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

By Nando Parrado and Vince Rause

Book Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A harrowing, moving first-person account of the 1972 plane crash that left its survivors stranded on a glacier in the Andes--and one man's quest to lead them all home--by Nando Parrado, a subject of the Oscar-nominated film Society of the Snow

Featuring a new introduction by the author to commemorate of the fiftieth anniversary of the crash

"In straightforward, staggeringly honest prose, Nando Parrado tells us what it took--and what it actually felt like--to survive high in the Andes for seventy-two days after having been given up for dead."--Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild

"In the first hours there was nothing, no fear or sadness, just a black and perfect silence."

Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team to Chile had crashed deep in the Andes, killing many of his teammates, his mother, and his sister. Stranded with the few remaining survivors on a lifeless glacier and thinking constantly of his father's grief, Parrado resolved that he could not simply wait to die. So Parrado, an ordinary young man with no particular disposition for leadership or heroism, led an expedition up the treacherous slopes of a snowcapped mountain and across forty-five miles of frozen wilderness in an attempt to save his friends' lives as well as his own.

Decades after the disaster, Parrado tells his story with remarkable candor and depth of feeling. Miracle in the Andes, a first-person account of the crash and its aftermath, is more than a riveting tale of true-life adventure; it is a revealing look at life at the edge of death and a meditation on the limitless redemptive power of love.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 140009769X
• ISBN13: 9781400097692
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Milagro En Los Andes

Excellent. Conocer la historia contada por uno de sus protagonistas y la experiencia de ese grupo en situaciones extremas como las que vivieron, me hicieron reflexionar mucho. Fácil de leer, lo tienes que comentar cada rato. Es una libro que hay que leerlo.

30 Years On, Another Telling of a Great Story

I read the book "Alive" years ago and also saw the movie. In all the years hence, though I have read many books on survival and inspiration, nothing resonates like this story. For me, it is the most incredible tale of a terrifying journey through the worst human misery, death and despair to the ultimate in courage, friendship and sheer determination to reclaim life. And Mr. Parrado has to me always been at the center of the story; to my family he is so inspiring that "NANDO" is our code word for never giving up and having courage when faced with the worst you can imagine. I was delighted to see that Nando Parrado wrote this book and reading it only confirmed to me how extraordinary a spirit he is - and how heartrending the ordeal all the souls on that plane endured. This book offers a deeper picture of the tragedy, giving an unvarnished look at the suffering and emotions of the people involved in the crash, as well as a firsthand account of the "miracle" of how they rescued themselves. You can view this book as an incredible story of survival, a true guide for facing adversity with bravery and will, or an inspiring revelation on living life to the fullest - it is all of these. Nando Parrado says he is not a hero, but his spirit and story are transcendant, compelling, wonderful. Don't miss it.

A Masterpiece!

This is one of the most remarkable books I've ever read - just an incredible story and told with perfect pacing. I started reading the book on a plane of all places and then finished it the first night at 4:00 in the morning. You won't be able to put it down - even though you'll know the ending. The story truly puts our small problems in perspective and gives the reader an apprecition for the human spirit at it's most tested. Now I just want to find someway to hear Nando Parrado speak in person.

Inspiring first-hand account of a real hero

Piers Paul Read's classic, Alive, introduced the world to the tragedy that befell the Old Christians rugby team when their chartered plane crashed in the Andes Mountains. Nando Parrado follows up, over 20 years later, with what should be another classic. Miracle in the Andes is Parrado's first-hand account of what happened, how he and his teammates survived while waiting for help that would never come, how he and Roberto Canessa struggled mightily over mountain passes in subzero weather to find help, and how the experience has affected every moment of his life for the better. While Read's account is in no way diminished and remains a classic, Parrado adds a depth to the story that only an actual survivor can provide. Only he can fully convey the emotions of knowing his mother and sister were killed in the crash, and that his father back home didn't know that he was struggling to survive. Only he can convey the emotions and the difficult choices the survivors faced. Only he can convey how his life was changed. Parrado succeeds on all levels. This is not simply a rehash of Read's book. It comes from a unique point of view that is compelling and inspirational. It adds a new dimension to the story and addresses many issues that Read did not and could not. This is a story written by a true hero. It is timeless, and that is why, almost 25 years after the tragedy, it still resonates with so many people.