Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 92
 A Pleasant Surprise! July 22, 2009
Ann E. Reddy (Alabama)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
To be honest, I was a little reluctant to purchase this book, but our Book Club discussion (and a conference call with Ben Sherwood!) was reason enough to do so!! It was a surprisingly easy and informative read, filled with fascinating facts and statistics as well as heart-warming stories of real people who faced unbelievable hardships and survived. The Survivors Profiler added an extra interactive dimension to the book which has led to thought provoking discussion and the urge to encourage others to read it and participate. I'm still not sure how I would react in a real emergency, but I definitely feel better prepared and more aware of what is going on around me.
Loved it! Very informative. November 7, 2009
Eva (Los Angeles, CA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Great book! Fast read, very entertaining and enlightening. I bought the book for my sister who also loved it and subsequently bought it for another friend. I also really enjoyed taking the "test" and the follow up videos on the website. Highly Recommended!
Having an edge when adversity strikes August 1, 2009
Barbara L. Lemaster (Pompano Beach, Florida)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
The book takes into account scientific research and true life stories of those who've escaped death narrowly to determine what, exactly, makes people resilient to adversity and how to learn from them. On the website associated with the book, you'll find a quiz that will give you your personal Survivor Type and you'll learn what strengths you have and how to use them in a disaster. The author lists several traits common to survivors: adaptability, resilience, faith, hope, purpose, tenacity, love, empathy, intelligence, ingenuity, flow, and instinct. All these traits aid a person in overcoming personal or professional problems. The key is applied knowledge: knowing the best seat on an airplane is one thing, sitting in it is another. Highly recommended.
RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "I AM A MEMBER OF THE SURVIVOR'S CLUB... AND THIS BOOK HITS HOME!" February 3, 2009
Rick Shaq Goldstein (Danville, Ca, USA)
41 out of 58 found this review helpful
I almost died during brain tumor surgery on February 13, 2003... and as of the writing of this review... I am not only eleven days from the six-year-anniversary of my blessed... yet near tragic event... but I am also two days away from my now yearly (originally it was twice a year) brain MRI... to make sure the tumor isn't coming back. So it is not from a balcony seat... that I review the subject matter of this book... I am absolutely in the front row! When I started to read this book... I approached it from two different viewpoints... one was with great enthusiasm... since no one on this earth that knows me... would not agree that I am a member of the Survivors Club... because as I say every day of my blessed life... I "AM" a brain tumor SURVIVOR... and EVERY DAY IS A GIFT...there are even some people who have called me the miracle man... so the first viewpoint is... did the author get it right? Since my surgery...I've tried to help anyone facing what I did... with my personal experience... in retrospect... I would have given anything... to have had someone share their experience with me... before my surgery. So I did not want this author to tell readers something that was not accurate. The second viewpoint I approached this book with... was... curiosity... was it just my unique makeup as a lifetime "fighter"... that made me attack the "hand" that life dealt me... or did other people react similarly?
The author details all different types of personalities and character traits... ranging from "fighters" to "believers" to "connectors" to "thinkers" to "realists"... and combinations of multiple types. There are people who won't face reality... people who give up to booze... drugs... suicide. This book covers a gamut that's hard to fathom... from a mother who falls on a knitting needle and pierces her heart... a man who falls off a pleasure cruise ship into the dark ocean... prisoners of war... a woman attacked at random with acid... a jet pilot crashing... a suicide jumper off the Golden Gate Bridge... passenger plane crashes... and more.
One thing the author himself learned was... how important prayer... faith... and belief is... and he said: "WHAT I LEARNED DEFINITELY INFLUENCED MY LIFE: I'M MORE FOCUSED ON SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH A SACRED LENS; I'M MORE ENGAGED IN MY RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY; AND I FIND MYSELF PRAYING MORE OFTEN. WHILE I STILL HAVE PLENTY OF DOUBTS, I AM ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF THIS: FAITH IS THE MOST UNIVERSAL SURVIVAL TOOL, IF NOT THE MOST POWERFUL." He also summarized about the survivor's he met by saying: "THEY DON'T REQUIRE EMPIRICAL PROOF FOR THE POWER OF G-D. THEY JUST *BELIEVE*. AND THAT ALONE GIVES THEM STRENGTH TO OVERCOME AND TRANSCEND ANY ADVERSITY."
Let me share with you my belief. I always had faith that there was a G-d... but I don't believe you sell religion door to door. If someone comes to me about my faith... I share it. My family doctor... who found my tumor had been my family doctor for eighteen years... and religion was never mentioned. When he called me in to tell me I had a large tumor and needed surgery very quickly... he asked me if I believed in prayer... I said yes... he said do you mind if I pray for you? I said I don't mind... he held my hand and prayed to the Lord for my recovery. I was sent to a neurosurgeon... and he said he couldn't operate on me. He said he couldn't tell if the tumor was "leaning" against my brain... or growing out of my brain. He said there's only one Doctor that he knew of that could possibly do the surgery... and he had no idea if he would take me... since he was the head of UCSF neurosurgery... and gave speeches all over the country... he would simply call and leave him a message. I waited an excruciating two weeks... before I got an appointment to see the Doctor... he said I needed the surgery quickly... and he would do it. Weeks later I was told by my son... that my four hour surgery... took over eight hours... the Doctor told him that when they removed the tumor... there was a "stump" under it... that wasn't visible in any of the MRI's... and when they removed that... there was massive bleeding in the brain. I knew none of this until three weeks later. I then went to my family doctor to thank him for his prayers... and when I told him what I had just learned... he said... I know... I'm friends with one of the doctors who assisted... and he said if you would have had any other doctor... but the one you had... you would have died!
This is a captivating book... it only loses traction a few times... such as when it goes into "positive" and "negative" initials... having an effect on your longevity. As an example if you have initials such as: PIG FAT RAT BUM... you'll have a shorter life... than if you have initials like ACE WIN WOW VIP. But putting that aside... this is an informative... and inspirational book.
P.S. Perhaps the most heartfelt... emotional... part of the book to me... is when the author describes that person that we survivor's have to have in our life... to lean on... to count on... to cry with... or we never could have made it... that person in my life... was my then twenty-two-year-old son Justin. The author gives them the title of **CO-SURVIVOR**... and that is the most earned... disserved... hallowed... title... imaginable! I don't think I'd be in the Survivor's Club... if it wasn't for my son!
Valuable Information in ane Entertaining Format! July 3, 2009
LegalBeagle (Maryland)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The recent Air France tragedy might lead you to think that you're probably doomed if your airplane encounters a disaster during flight. According to The Survivors Club while there are certain flights like the unfortunate Air France tragedy in which surviving is impossible, 76.6 percent of the most serious crashes are survivable. The key factors are: (1) not to assume its hopeless; (2) take action rather than freeze or wait for instructions; (3) internalize the emergency evacuation directions given at the beginning of the flight; (4) formulate a personal emergency exit action plan; and (5) book the safest seat on the plane -- within five rows of an exit.
Sherwood's writing alternates between compelling stories of people who survived the seemingly impossible along with serving up "secrets" for what to do if disaster strikes. I especially enjoyed reading Sherwood's interview Nando Parrado, a survivor from 1972 Andes Mountains crash. Reading Alive, the story of this famous crash, along with Survivors Club would make for a great Reading Group discussion. The final section of the book is composed of a personal survivors analysis test.
Few books claim that they may save your life. Fewer still actually live up to this claim. The Survivors Club, however, is one tome that does warrant this claim.
Showing reviews 6-10 of 92
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