An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea - 438 Days

438 Days provides the reader excellent detail in chronicling this incredible journey. The reader gets a true sense of directly observing this in real time, which is a key factor in the quality of the read. Mighty recommended!

Could not put it down. An extraordinary story of survival. I bought another one for my brother who loves the sea and has been to places they mentioned, while in the Navy. He, too, raved and said he finished it by staying up all night.

Visceral story, well told with a kind of honesty by both the survivor and author that does not embellish or cover over the more unpleasant aspects of human tragedy. This is a fast and easy read and will leave one asking whether you could have persevered under the same circumstances. Strongly recommended.

We live, protected daily in our very sheltered caccoons. When faced with such mortal dangers, what would we do?
This book gave me the confidence to know that survival is possible even though the odds against it are extreme.
I was mesmerized from beginning to end. I wish him well.

This book tells the story of the remarkable and sometimes horrific survival odyssey of Salvador Alvarenga that began one stormy day at sea off the coast of Mexico and ended 438 days later on a beach far, far away from where it began. Yet, in some sense, the odyssey didn't end at landfall but continues on to this day given the controversy this story has recently provoked. I am surprised any reviewer would find fault with the research or writing in this book. The author is not only a highly skilled investigative journalist but also a master storyteller telling one of the great survival stories of our time. An impressive amount of research went into writing this book and a remarkable number of fascinating and illuminative details are woven together into a highly perceptive and readable whole. I was thoroughly riveted after the first few pages and remained so to the very last word and I am sure much of what is recounted will remain in my memory always (especially the whale shark ride) !! The book presents the story in chronological order starting with the background story of Salvador Alvarenga and ending with a description of his life after his return to land. There are dramatic and informed accounts from both eyewitnesses and scientific experts of the outer and inner aspects of this journey. I came away from reading this book with a profound sense of respect for Salvador Alvarenga whose pure will to survive combined with a fundamentally optimistic view of life allowed the creative part of his mind to solve some of the most daunting challenges to physical and psychological survival anyone would ever want to face.

This mans story at sea has always sparked my curiosity. This is a well told story using the best details available to give you an idea of how this man beat the odds. I had a hard time putting this book down. In fact it might fall under the category of a weight-loss book because you'll forget all about eating as you're reading it.

Extremely interesting story of determination and will power, with maybe just a little luck. Could have went without the random "professional" opinions, the story itself was more than enough. Good read.

My husband enjoys books written by people who, for whatever reason, have been drifting the seas alone. While he said it was good, he was disappointed that it wasn't a first person account, and the author added he own personal views and opinions.

Amazing how anybody could possibly endure such a long time stranded at sea. I am convinced their is a fine line where people have the physical endurance to survive an extreme hardship (statistically this is your mid 30's). This book had incredible detail. There one only one thing that deeply disturbed me.... So as not to spoil the story it was the part about his shipmate bird... enough said. This is a story I shall never forget.

A heckuva tale of survival -- gonna try to order me up some shark liver next time I'm at a seafood eatery. And unlike Tom Hanks' fictional Cast Away, which never had a "God moment" despite him being stranded on an island, the author includes brief passages of not-overly sentimental or preachy accounts of Alvarenga's spiritual metamorphous as he deals with depression, suicidal thoughts and the high and lows of scrapping by each day on his boat, adrift. How refreshingly real. How inspiring.

Franklin does an excellent job of adding a timeline, details and interest to a fascinating story that might have otherwise been hard to stretch into a full-length book. He helps explain the mysteries behind Alvarenga's name changes (and lack of documentation) that might have led some to disbelieve his story. He also examines Alvarenga's psyche, upbringing, culture, hunting abilities, eating habits and stamina that credibly explain how he could survive such an ordeal. In addition, Franklin researched all of the rescue efforts that give due credence to the incredible tale.

It was a very interesting read that was hard to put down. I liked that the book included Alvarenga's difficult journey in the months after he reached shore, and especially the parts about the couple who found him and first nourished him. I would have liked to have seen a photo of them.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in true survival stories. Impossible odds were challenged, his survival skills tested, yet against all odds, he survived to tell his story. Put yourself in his shoes (if he had shoes), and think if you could have survived to tell this amazing story's?

