Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 26-30 of 92
 Surprised at How Good This Was February 12, 2010
Lee Witt (Seattle, WA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book had more than I had expected. The author went into a good deal of depth about the different kinds of folks who do well under many different kinds of stress. While not necessarily prescriptive, the book left me with a number of useful ideas that are applicable to daily life. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in psychology and self-improvement.
Fascinating. Inspiring. Entertaining. March 3, 2010
Jeffrey E Ellis (Naperville, IL USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The SURVIVORS CLUB is a fascinating look into the psychology and complexities of human survival. Drawing on historical examples of people who have survived a wide range of disasters, Sherwood pulls together themes and patterns which are altogether inspiring, revelatory, and fascinating.
Sherwood studies and interviews people who have survived collisions, airplane crashes, attacks, illnesses, and a host of catastrophes which threaten their lives. Some are simply remarkable stories; others are uplifting tales of faith and will; most simply mind-blowing.
So, what are the key factors for survival, for determining who makes it through and who doesn't? The answers seem as varied as the people involved. However, there are some interesting tells:
1. faith - belief in God gives hope, strength and courage. Faith is the opposite (and remedy for) fear, which is a real killer. AS deadly as starvation or disease, fear kills people. It paralyzes, saps the will to live, and eliminates hope.
2. family - having others love you and your love for them provides motivation to live: the will to carry through.
3. preparedness - those best prepared are the most likely to survive emergencies. Having at least considered what-to-do and given thought to it - rehearsal is even more effective- can be a life-saver. That is why the armed forces rehearse many life-threatening scenarios. A body and mind prepared to live is a key indicator.
There are also a myriad of other factors, determination, courage, stubbornness, intelligence, adaptability and so on. Each of us is wired differently but all of us contain some of the key elements for survival. The good news is, survival skills can be learned and improved.
Review written for and published on www.luxuryreading.com March 4, 2010
Erin Nass (Thompson, OH)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Biking in Foothill Ranch, California, Anne Hjelle is attacked by a mountain lion. She survives the attack. JAT Flight 364 explodes in the air over Czechoslovakia. The only survivor is Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant, who plummets 6 miles to the ground and lives. Brian Udell is forced to eject from his plane going faster than Mach 1 at sea level. The impact breaks both his legs and severely dislocates one shoulder, rendering that arm useless. Despite having only one working limb, Udell manages to inflate a raft, climb aboard, and wait to be rescued. In the Gulf of Mexico, Tim Sears falls off of the cruise ship Celebration wearing nothing more than his boxer shorts, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. Without any floatation devices and without anyone coming to his rescue (the ship's crew never knew he was missing), Sears literally swims for his life over a course of 17 hours where he is finally rescued by a Maltese ship.
What all these people have in common is that they are all survivors of situations that would normally be fatal to the average person. Ben Sherwood, journalist and author, sets out to discover why some people live where others would perish in his book The Survivors Club. Sherwood takes the reader on a tour of the remarkable and the astounding while all along collecting research into the sciences of extreme first aid, faith and prayer, fear, will power, adversity, and luck. He includes countless tales of survival and death defying feats as well as advice from rescue workers and scientists who investigate the various forms of death.
The Survivors Club is more than just a study in the art of survival; it is also a reference manual. Sherwood invites the reader to take a quiz that will provide him/her with a "survivor profile." This individual profile identifies the test taker's "survivor type" (fighter, believer, connector, thinker, or realist) and details the top three survivor tools in the test taker's arsenal. The reader is then invited to join an online community of survivors where members can share their stories and "build a private support group of friends and family."
Ben Sherwood's The Survivors Club is a must read for those who desire a long life and wish to be prepared for all eventualities in life.
Awesome book March 30, 2009
Chris Bucher
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
The Survivor's Club is fun and exciting read, with a message. Keeping your eyes peeled and being ready is half the battle. I even used some of the principles of this book to be smart and to keep safe after an accident--right in line with my survivor profile. This book, and the website and the quiz are really great, and truly fascinating. Thanks for doing this, Ben!!!
Not for the faint of heart April 6, 2009
Diva One (Denver, CO)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a great book! If you know someone who is always finding the "worst case scenario", this is the perfect gift! However, it is not for the faint of heart - some of the events described are amazingly horrific! But the conclusions he draws from studying how people respond to crises and the unexpected events they faced could be life-changing. The one that sticks with me personally, having lived in NYC, is how many people in London continued to walk down the stairs to the subway even though smoke was pouring up out of the opening! They walked straight to their deaths because they were desensitized by their routines. Amazing! A must read.
Showing reviews 26-30 of 92
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