Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II

Mitchell Zuckoff

Apr 2011 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this eBook

“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 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.

Ratings and reviews

Overall it was a pretty good book. It was very informative, but pacing seemed a little off. Maybe it was just the fact that the author wanted to cover all those present on the plane. Maybe it was the fact that I started this in the middle of another book (when I accidentally left that at home), then put this aside until I finished the first. I also thought it didn't depict survivor Margaret Hastings in a very good light vis-a-vis her attempted amorous relationships with the paratroopers and her feelings about her missed date with Wally. It was nice hearing about the native perspective, and I wish there had been more of that. I feel somewhat sad over their culture being so changed by the invading Dutch and then Indonesians. It's too bad the Filipino paratroopers never got to give their views on the operation. I was expecting more, but it was still a good story. There are lots of photos and a few maps which make it much easier to visualize the people and the scenes. The 11 minute movie made by Alexander Cann can be seen online under the title 'Rescue in Shangri La'. The eBook was formatted well with no noticeable spelling/grammar mistakes.

The biographical sketches of all those involved juxtaposed to American and WW2 history combined with the incredible rescue mission makes this one of the best books I've ever read. So many layers to this very compelling book.

good read

About the author

Mitchell Zuckoff is the Sumner M. Redstone Professor of Narrative Studies at Boston University. He covered 9/11 for the Boston Globe and wrote the lead news story on the day of the attacks. Zuckoff is the author of seven previous works of nonfiction, including the number one New York Times bestseller 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, which became the basis of the Paramount Pictures movie of the same name. His earlier books also include the New York Times bestsellers Lost in Shangri-La and Frozen in Time. As a member of the Boston Globe Spotlight Team, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting and the winner of numerous national awards. He lives outside Boston.