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This book is a conglomeration of things. It is a bunch of short stories about people who have survived and overcome some horrible and amazing things. That part is both frightening and inspiring. It is also a conversation with all kinds of experts — conversations about what makes a person a survivor, and can those particular traits be taught or are they something in our biology that we can’t control? Is “luck” real?
Readable and interesting, The Survivor’s Club reminded me of a nice, long NPR piece. Lots of anecdotal information, lots of referring to experts (man, are there experts in every crazy field!). Sometimes the reflective parts got a bit repetitive, but I just skimmed those and it didn’t bother me. I liked reading about the different survival training that people can go through (flight attendants, military personnel, etc.). Sherwood, as an author, is very much a part of what he has to talk about and his style is personable and respectful, especially when talking about some really harrowing experiences.
I like some of the practical skills the book talks about (especially regarding plane travel), and the quiz you can take online to find out about your own survival toolkit was actually a nice addition. While it isn’t the best nonfiction I’ve ever read, I think it was really worth my time.
Rated: Mild for three uses of moderate language and some hospital/disaster-type gore
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