Miracle in the Andes

72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home

By: Nando Parrado, Vince Rause

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A harrowing, moving memoir of the 1972 plane crash that left its survivors stranded on a glacier in the Andes—and one man’s quest to lead them all home

“In straightforward, staggeringly honest prose, Nando Parrado tells us what it took—and what it actually felt like—to survive high in the Andes for seventy-two days after having been given up for dead.”—Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild

“In the first hours there was nothing, no fear or sadness, just a black and perfect silence.”

Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team to Chile had crashed deep in the Andes, killing many of his teammates, his mother, and his sister. Stranded with the few remaining survivors on a lifeless glacier and thinking constantly of his father’s grief, Parrado resolved that he could not simply wait to die. So Parrado, an ordinary young man with no particular disposition for leadership or heroism, led an expedition up the treacherous slopes of a snowcapped mountain and across forty-five miles of frozen wilderness in an attempt to save his friends’ lives as well as his own.

Decades after the disaster, Parrado tells his story with remarkable candor and depth of feeling. Miracle in the Andes, a first-person account of the crash and its aftermath, is more than a riveting tale of true-life adventure; it is a revealing look at life at the edge of death and a meditation on the limitless redemptive power of love.

©2006 Nando Parrado (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Miracle in the Andes is an astonishing account of an unimaginable ordeal. In straightforward, staggeringly honest prose, Nando Parrado tells us what it took—and what it actually felt like—to survive high in the Andes for 72 days after having been given up for dead. If you pick this book up, you will not be able to put it down.” —Jon Krakauer, author of Under the Banner of Heaven, Into Thin Air, and Into the Wild

“Unlike the cloud that obscured the mountainside, there is no haze enshrouding the meaning of life for Nando Parrado. It was in the love for his father that Nando found the motivation to survive for over two months on a Chilean glacier. As he makes his unbelievable traverse of the Andes, Nando also demonstrates the depth of his courage, faith, and perseverance that help him later transform his losses into a source of inspiration for others. Connecting our struggles to his, we readers can use Nando as our beacon and see that there is a way out of our ‘own personal Andes.’” —Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place

“Miracle in the Andes is an extraordinary book. Everybody’s philosophical hypotheticals were Nando Parrado’s real life experiences. Would I survive an aircrash? Could I eat human flesh? Would a horrific and life-threatening event affect my religious beliefs? In the end, this account benefits enormously from the maturity that time allows. It is a beautifully written and moving story.” —Peter Hillary, author of In the Ghost Country: A Lifetime Spent on the Edge

Leadership

Real life example of what it takes to be a leader - courage, perseverance, compassion, dedication. An inspiring story for all leaders.

Best audiobook I’ve listened to so far

This book will have you in tears within the first hour. Incredible first-hand account of a harrowing story.

Outstanding Story of Bravery

If you like survival stories, such as Unbroken, you'll like this one. It's a legit 5-star book, and I highly recommend it. I had seen the movie Alive, but that movie left me with so many questions, especially about Nando and Roberto's big climb. If you want more of those details, this book has them. I will say that the last 2 hours are unnecessary, though the last ~20 minutes where Nando is interviewed is interesting. I would almost dock the book a star for the last 2 hours (1/5 of the book!), but the story up until then is so incredible, that I'll keep it at 5 stars.

Riveting personal story

Tale of human endurance that is incredible and uplifting. A story of how people survive anything.

incredible story

I loved the authors honesty. he didn't hide or gloss over his experience. it was so raw and personal.

inspiring

i’m not a book person, but i couldn’t put this one down. so well written. an incredible story, had me in tears, and inspired me to look at life in a different way and to be grateful for everything i take for granted. amazing!!

Awesome

What an inspirational story - wow. "We all have our personal Andes" loved this story and his version brings a person touca

If you like survival stories, this is a good read.

What other book might you compare Miracle in the Andes to and why?

Any additional comments?

My favorite books are true stories of people that overcome difficult circumstances: Running for My Life, Skeletons in the Zahara, Into Thin Air, Endurance, et al.
Miracle in the Andes is a book where you feel good about spending your time reading it. When I brag on my reading, I will brag on this one.

Let me know if you have others that are in the same genre, and send titles.

The single most impactful Audible book I've read

I have read 100+ books on Audible, and this is the one I have re-listened to the most. I keep it permanently on my iPod, and regularly listen to favourite passages, and especially to the interview with Nando Parrado where he explains the story of how he came to write the book after all these years.

The best fiction authors can't come close to matching this real-life story of survival and the life-long journey of self-discovery that results.

Trust all these 5-star reviews -- read the book! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Amazing Story!

Loved the movie growing up, the book was better! The story of after the crash was nice to know everyone lived fulfilling lives.