Castaway in Paradise

I first read this book about 8 years ago when I picked it up at the library. It has stayed with me ever since (and I read hundreds of books a year) so I finally bought a used copy. I think that people probably gave it 4 stars because they expect it to be about living in paradise - or expect modern stories (as a previous reader wrote). Actually, the book is about people stranded and the struggle against nature to survive. It is well-written and provides a captivating look at people and survival. For example, one of the stories is about the a ship captain who rescued 33 British men, women and children near the Falkland Islands in 1812 when their ship ran aground. Although the US and Brits were newly at war, the Brits to signed a document agreeing to "be at peace" while the captain rescued them. However, while he and a few shipmates were hunting for food for the Brits, the "castaways" stole the ship and abandoned the captain and his 4 shipmates, virtually leaving him with no supplies. They spent the next 18 months stranded on an inhospitable island and struggled for survival. Through it all, the captain shows leadership, kindness and great human spirit and the author explains, sometimes in the captain's words, how they survived and what harsh conditions they faced. This is just a typical example of the stories in the book. If you like nonfiction survivor books - this is one of the best. I often tell my son and nieces stories and some of the stories I have told them are out of Castaways in Paradise - they are equally fascinated.

any failings in literary grace are more than compensated with simmon's ability to ferret out tale after fascinating tale. a great book for vacation reading, to redefine the meaning of a bad day, to put the mind in some unusual places. absolutely gauranteed to liven up the dinner conversation, this one goes straight to my 'favorite-book shelf for guests'in the dacha. if you like it, also take a look at Lansing's 'Endurance.'

Simmons gives us brief vignetttes of what real castaways endured - not always a pretty, tropical island picture. This is at the same time the book's strength and weakness. The shortish accounts allow him to cover a lot of ground (geographically and temporally), but they often left me hungry for more detail. Still, all in all, I would recommend it to anyone else out there who enjoyed "Robinson Crusoe," or simply reading about the ocean.

One of the best books I have ever read!!! Many of us wonder: if I were stranded on a deserted island, what three items would I want to have with me? Or-- wouldn't life be easier if I lived on a deserted island! James Simmons clears up any fantisies we might have regarding deserted islands, and it is not a pretty picture. I loved this book so much, I wrote to the author--something I have never done before or since!

Cruising World praised this book: "How might you fare if a shipwreck landed you on a tropical island? Here are stories of real-life castaways, from Alexander Selkirk in the 1700's, the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, to Tom Neale, who, in the 20th century, preferred solitary island life and became "The Hermit of Suwarrow."