A riveting...saga of survival against formidable odds (Washington Post) about one man who survived a World War II plane crash in Alaska's harsh Yukon territory
Shortly before Christmas in 1943, five Army aviators left Alaska's Ladd Field on a routine flight to test their hastily retrofitted B-24 Liberator in harsh winter conditions. The mission ended in a crash that claimed all but one-Leon Crane, a city kid from Philadelphia with no wilderness experience. With little more than a parachute for cover and an old Boy Scout knife in his pocket, Crane found himself alone in subzero temperatures.81 Days Below Zerorecounts, for the first time, the full story of Crane's remarkable twelve-week saga.
Brian Murphyis a journalist at the
Washington Post. He joined the paper after more than twenty years as an award-winning foreign correspondent and bureau chief for the Associated Press in Europe and the Middle East. He has three previous books, including
81 Days Below Zero, and currently lives in Washington with his wife Toula Vlahou. A gripping story.
Kirkus Reviews A solid entry in the perennially popular canon of real-life adventure stories.
Booklist A riveting tale of survival.
BookPage This would be a great read at the beach on a hot summer day...An interesting sage of survival against formidable odds.
Washington Post [An] excellent volume...Murphy crafted a volume that is superbly written, thoroughly researched, and is unique within this popular genre. Crane's incredible story of survival deserves to be known by a far greater audience. That is why
81 Days Below Zerois such a valuable contribution.
Military Review [A] thrilling true story...Many have been the tales of man against nature, the struggle for survival among icy peaks in a howling wilderness--some fictitious (Jack London's To Build a Fire ), others far too true ( Allƒ¸
![81 Days Below Zero: The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/7/3/3/2_5384333.jpg "81 Days Below Zero: The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness [Paperback]")