Touching the Ancient One: A True Story of Tragedy And Reunion (Paperback)

by Rupert Pratt (Author)
Key Phrases: supply squadron, petroleum lab, bunny boots, Touching the Ancient One, Air Force, Cliff Hudson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
On February 5, 1954, an Air Force C-47 broke apart over the Susitna Valley of South Central Alaska and fell onto Kesugi Ridge. Six miraculously escaped, survived bone-chilling cold, and were rescued through the efforts of pilots Cliff Hudson and Don Sheldon. Unacquainted with one another before the accident, the Air Force men bonded in the hospital. Forty-two years later, the survivors and their families, the families of the victims, and rescuers came together for a reunion in Dayton, Ohio. It was a meeting that would change their lives.

This is a true story, told by one of the survivors. Rupert Pratt's book celebrates life and friendship—themes set appropriately against the backdrop of Kesugi, "The Ancient One."

About the Author
Rupert Pratt grew up in Salt Rock, West Virginia. Educated at Marshall College, he was a teacher for thirty-six years in Schenectady, New York. He and his wife, Millie, have two sons, Gregory and Jonathan, and two grandchildren, Elizabeth and Nathan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Wheatmark (April 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587365812
• ISBN-13: 978-1587365812
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #776,479 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Story of Survival and Friendship, August 4, 2006

By	W. H. McDonald Jr. "The American Author Assoc... (Elk Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book "Touching the Ancient One - a True Story of Tragedy and Reunion" could have been a very good book had the author Rupert Pratt just written about the crash, the survival and the rescue. However, he exceeds the ordinary telling of a tragic story and takes us into the present time for a reunion and follow-up on those who were touched by the events of February 5, 1954; and that makes for an outstanding book!

The event that brings all these lives together was a crash of an Air Force C-47 into a desolate mountain region of Alaska where six people miraculously escaped death and survived in freezing weather. The story is not just about the survivors but also those who come to rescue them. The glue that makes this story so interesting is the power of Pratt's writing. He takes the reader with him through his words and memories and creates an exciting true tale; it is brilliantly done and conceived.

This is truly one great book. This story is not just about a crash, it is about people. It is about how their reunion 42 years after the crash and the rescue, changes all of their lives once again. It is a most unusual life experience and one that the reader gets to share in an emotional sense. This is an epic story which has all the elements of what would make a great movie plot. It is entertaining, thoughtful, and almost spiritual in some ways.

A must read book! The MWSA gives this book FIVE STARS. It also receives this reviewer's personal endorsement!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching the Ancient One, May 6, 2006

By	David L. Thompson (Salt Rock, West Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

At the genesis of Touching the Ancient One, I was only ten, but the author's description of six men surviving a plane crash that happened more than half a century ago, conjures memories of my own parents relating the incident at our kitchen table, just days after that tragic moment in February 1954.

I was saddened when he told about leaving his home in Salt Rock, West Virginia, to join the Air Force, since I, too, left the security of my own rural upbringing early one morning for similar reasons. A few chapters later, I grew tense when the plane he boarded in Alaska first began to shake. And then, when it broke apart over Kesugi Ridge and Rupert began freefalling, my muscles further tightened when he lost consciousness. In fact, his ability to create such anxiety drew me far enough into the scene that I lost track of who had actually authored the book. From that point on, I was hooked on Rupert's descriptive passages about the coldness and beauty of Alaska`s wilderness. In fact, his graphics often became quite similar to a story I used to read to my junior high students entitled, "To Build a Fire," by Jack London. And, too, his knowledge of the flora of the region and facts about the landscape reminded me of Jean M. Auel's The Clan of the Cave Bear.

In a recent Sunday church service, my pastor spoke, in essence, about, "What do we say to people who meet with adversity in their lives?" The subtopic of his message, "Does their incident of misfortune cause them to become bitter or better?" relates to Touching the Ancient One, for Rupert Pratt has become a stronger individual since that occurrence in Alaska so long ago. And, I think God specifically chose him as a catalyst to reunite the six survivors and their families with the loved ones of those who were killed. I further feel that God has used him to help all who were involved to find closure, thereby, becoming improved, more productive citizens in this seemingly uncaring world we live in today. Rupert had a profound affect indeed on all whose lives he touched during the course of reunification, and he will continue to influence others who read this story of tragedy and reunion in the years ahead.

Touching the Ancient One flows with the skill that comes only from a seasoned writer, and I shall not hesitate to read any book a second time that tugs at the tender spots of my heart as this one has managed to do. I am truly amazed at what Rupert has done with only twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

David Lee Thompson, Author
River of Memories: An Appalachian Boyhood

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching the Ancient One, July 29, 2007

By	Debra L. Graham "John Graham" (Adams Mills, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

...five stars is not enough for this book. I give it at least an eight. John Graham
Adams Mills, Ohio