Mind of a Survivor by Megan Hine
| Mind of a Survivor by Megan Hine | |
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| Category: Lifestyle | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: Survival expert Megan Hine examines how the right mindset can be crucial in a survival situation. | |
| Buy? yes | Borrow? yes |
| Pages: 256 | Date: May 2017 |
| Publisher: Coronet | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781473649286 | |
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Megan Hine is probably the type of person that you'd want with you in a crisis situation. Cool, calm and capable; this survival expert is equally at home in desert, mountain, tundra and jungle environments. She's navigated her way around some of the most inhospitable regions on the planet and survived to tell the tale. But just what is it that makes some people more capable in a survival situation than others? Physical fitness? Bushcraft skills? Experience? Whilst all of these are important, Hine argues that attitude is one of the most important factors in survival. In this book, she examines how the right mindset can mean the difference between life and death when isolated in the wilderness.
This book breaks the mould of typical survival manuals. Hine doesn't focus on bushcraft skills or step-by-step instructions on how to cope in a particular environment. Her theme is a more basic one: how the mind of an individual can affect their chances in a survival situation. She's been in a leadership role on a fair share of expeditions, as well as working as a consultant for TV shows such as Bear Grylls: Mission Survive and Running Wild, so she has seen firsthand how different type of people face the challenges of an inhospitable environment. Whilst many would presume that the alpha-male type would be best suited to wilderness life, she argues that an arrogant attitude and overestimating one's skill can be dangerous, and that it is sometimes the quiet, humble members of a team who are most willing to listen to the instructor that fare better in the long run.
It's interesting to see how life in the wild can affect people and create natural leaders from the most unlikely sources. There is something primal about getting back to nature and something about gathering around a campfire that encourages people to talk about themselves and share things that they never would in everyday life. Hine is a great advocate for this type of experience; a way of getting back to our roots in a world full of shiny technology.
I especially enjoyed reading her survival stories and experiences. One, where she stumbled upon an opium plantation in the middle of a jungle, was like something out of a movie. Hine and her team were relentlessly chased through the thick jungle by angry farmers with guns. Luckily they survived, but the way that she tells the tale is real edge-of-the-seat stuff. The book is full of amazing adventures like these; with the underlying theme that a good attitude and a level head were the key to survival in all instances.
The author is a likeable person; she doesn't let anything stop her and she's a female in a male-dominated profession, but she is more than capable of handling obstacles that come her way. She's also brutally honest. She's not afraid to share her shortcomings and mistakes, as well as examples of times that a thoughtless action or attitude nearly cost her life. Her humility and lack of arrogance make her even more extraordinary.
I'd love to read more about Megan's adventures and hope that she considers writing more books. I'm sure she has plenty more stories to tell. Many thanks to the publishers for my review copy.
If you enjoyed this book, try My Outdoor Life by Ray Mears another gripping account of survival in the wild, also told by a humble and likeable narrator.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Mind of a Survivor by Megan Hine at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Mind of a Survivor by Megan Hine at Amazon.com.
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