Beyond Courage: Shipwrecked and Adrift; One Family Fights to Survive [Hardcover]

Robert Aros (Author), Rob Ternan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

Rarely does a book come along that is so absorbing that the reader cannot put it down. Such a book is "Beyond Courage." Robert Aros, along with veteran writer Rob Ternan, has aptly recorded the action packed story of himself, his wife Margaret, and their 16 year old son Christian, being shipwrecked and set adrift in a tiny rubber raft, for 26 days, in the South Pacific. They survived unbelievable odds as El-Nino-crazed seas, strange winds, fateful blunders and bumbling rescue efforts conspired to strip them of food, water and even hope itself. A family tale of conflict, survival, faith and love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the middle of a two-year excursion around the Pacific, a family of Jehovah's Witnesses is shipwrecked, stranded for 26 days in their dinghies and on a sandbar. At the outset of this true story, conflict between Chris Aros, 16, and his 30-something stepmother, Margaret, threatens the pleasant atmosphere of a family voyage planned by father Bob and Margaret. On a two-week jaunt from the Cook Islands to New Zealand, however, an unexpected El Nino storm drives their sloop, the Vamonos , off course and against a reef, where it is wrecked. The need to survive brings the family together and Chris risks his life to save Margaret when she floats off while trying to rescue the family's water bottle. In an immature moment, father Bob drinks half the remaining water supply, but Margaret takes the lead in replenishing their water by gathering the dew from the dinghy's surface. Other yachters, worried by the Aros family's radio silence, work with officials but find nothing; instead, the family is discovered on a sandbar when a shell-collector chances in their direction. Written by the father, this is a pedestrian account of what is clearly not a routine experience. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Aros, his wife, Margaret, and his 17-year-old son, Christian, struggled to stay afloat and alive after their 36-foot sloop sank in the South Pacific. A rescue mission was launched by friends with whom the family had created a radio net, but those would-be saviors struggled against a local bureaucracy that refused to believe in an accident simply because the Aros family had lost radio contact. Meanwhile, the threesome were clinging to life on a rubber dinghy, sharing one can of food per day and meager water supplies. Although quite as well written as some true-life tales, this one does have a striking, scary realism. The family, all Jehovah's Witnesses, prayed daily and "credited their amazing survival to their faith in God." Denise Perry Donavin

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 271 pages
• Publisher: Shore Pub (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963870408
• ISBN-13: 978-0963870407
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,154,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intense and Riveting First Person True-Life Drama, August 7, 1998

By 

Tammara R. [e-mail] (Alta Loma, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond Courage: Shipwrecked and Adrift; One Family Fights to Survive (Hardcover)

The intense struggle to survive both physically and spiritually was well laid out in this first-person true life tale. The dramatic pace and intense emotions flowed smoothly and kept me entranced throughout the story. I read it in one sitting! Being able to meet both the author and his wife allowed me to experience their deep love and peace with life that was forged through their experience. Don't miss this chance to take a voyeuristic first person look at their horrific, yet heart-warming ordeal. I loved it, and you will too!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The story of a family surviving against impossible odds., June 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond Courage: Shipwrecked and Adrift; One Family Fights to Survive (Hardcover)

Have you ever watched a movie about adventurers shipwrecked on a desert island and thought what an interesting and exciting experience that must be?

Well, read this book and you'll find out what it's really like. Everyone I tell this story to is amazed by this family's experience.

To fully appreciate this book you must periodically while reading the book imagine yourself in these folk's situation.

You'll never look at sailing across the ocean the same way again

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! Harrowing and moving., August 25, 2010

By 

Pickyreader - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beyond Courage: Shipwrecked and Adrift; One Family Fights to Survive (Hardcover)

The ultimate gripping adventure story, except that it's real. Your heart aches for the Aros family, as they never completely give up hope of rescue. You urge on those in a position to search for them, you fume at the slow wheels of international bureaucracy as you live each day of their dwindling chances for survival, marveling and rejoicing at their living faith.