Great Escapes by Scott Christianson

Apollo 13..."Miracle on the Hudson"...Ernest Shackleton...some of the most amazing and inspiring stories of human endurance and triumph are in our new collection, Great Escapes: The Stories Behind 50 Remarkable Journeys. Within these pages, we read unforgettable accounts of survivors who battled nature, escaped from brutal prison camps, eluded terrorists, murderers, and wild animals, and lived to tell their tales.

Many of these stories are so ingrained in our culture that the original details have been lost to time. We all know about the 1962 escape attempt  from Alcatraz, but did those three prisoners actually make it to freedom? What brought hiker Aron Ralston, trapped by a rock, to such a horrifying life-or-death decison? How did anyone survive Jonestown? Many of these tales have been made into successful films, such as Papillon, Midnight Express, Apollo 13, and The Great Escape, and author Scott Christianson compares cinematic versions to actual eyewitness accounts. He also reminds us of what it takes to succeed in the face of overwhelming odds: a cool, intelligent plan, patience, and no small amount of luck. Great Escapes -- a great get-away read!