Synopses & Reviews
On May 13, 1945, twenty-four American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea.Unlike the peaceful Tibetan monks of James Hiltons bestselling novel Lost Horizon, this Shangri-La was home to spear-carrying tribesmen, warriors rumored to be cannibals.
But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed. Miraculously, three passengers pulled through. Margaret Hastings, barefoot and burned, had no choice but to wear her dead best friends shoes. John McCollom, grieving the death of his twin brother also aboard the plane, masked his grief with stoicism. Kenneth Decker, too, was severely burned and suffered a gaping head wound.
Emotionally devastated, badly injured, and vulnerable to the hidden dangers of the jungle, the trio faced certain death unless they left the crash site. Caught between man-eating headhunters and enemy Japanese, the wounded passengers endured a harrowing hike down the mountainside—a journey into the unknown that would lead them straight into a primitive tribe of superstitious natives who had never before seen a white man—or woman.
Drawn from interviews, declassified U.S. Army documents, personal photos and mementos, a survivors diary, a rescuers journal, and original film footage, Lost in Shangri-La recounts this incredible true-life adventure for the first time. Mitchell Zuckoff reveals how the determined trio—dehydrated, sick, and in pain—traversed the dense jungle to find help; how a brave band of paratroopers risked their own lives to save the survivors; and how a cowboy colonel attempted a previously untested rescue mission to get them out.
By trekking into the New Guinea jungle, visiting remote villages, and rediscovering the crash site, Zuckoff also captures the contemporary natives remembrances of the long-ago day when strange creatures fell from the sky. A riveting work of narrative nonfiction that vividly brings to life an odyssey at times terrifying, enlightening, and comic, Lost in Shangri-La is a thrill ride from beginning to end.
Review
“A truly incredible adventure.” New York Times Book Review
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“Mitchell Zuckoff has uncovered, and vividly reconstructed, such an astonishing tale. . . . Zuckoff skillfully builds narrative tension and deft character portraits. . . . . He has pulled off a remarkable feat and held the reader firmly in the grip.” David Grann, Washington Post
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“[A] gripplingly cinematic account. . . . A remarkable cast of characters. . . . A.” Entertainment Weekly
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“This is an absorbing adventure right out of the Saturday-morning serials. . . . Lost in Shangri-La deserves a spot on the shelf of Greatest Generation nonfiction. It puts the reader smack into the jungle. ” Cleveland Plain Dealer
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“Zuckoff delivers a remarkable survival story. . . . In this well-crafted book, Zuckoff turns the long-forgotten episode into an unusually exciting narrative. . . . Polished, fast-paced and immensely readableready for the big screen.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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“Zuckoff transforms impressive research into a deft narrative that brings the saga of the survivors to life.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“A riveting tale in the hands of a good storyteller. . . . LOST IN SHANGRI-LA is the most thrilling book, fiction or nonfiction, that I have read since I cant remember when.” Seattle Times
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“[An] engaging story. . . . This excellent book will be enjoyed by anyone who loves true adventure stories.” Library Journal (starred review)
Synopsis
A New York Times bestseller, the extraordinary World War II mission to rescue survivors of a U.S. military plane crash in an isolated corner of the South Pacific, and the ancient indigenous tribe members that aided those stranded on the ground in this "Shangri-La."
Award-winning former Boston Globe reporter Mitchell Zuckoffunleashes the exhilarating, untold story of an extraordinary World War IIrescue mission, where a plane crash in the South Pacific plunged a trio of U.S.military personnel into a land that time forgot. Fans of Hampton Sides' Ghost Soldiers, Marcus Luttrell's Lone Survivor, and David Grann's The Lost Cityof Z will be captivated by Zuckoff's masterfullyrecounted, all-true story of danger, daring, determination, and discovery injungle-clad New Guinea during the final days of WWII.
Synopsis
In May 1945, a group consisting of American airmen and members of the Women's Army Corps who were stationed in Dutch New Guinea took a sightseeing trip. They were looking for a valley that was not marked on maps, but had been spotted by pilots. However, their day out turned into a nightmare when the plane crashed into that valley, leaving only three survivors: two Army officers and one WAC.
Lost in Shangri-La is the amazing story of the three Americans and their battle to survive in unknown and seemingly inescapable terrain. Mitchell Zuckoff brings to life the hair-raising adventures faced by the crash survivors, including a local tribe that could not decide whether to kill or help them, and the extremely dangerous plan that was their only hope for rescue. Gripping and unforgettable, Lost in Shangri-La also explores the world of the indigenous people who were so suddenly visited by the 20th century on that Sunday afternoon in 1945.
Mitchell Zuckoff is a professor of journalism at Boston University. He is the author of Robert Altman: The Oral Biography; Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend; and Choosing Naia: A Family's Journey, and is co-author of Judgment Ridge: The True Story Behind the Dartmouth Murders. Zuckoff is a former special projects reporter for the Boston Globe, where he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for investigative reporting. He lives outside Boston with his wife, Boston Globe photographer Suzanne Kreiter, and their two daughters.
"Whew -- what an utterly compelling and deeply satisfying read " -- Simon Winchester
--Library Journal
(starred review)Synopsis
“A lost world, man-eating tribesmen, lush andimpenetrable jungles, stranded American fliers (one of them a dame withgreat gams, for heaven's sake), a startling rescue mission. . . . This is atrue story made in heaven for a writer as talented as Mitchell Zuckoff. Whew—what an utterly compelling and deeplysatisfying read!" —Simon Winchester, author of Atlantic
Award-winning former Boston Globe reporter Mitchell Zuckoffunleashes the exhilarating, untold story of an extraordinary World War IIrescue mission, where a plane crash in the South Pacific plunged a trio of U.S.military personnel into a land that time forgot. Fans of Hampton Sides Ghost Soldiers, Marcus Luttrells Lone Survivor, and David Granns The Lost Cityof Z will be captivated by Zuckoffs masterfullyrecounted, all-true story of danger, daring, determination, and discovery injungle-clad New Guinea during the final days of WWII.
About the Author
Mitchell Zuckoff is the author of Lost in Shangri-La, a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Winship/PEN New England Award. His previous books include Robert Altman: The Oral Biography and Ponzis Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend. He has written for national and regional publications and is a former special projects reporter for the Boston Globe, where he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for investigative reporting. He is a professor of journalism at Boston University and lives outside Boston.