February Not Fiction Book Discussions

On Tuesday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m. at the Main Library and again on Thursday, February 19 at 11:00 a.m. at the West Ashley Branch, the Not Fiction Book Discussion groups will continue an exploration of questions inevitably evoked by January's book for discussion, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, with Deep Survival by National Geographic Adventure magazine contributing editor Laurence Gonzales. The subtitle of Gonzales' book neatly sums up the most pressing of these questions: "Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why" in a survival situation, whether it be an unexpected mountaineering accident, a routine yet high-pressure landing by a jet pilot on the deck of a military aircraft carrier, or perhaps some of the more common "survival" situations such as a divorce, the loss of a job, or an economic downturn. Gonzales shares some common traits of survivors and also some rules for adventure. He draws these traits and rules, as well as the harrowing stories he uses to illustrate them, from a variety of personal narratives, analyses of disasters, and scientific studies of how the human brain responds to stressful situations. After reading Gonzales' book, do you feel you are better prepared to survive? Share your thoughts--and survival stories--with us in person at one of our discussions or here on the blog.