Last Breath: Cautionary Tales from the Limits of Human Endurance (Hardcover)

by Peter Stark (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Prepare to have some of your greatest fears laid bare in this collection of riveting, and often terrifying, "cautionary tales from the limits of human endurance." Based on interviews with accident survivors and the medical specialists who treat them, veteran outdoor writer Peter Stark offers mostly fictitious accounts (there is one based on a true historical incident) of people caught in life-threatening situations. In Last Breath, he thoroughly explores what happens to the human body and mind during drowning, a long fall, burial beneath an avalanche, hypothermia, dehydration, mountain sickness, the bends, malaria, scurvy, hyperthermia, and contact with a poisonous jellyfish. Stark packs enough historic and scientific information and page-turning suspense into each chapter to make them all fascinating and useful. And he answers some perplexing questions in the process, such as why those suffering from acute hypothermia often rip off their clothing in an effort to save themselves.

No, Stark does not have some unresolved death wish--he readily admits that he fears death. But he also understands that the fine line between life and death actually entices outdoor adventurers to risk everything for the chance to explore their own physical and mental limits. In fact, it is exactly this close proximity to death that makes the experience come alive for certain individuals with the overriding desire "to strip away the superfluous, to remove the protective boundaries between that thing you call a self and something larger." These are the stories of those who crossed the line. --Shawn Carkonen

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-A fascinating look at how individuals can face death in the course of adventure and daring. Each of the 11 chapters is a separate saga of a fictitious character in a life-threatening situation. Scenarios include hypothermia, drowning while kayaking on a treacherous Chinese river, suffocation by avalanche, and heatstroke in a competitive bike race. Other dangers include altitude sickness, scurvy, falling, jellyfish stings, the bends, malaria, and dehydration. As readers begin each story, they have no way of knowing whether or not the character will survive. The physiological details of the body's attempts to endure, the psychological changes that occur as death is faced, and the serendipity that allows one to live and another to die all make for an engrossing book. Stark has a clear way of imparting a lot of detail. He describes the intricacies involved in each sport, the biological details of the body's response, and the nuances of the character's personality within the few pages. Each story is compelling and the mystery of the outcome holds readers' attention.
Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (October 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345441508
• ISBN-13: 978-0345441508
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #320,546 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IF I COULD LEAVE SIX STARS..., October 23, 2002

By	"thescrape" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

I am disappointed, but of course not surprised that some people did not enjoy this book--those who did not enjoy it either did not understand what they were buying or do not have the imagination it takes to be affected by this incredible piece of work. They need REAL cases, where they can't see past the fictionalized format of each of these circumstances. Peter Stark is the MICHAEL CRICHTON of outdoor adventure and all its dangers, where he provides the medical/biological condition of the victim that he or she, if writing his own tale would never have known about. Don't get me wrong, first-hand accounts are great, but the objectivity in these tales really makes them easier to "experience," and the use of second person in the opening and closing chapters is the crowning touch. You aren't "listening to someone else's story", you are completely drawn in with the victim, as long as you have an active imagination. If you don't feel affected after the last chapter then I just don't know what to say--talk about a grand finale for a book--I've never been so freaked out in all of my life! GET READY! Overall, I will never view being underwater or forgetting my water bottle the same way after reading this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a way to go!, February 4, 2002

By	"mjmarsh" (Port Twonsend,WA United States) - See all my reviews

Peter Stark has done a great job of detailing the clinical as well as the emotional side of death. As someone who spends a great deal of time playing outside, I found his stories both cautionary and motivational. That is to say, he bases his fictitious deaths on real, concrete science, and knowing more about the science will help recognize and avoid the situations he has created. A finely-written book that I'll pull down from time to time for reference as well as recreation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing work, February 3, 2004

By A Customer

This book is one of the best I've read in a long time. To the first reviewer, he clearly didn't understand this book, as is shown by the following reviews.

The author is brilliant, after the chapter on thirst I went to the fridge and drank two sodas right away. The writing is intelligent, you don't get the feeling he's trying to dumb it down to the lowest common denominator. There is just enough medical information to make you understand what is going on physically, but not overwhelm you.

I highly, highly suggest you read this book.