This is a well written story, which combines the incredible journey with some of the science behind it. Jonathan Franklin has dissipated any doubt about the veracity of Alvarenga's words.

As a Salvadoran, I consider that every compatriot should read the book because it sparks hope for those who feel overwhelmed by life, especially here in El Salvador, now the most violent country in the world.

A really gripping story that could easily be fiction b/c of how surreal it is but from everything I've read....it's 100% legit. The book was hard to put down and even more difficult to imagine being in either of their shoes during the ordeal....I've read over 100x survival-type stories and this is one of the most amazing. The dudes had "resolve on steroids".....as most people would have curled up into a ball and let the ocean take them.

Compelling and well written, incredible story of survival and redemption, loved it.I have read Jonathan Franklin's other book "The 33" about the Chilean miners and it was also great, his writing style is very fluid and entertaining.

I love memoirs about extraordinary people or events. I found this book to be one of the best in that genre. The author does an excellent job of capturing the psychological state of Salvador Alvarenga as well as the physical ordeal of this fisherman who survived over a year in a small boat that lost its engine and radio in a storm. A very interesting character study, well worth reading.

An amazing story. He spent so much time out there floating that I would imagine the story would be difficult to write, not much going on except the usual! But, it was well told, frightening and a real testament to the human spirit.

Good survival story. I'm always intrigued buy people who endure terrible hardship. There are valuable lessons in such stories from those who can testify to their ordeal. I gave it 4 stars because the book Adrift is a solid 5

This biography was amazing. It is the type of non fiction that makes me feel good about being alive. In 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea, we meet a man named Salvador Alvarenga and see his unbelievable will to live against all odds.

Somehow, I never heard about this man. I can’t believe this happened in my lifetime and I missed the news about it.

Salvador Alvarenga survived 438 days adrift in a small fishing boat.

He had no food, no water, no hope for so, so long. That is longer than anyone in recorded history has survived at sea, EVER! He went into the ocean November 17, 2012 and came out January 29, 2014. His story of survival is amazing! He became a national celebrity the minute people figured out how long he was out there. His journey almost pales in comparison to his fight to get back to normal after the trauma of his ordeal.

Admittedly, this book starts off with a rough index of readability. It is written by a investigative journalist who spent almost a year with Alvarenga and his family. Salvador Alvarenga is not an educated man or well spoken. He is not a grand storyteller, but this was such a grand story. What the author did for Alvarenga’s story, and the thing that made this story more amazing, is to add in professional and personal interview snippets. He cited experts in Oceanography, Research of Ocean and Earth Science, Applied Physiology, and Climatology, to name a few. He also interviewed the people at home that suspected him dead and the few that held on to hope. Between Alvarenga’s memories and the experts collaboration of what it might have been like, the author was able to make this educating and entertaining. In that order. The order of the story makes sense, I wouldn’t change a thing about this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Alvarenga comes across as a very humble hero. His story is so incredible. I spent lots of time trying to imagine what I would do to survive. The most compelling evidence of Alvarenga’s resolve is that his crew mate died after the first 4 weeks. Surviving 4 months at sea is no small feat, but Salvador Alvarenga lost the only human company he had and then went on to live another 13 months alone. It is hard to really comprehend what he went through.

The other thing about this book that really won me over, was that we actually got to see Alvarenga’s struggle when he did come home. People didn’t believe him at first. The author did a great job of explaining what it was like for him to re-enter society. He landed on an island where no one spoke his language. He was unable to explain his appearance or how long he had been gone. He was in complete survival mode and expected his rescuers to try to eat him. He was hounded by the press and was too weak to even speak a few words, much less give an interview. His journey back into society took almost as long as his sea journey.

I feel so privileged to have read it. His story gives me hope for the resilience of the human spirit. His life is something for the record books. Salvador Alvarenga‘s story is one that must be told.

*I received this product free of charge in exchange for an honest review.