How It Feels to Be Attcked by a Shark

This interesting Australian import collects stories of people who have found themselves in life-and-death situations...and survived. The 37 accounts range from being caught in an avalanche to being shot in the heart with a nail gun, rescuing a child from a flooded drain to being caught in a cyclone, weighing 500 pounds to giving birth to quintuplets, being brainwashed by a cult to losing everything in a fire. It makes for fascinating, compelling reading. The stories found in this book first appeared in the 'How It Feels' section of THE AGE newspaper. They run six to ten pages. While most deal with horrifying events, a few are more lighthearted, such as the chapter on being an Animal Psychic! What I found most interesting about this book is the underlying Australian "No worries, mate" mentality that permeates all the stories. It seems no matter how awful the event - the being bitten by a shark chapter takes the cake! - these wonderful men and women kept their chins up and pressed on. By turn these stories are shocking, funny and amazing. They show ordinary human beings caught in extraordinary situations not only surviving but triumphing! A good read, an uplifting read. Recommended.

How It Feels to be Attacked by a Shark is an illuminating (and often horrifying) look into about some of the most extreme life-or-death situations. You most likely will never be stroke by lightning, or lose a leg, but these tales are amazing, and if nothing else make you appreciate life a little more.