Coming Back Alive [Hardcover]

Spike Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2001

When the fishing vessel La Conte sinks suddenly at night in one-hundred-mile-per-hour winds and record ninety-foot seas during a savage storm in January 1998, her five crewmen are left to drift without a life raft in the freezing Alaskan waters and survive as best they can.

One hundred fifty miles away, in Sitka, Alaska, an H-60 Jayhawk helicopter lifts off from America's most remote Coast Guard base in the hopes of tracking down an anonymous Mayday signal. A fisherman's worst nightmare has become a Coast Guard crew's desperate mission. As the crew of the La Conte begin to die one by one, those sworn to watch over them risk everything to pull off the rescue of the century.

Spike Walker's memoir of his years as a deckhand in Alaska, Working on the Edge, was hailed by James A. Michner as "masterful . . . will become the definitive account of this perilous trade, an addition to the literature of the sea." In Coming Back Alive, Walker has crafted his most devastating book to date. Meticulously researched through hundreds of hours of taped interviews with the survivors, this is the true account of the La Conte's final voyage and the relationship between Alaskan fishermen and the search and rescue crews who risk their lives to save them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Walker spends about half of his narrative assembling a cast for his tale of seafaring disaster on the southern Gulf of Alaska fishing grounds: a five-man crew of earnest commercial fishermen; a leaky trawler, La Conte; helicopter crews and surprise! an anomalous winter storm. The January 1998 storm was the worst in the state's history, and La Conte took in water and sank, leaving its crew to the mercy of 100 mph winds and 90-foot seas. Walker (Nights of Ice) ably describes the Coast Guard's heroic rescue of the ship's crew along the rugged Alaskan coast. The episode in which the crew is finally forced to abandon their vessel in 40-degree water, and to stay lashed together long enough for three Coast Guard teams to attempt wind-whipped rescues, is harrowing and suspenseful. Still, too many adverbs slow down the narrative and strain to convey tension. Walker tracked down and interviewed the La Conte's survivors and other participants in the operation, and his portrayal of the fringe existence of commercial fishermen juxtaposes society's typical disdain for them with the loyalty and stoicism of these five men. But he manages only a pat resolution: "[t]he relationship between fishermen and the sea, and the airborne alliance of those sworn to watch over them, continues today all across the vast ocean reaches and tidelands of Alaska." Map not seen by PW. Agents, Rand Koler and Lance Rosen.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Each year the U.S. Coast Guard carries out well over 50,000 search-and-rescue operations, but to many people away from the coasts its efforts are little known. This book should change that. It is the story of only one 1998 rescue, but this was arguably "the most harrowing high-seas helicopter rescue" ever carried out and will certainly raise readers' appreciation of the Coast Guard mission. In a story at times reminiscent of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm (LJ 5/15/97) and Frederic Stonehouse's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Avery Color Studios, 1998. reprint), the author describes how the Guard rescued the crew of the La Conte despite 70' waves and 100-mph winds in prose so vivid you can practically taste the salt spray. While this is primarily the story of one particular incident, there is substantial coverage of the individuals involved including the fishermen and search-and-rescue crews and of other rescues as well. Highly recommended for all public libraries as well as high school and college libraries where there is interest in marine careers. This book might also interest "reluctant readers." Margaret Rioux, MBL/WHOI Lib., Woods Hole, MA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (August 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312269714
• ISBN-13: 978-0312269715
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Natural Disasters
  • #73 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Ships > History
  • #86 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Current Events > Disaster Relief

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars real acts of heroism, December 26, 2001

By 

M. H. Bayliss "book queen" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coming Back Alive (Hardcover)

I've read the other readers criticisms -- it's not that I disagree, I just don't think they interfere with one's enjoyment of the book. Walker may have used too many adverbs or told us more than we needed to know about some families (I imagine he was going after Junger's technique in The Perfect Storm), but he still writes an absolutely riveting account of harrowing helicopter rescues over the most treacherous water in the U.S. The thought of a huge helicopter being blown back a few hundred feet is hard to imagine, yet that is just what happened during 3 rescues the same night with 100 foot rogue waves almost swallowing the helicopter. I enjoyed the descriptions of Alaska's fishing industry and thought Walker did an excellent job of weaving together various interviews. There may be smaller flaws with the book, but you still won't be able to put it down!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Walker does it again!, September 9, 2002

By 

Raoul Duke "R. Duke" (San Antonio, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coming Back Alive (Hardcover)

Although his two previous works--Nights of Ice and Working on the Edge--are tough acts to follow, Walker rises to the occassion with Coming Back Alive. With his uncanny ability to immerse the reader into the situations in which his unfortunate subjects find themselves, Walker provides an incredible account of the ill-fated crew of the Salmon boat La Conte. Walker's vivid descriptions make you feel as if you were floating along side the La Conte crewmembers during the frigid January night or sitting on the flight deck of the H-60 helicopters that attempted to perform a rescue in the brutally hostile conditions.

If you enjoyed works such as the Perfect Storm, The Ship and the Storm, etc, this is a must read. Once you finish the book, you'll hope Walker is working on another book to satisfy the insatiable urge to experience the harrowing tales he so aptly tells.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book, May 26, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Coming Back Alive: The True Story of the Most Harrowing Search and Rescue Mission Ever Attempted on Alaska's High Seas (Paperback)

If you liked "A Perfect Storm", you'll like this one. Although the first part where the stage is set and all those involved are introduced went on a bit long, part 2 was incredible. I really got the sensation of what it must have been like being in the water or being aboard a helicopter in those conditions. I would rank this next to "A Perfect Storm" for ocean/storm/rescue books and would highly recommend it.