From the Bookshelf of Around the World…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
(Really more 3.5 stars)
I thought I was done reading books set in New Guinea but when I was flying home the only book that sounded interesting on my iPad was this story about a plane that crashes into the Baliem Valley of New Guinea during World War 2.
I know the Baliem Valley because that is where the Dani people live, and I have read multiple books about them. They are the group Michael Rockefeller photographed before traipsing into the jungle for art, that Peter Mattheiessen wrote about in the ...more
I thought I was done reading books set in New Guinea but when I was flying home the only book that sounded interesting on my iPad was this story about a plane that crashes into the Baliem Valley of New Guinea during World War 2.
I know the Baliem Valley because that is where the Dani people live, and I have read multiple books about them. They are the group Michael Rockefeller photographed before traipsing into the jungle for art, that Peter Mattheiessen wrote about in the ...more
A non-fiction account of a fascinating survival story, Mitchell Zuckoff takes us back to 1945 World War II, to the occupied islands of New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean. A plane carrying soldiers and WACS on a sightseeing trip to the center of the island crashed, killing all but three. The book is an account of their harrowing experience of trekking (injured) through the jungle, meeting natives that had never before encountered outsiders (possibly barbarous or cannibalistic), and the dangerous mis
...more
This is a fascinating non-fiction account of the crash of a small American military plane in an inaccessible valley in Dutch New Guinea in the waning days of WWII. The plane was carrying soldiers and WACs (Women's Auxiliary military staff) on a sightseeing flight on a day off. The story follows the adventures of the small group of survivors as they encounter local cannibalistic warrior tribes and as they are supplied by paratroopers, treated by Philippino medics, and eventually rescued in a comp
...more
A plane crash, native tribesman, death, destruction, hope of rescue, and sheer human interest, Mitchell Zuckoff's Lost in Shangri-La reads like a work of fiction. But the tragic story of a World War II plane crash over Dutch New Guinea is completely true. Zuckoff does an amazing job introducing us to the passengers & crew of the fated crash, letting the reader know their personal lives & their involvement in the broader War. He effortlessly, and sometimes comedically, breaks the heightened tensi
...more
Reading Lost in Shangri-la was like watching a block-buster movie, only much, much better. The locale is exotic, there is extreme danger, likeable characters, heroic action and suspense all wrapped up in one true almost unbelievable story.
...more
I've always thought that truth was often stranger than fiction.
Lost in Shangri-la proves that old saying is very reliable.
The author had heard about some World War W.A.C's and Officers
who had crash landed into a tribe of headhunters. Mitchell Zuckoff had
been told that the story was true. Zuckoff wasn't sure about the tale but, he wanted to explore the story and discover what was and what might not be true about it. He did some investigation into the story and discovered it was a lost chapter of ...more
Lost in Shangri-la proves that old saying is very reliable.
The author had heard about some World War W.A.C's and Officers
who had crash landed into a tribe of headhunters. Mitchell Zuckoff had
been told that the story was true. Zuckoff wasn't sure about the tale but, he wanted to explore the story and discover what was and what might not be true about it. He did some investigation into the story and discovered it was a lost chapter of ...more
I actually liked this non-fiction book more than the other one I just finished - Turn Right at Machu Picchu. I found the interaction(s) between the survivors and the efforts to rescue them in very inhospitable territory to be quite fascinating. I was as fascinated to learn about the people living deep in the forests of New Guinea as anything - that's something I had never thought of and didn't realize existed.
...more
Great true story about a plane that goes down during the World War in the jungles of New Guinea and the recovery of the survivors. Great photos and the author did amazing research.
May 03, 2011
Stephanie
marked it as to-read
Jun 16, 2011
Kimberly
marked it as to-read
Oct 22, 2011
Jennifer Corgiat
marked it as to-read
Nov 29, 2011
Junebuggin
marked it as to-read
Jan 21, 2012
Noah Oanh
marked it as to-read
Feb 28, 2012
Lisa Ricciuti
added it
Oct 02, 2012
Danielle
marked it as to-read
Nov 11, 2012
Diane
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
21st-century,
non-fiction,
history,
asia,
adventure,
pen-award,
war,
kindle,
2015-reads,
around-the-world-2015
Dec 02, 2012
Dee
marked it as to-read
Jan 04, 2013
Alexander Rodionov
marked it as to-read
Nov 06, 2013
Helena
marked it as to-read
Aug 18, 2015
Steff
marked it as to-read
