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Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure & the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II - Mitchell Zuckoff
Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure & the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
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3.80 25
On May 13, 1945, twenty-four American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea. Unlike the peaceful Tibetan monks of James Hilton’s bestselling novel Lost... show more
On May 13, 1945, twenty-four American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea. Unlike the peaceful Tibetan monks of James Hilton’s bestselling novel Lost Horizon, this Shangri-La was home to spear-carrying tribesmen, warriors rumored to be cannibals. But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed. Miraculously, three passengers pulled through. Margaret Hastings, barefoot and burned, had no choice but to wear her dead best friend’s shoes. John McCollom, grieving the death of his twin brother also aboard the plane, masked his grief with stoicism. Kenneth Decker, too, was severely burned and suffered a gaping head wound. Emotionally devastated, badly injured, and vulnerable to the hidden dangers of the jungle, the trio faced certain death unless they left the crash site. Caught between man-eating headhunters and enemy Japanese, the wounded passengers endured a harrowing hike down the mountainside—a journey into the unknown that would lead them straight into a primitive tribe of superstitious natives who had never before seen a white man—or woman. Drawn from interviews, declassified U.S. Army documents, personal photos and mementos, a survivor’s diary, a rescuer’s journal, and original film footage, Lost in Shangri-La recounts this incredible true-life adventure for the first time. Mitchell Zuckoff reveals how the determined trio—dehydrated, sick, and in pain—traversed the dense jungle to find help; how a brave band of paratroopers risked their own lives to save the survivors; and how a cowboy colonel attempted a previously untested rescue mission to get them out. By trekking into the New Guinea jungle, visiting remote villages, and rediscovering the crash site, Zuckoff also captures the contemporary natives’ remembrances of the long-ago day when strange creatures fell from the sky. A riveting work of narrative nonfiction that vividly brings to life an odyssey at times terrifying, enlightening, and comic, Lost in Shangri-La is a thrill ride from beginning to end.
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9780061988356 (0061988359)
ASIN: 61988359
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pages no: 444
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Seriously, Read a Book!
Seriously, Read a Book! rated it
4.0 Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
This was like Unbroken meets A League of Their Own meets South Pacific! Now the question is how to review this as something other than one long tribute to Heart of Archness... Just wait while my brain's buffering!
Jennavier
Jennavier rated it
The coolest thing about this book is the story. A bunch of people stranded by a plane crash in New Guinea? Awesome! The research was really thorough. I esspecially like how the author went to the natives who were on the other side of the story and got their perspective. On the flip side Lost was a w...
Never Read Passively
Never Read Passively rated it
3.0 Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
Meh. There are some interesting parts, but it bugs me that it feels like the story is constantly being drawn out with irrelevant details.
Adriana Reads
Adriana Reads rated it
4.0 Lost in Shangri-la
I love fiction. It makes up the vast majority of what I read, but every now and then a true story comes along that sounds interesting, and I take a chance. Usually I'm disappointed because there is a distinct difference in style which most non-fiction writers fall into which makes the narration st...
Meandering Em's
Meandering Em's rated it
5.0
I enjoy reading history books, although events around World War II have never really interested me. However, this book fascinated me, mainly because it is not about battles or military strategies. A sight-seeing flight with military personnel crashes into a mountain in the heart of New Guinea. Th...
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