, Kasischke didn't tell his story until he felt he had taken sufficient time to reflect on the events – nearly 20 years later! It's a bit more spiritual and reflective than the others, which can be good and bad (sometimes the narrative meanders a bit).

There's also a love story, which isn't my thing, but just might be a selling point for others.

WHY EVEREST?

The reason I think this whole event is so important is because it highlights the fact that over tourism is something that has, quite literally, reached even Everest. One of the main reasons provided for the high death toll in 1996 (the entire season, not just the event described in this book) was the fact that it was too crowded on the summit.

At the rate it's going, overtourism is going to turn Mount Everest into a dark tourism hotspot. And nobody wants that, do they?

FURTHER READING

The [other] best books about the tragedy (yeah, I've included Krakauer, shut up!):

– The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest – Anatoli Boukreev

– Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster – Jon Krakauer

– The Other Side of Everest: Climbing the North Face Through the Killer Storm – Matt Dickinson (Dickinson was actually climbing up the other side of the mountain in 1996, and endured his own struggle to survive.)

Other decent accounts:

– Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest – Beck Weathers

– Climbing High: A Woman's Account of Surviving the Everest Tragedy – Lene Gammelgaard (this was actually the first book ever written about the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster. It doesn't offer much of anything new, but it's alright. If you'd like to read a book by a woman, since this list is definitely lacking in those, probably go for this one!)

DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AND JUST SKIP:

– A Day to Die For: 1996: Everest's Worst Disaster – Graham Ratcliffe (yeah, I'm not even going to link it – honestly, he just goes on about weather patterns for 90% of the book and he ends up sounding like a total mental.)

OTHER CLIMBING SEASON CONTROVERSIES

The following books are about the controversial 2006 climbing season on Everest. It further pushed the issue of over tourism on Everest into the public eye when David Sharp died on May 15th near the summit, despite several other climbers walking past him on their way to or from the summit. Nine days later, Lincoln Hall nearly suffered the same fate, but was rescued by four other climbers just in time.

– Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest – Lincoln Hall

– Dark Summit: The Extraordinary True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season – Nick Heil

Lastly, please watch Sherpa! This excellent documentary recounts the 2014 Everest disaster when 16 Sherpas died trying to set up a cross over the dangerous Khumbu Icefall. The tragedy sparked a debate within the climbing community over the mistreatment of Sherpas.

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival – Joe Simpson

It's 1985, and experienced climbing buddies Joe Simpson and Simon Yates have just completed a treacherous summit of the West Face of Siula Grande. Before now, this climb has never been completed.

Sadly, the climber's height doesn't last long because during the descent, Simpson slipped on an ice cliff and broke his right leg. Unable to climb, Yates had to lower him down on a rope. However, due to a series of unfortunate events, including inclement weather and Simpson's frostbitten hands, part of the rope slipped and sent Simpson over a cliff.

Because their ropes were tied together, Yates could not proceed without Simpson. However, the fate of his friend was unknown.

Yates made the impossible decision to cut the rope and save his own life.

But Joe Simpson survived the 150-foot fall.

Please note: I struggled between picking this book and the first title on the 'Further Reading' list below. I went with this one because Joe Simpson went on to write several more harrowing non-fiction books about adventurers and survival; some his own, some the stories of others. He has even authored several fictional survival stories. Essentially, if you find yourself enjoying Touching the Void (and it is an excellent book), then you will have further books by Simpson to fall back on.

FURTHER READING

If you're in need of more epic mountaineering adventures and feats of survival, these should set you in the right direction:

– K2 The Savage Mountain: The Classic True Story of Disaster and Survival on the World's Second Tallest Mountain – Charles S Houston, MD & Robert H Bates (personally, this is probably one of my true survival stories ever because it has the story of 'The Belay,' which kind of made me fall in love with Pete Schoening, who, fun fact, was on the mountain during the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster.)

– Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day – Peter Zuckerman & Amanda Padoan

– Denali's Howl: The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America's Wildest Peak – Andy Hall

– Annapurna: A Woman's Place – Arlene Blum

– Rescues And Tragedies In The San Juan Mountains: True Stories From The Region – Kent Nelson (I actually used to live very near to the San Juan Mountains, so I had to pick this one up!)

– Between a Rock and a Hard Place – Aron Ralston

Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival – Dean King

In 1815, the US brig Commerce crashed into Cape Bojador (today in modern day Western Sahara). The ship was destroyed, but Captain James Riley managed to save all of his men onboard.

They made it ashore, happy to be alive. However, they found themselves stranded in a vast desert (the Sahara), without any knowledge of the local language or culture. They were soon captured by nomads and sold into slavery.

Forced to walk through the inhospitable desert under the harsh sun without food or water, the crew survived by drinking their own urine (and sometimes camel).

King's book is based on Riley's own survival memoir.

FURTHER READING

James Riley's memoir is of course excellent further reading:

– Sufferings in Africa: The Astonishing Account Of A New England Sea Captain Enslaved By North African Arabs – Captain James Riley

Abraham Lincoln considered this one of the three most influential books in the world. But it can be a bit of a slog due to the fact that it covers, in great detail, Riley's entire life, and also because it was written during a time when editors didn't really exist… just saying.

MORE TALES OF SHIPWRECKS & SURVIVAL!

– Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World – Joan Druett

– In the Heart of the Sea: The Epic True Story that Inspired 'Moby Dick' – Nathaniel Philbrick (But skip the film because it's not great)

Although it's not really that kind of list, I do want to include one other slave memoir. The book below is by an African man who was captured and enslaved, but who writes beautifully of his home and his people in Igboland, Nigeria.

– The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African – Olaudah Equiano

In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette – Hampton Sides

The Jeanette Expedition set out in July, 1879, captained by George W. De Long. De Long's mission was to pioneer a route from the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait to the North Pole, before sailing the ship to James Gordon Bennett, Jr, the owner of the New York Herald.

Unfortunately, things didn't exactly run smoothly. By September, 1879, the ship had become stuck in the ice. It continued to drift through the ice banks for nearly 2 more years (21 months), until June 1881, when the pressure of the ice finally breached the Jeanette. The crew were forced to abandon the ship with their equipment and trek across the Siberian arctic.

This is an incredible story, and a reminder that there are so many untold true survival stories out there. I was captivated from start to finish.

FURTHER READING

Dying (not literally) to read more books on polar exploration? I got you:

– In the Land of White Death: An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic – Valerian Albanov

– Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration – David Roberts

– The Worst Journey in the World – Apsley Cherry-Garrard

Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why – Laurence Gonzales

Gonzales spent his entire life fascinated by the unbelievable true survival stories he heard as a child.

When he grew up, he wanted to understand how these kinds of stories came to be. Or, how it was that some people survived impossible odds, while others did not.

He researched, he interviewed survivors. He asked the questions no one else was asking. Or at least, not the ones they wanted to.

He revisits many of the stories listed above, and many others that are not. Gonzales was driven by one question: Why?

Why did Steven Callahan and Deborah Scaling Kiley survive boating disasters, while the four other people with Kiley all died?

Why was Joe Simpson able to walk away from a 150-foot fall with a broken leg?

Why did Ari Afrizal survive the 2005 tsunami by clinging to a raft stranded in the Indian Ocean for two weeks, when so many others in less precarious situations perished?

If this topic fascinates you as much as it does me, then this book needs to be on your reading list. It will make you look at yourself, and your own reactions to situations. It might also prepare you for the kind of situation you never want to be in, since this book is packed full of survival tips and tricks!

That's it, no further reading here, just read this book. It's incredible!