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adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, War
I liked this book but it never took me where I wanted to do. It seemed to stay on the surface of the people involved and where they were. I loved the premise and the beginning is great but the book drags on in the middle and tries to wrap it up too quickly.
A fun story of a rescue mission in a far off jungle.
A fun story of a rescue mission in a far off jungle.
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Very cool story! I kind of want to see a movie of it, now.
By now we all know that I love history, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed this book. As far as non-fiction goes, I felt that this one did a good job of staying on task. Often, I find that non-fiction authors will go too much into a backstory to provide an adequate setting for the reader. While Zuckoff did do some of this I found that it wasn't as tedious as other books that I have read.
There were a lot of new things that I learned from this book, among them was some of the role of women during the war efforts. When it came to World War Two I was always more interested in Europe than the Pacific fighting. In fact, its probably news to you that there was even a US Base in New Guinea.
I liked meeting the cast of characters even the ones that perished in the plane crash. One thing that did bug me was how he would backtrack from the story to talk about the people that he was introducing. It was nice to know the history of so and so, but it did nothing for to help move the book closer to the end.
I liked that we did get to learn a lot about those that crashed and survived particularly what we learned about them after the were rescued. I thought that it was cool to see how their crash impacted their lives and how they had new bonds that wouldn't have otherwise been there without the crash.
It was discussed how there were many tribes within Shangri-la that were self sustained and did their own thing before the island was taken over. I felt that it was important for Zuckoff to discuss what they were like and their culture (which he did). As I was reading about the after effects of these people being found, I kept thinking that they were happy before the missionaries and other explorers came in and changed their ways and customs. To me if felt like having someone come into your house and saying that you're going about your life all wrong, and then that person changing it even though you don't want it.
It was a good book with a lot of interesting information. I'm thinking of passing it on to my dad for him to read, so if you're looking for Father's day gift idea's now that Mother's day has passed, I would for sure check this out one for dad or grandpa if they are WWII history buffs.
There were a lot of new things that I learned from this book, among them was some of the role of women during the war efforts. When it came to World War Two I was always more interested in Europe than the Pacific fighting. In fact, its probably news to you that there was even a US Base in New Guinea.
I liked meeting the cast of characters even the ones that perished in the plane crash. One thing that did bug me was how he would backtrack from the story to talk about the people that he was introducing. It was nice to know the history of so and so, but it did nothing for to help move the book closer to the end.
I liked that we did get to learn a lot about those that crashed and survived particularly what we learned about them after the were rescued. I thought that it was cool to see how their crash impacted their lives and how they had new bonds that wouldn't have otherwise been there without the crash.
It was discussed how there were many tribes within Shangri-la that were self sustained and did their own thing before the island was taken over. I felt that it was important for Zuckoff to discuss what they were like and their culture (which he did). As I was reading about the after effects of these people being found, I kept thinking that they were happy before the missionaries and other explorers came in and changed their ways and customs. To me if felt like having someone come into your house and saying that you're going about your life all wrong, and then that person changing it even though you don't want it.
It was a good book with a lot of interesting information. I'm thinking of passing it on to my dad for him to read, so if you're looking for Father's day gift idea's now that Mother's day has passed, I would for sure check this out one for dad or grandpa if they are WWII history buffs.
This now all but forgotten story about survival in World War II New Guinea was at one time front page news across America. Mitchell Zuckhoff successfully rekindles interest in how three survivors, a woman and two men, walked down off a mountainside that contained the burning wreckage of their plane and twenty-one dead companions. Dealing with life threatening burns, exhaustion, starvation, and a lack of even the most elementary equipment to rough things out, the three eventually made it to a Dani tribal village, where they were simultaneously rescued by the Dani and spotted by an American search plane. The rest of the story recounts their recovery and the mission given a troop of American and Filipino parachutists to get them back to the safety of the American base in Hollandia.
The history reads quite well. In fact, the story of the flight into the valley of "Shangri-La," the crash, and the trip down the mountain almost reads like an adventure story. So much does it do so that I thought Zuckoff might be taking liberties and inventing dialog and imagined descriptions of the place. After reading the author's notes and contention therein that all was taken directly from interviews, diaries, film, photos, and on-site investigation, however, I believe him. It all reads true. That it so closely resembles adventure fiction in the way it grips your attention only says how successful Zuckoff was in bringing this complex tale to life.
Personally, I also feel that the book provides a glimpse at a now lost America. The culture and society that produced the people involved simply no longer exists. The retention of formal politeness while facing death is something entirely absent from the current character of the US. And the upbeat expressions, outlook, and optimism also stand in contrast to contemporary attitudes. Reading these pages, I could hear the voices of the generation that raised me in the 1950s and 1960s. The cultural markers, the songs, movie stars, and popular culture are all mixed in effectively enough to create a bout of nostalgia. Good job, Mitchell Zuckoff.
The history reads quite well. In fact, the story of the flight into the valley of "Shangri-La," the crash, and the trip down the mountain almost reads like an adventure story. So much does it do so that I thought Zuckoff might be taking liberties and inventing dialog and imagined descriptions of the place. After reading the author's notes and contention therein that all was taken directly from interviews, diaries, film, photos, and on-site investigation, however, I believe him. It all reads true. That it so closely resembles adventure fiction in the way it grips your attention only says how successful Zuckoff was in bringing this complex tale to life.
Personally, I also feel that the book provides a glimpse at a now lost America. The culture and society that produced the people involved simply no longer exists. The retention of formal politeness while facing death is something entirely absent from the current character of the US. And the upbeat expressions, outlook, and optimism also stand in contrast to contemporary attitudes. Reading these pages, I could hear the voices of the generation that raised me in the 1950s and 1960s. The cultural markers, the songs, movie stars, and popular culture are all mixed in effectively enough to create a bout of nostalgia. Good job, Mitchell Zuckoff.
This was a World War II story that I had not heard before, which made it refreshing. It felt, at times, as though the author spent too much time diving into the background of the characters and not just getting on with the action. My husband read the book, too, and at times we both felt like, ok, that's nice to know, but HOW DID THEY GET OUT?!?!
At time, the author's writing was a little juvenal, and some of the comments were trite, but overall this was an interesting and enjoyable read.
At time, the author's writing was a little juvenal, and some of the comments were trite, but overall this was an interesting and enjoyable read.
I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written and well-researched.
I appreciated that Zuckoff traveled to Papua and met with the tribal members who witnessed the events. Some of the best parts of the book for me were the contrasts between what the U.S. troops thought was going on in the natives' heads and what the natives actually thought. I never knew before that there are entire cultures who do not believe in God or gods.
The rescue by glider was very exciting. It is hard to believe it was successful.
I appreciated that Zuckoff traveled to Papua and met with the tribal members who witnessed the events. Some of the best parts of the book for me were the contrasts between what the U.S. troops thought was going on in the natives' heads and what the natives actually thought. I never knew before that there are entire cultures who do not believe in God or gods.
The rescue by glider was very exciting. It is hard to believe it was successful.
This was a highly enjoyable read. The way it was written had me double checking that it was in fact non-fiction.