Last Breath: Cautionary Tales from the Limits of Human Endurance

I first read this book over five years ago. I could NOT put it down! These are part fiction part true short stories of the many ways one can take ones LAST BREATH - literally. For some reason I started in the middle with the drowning story. A blow by blow clinical description of what goes on in your body as you drown. Facinating! Each story is pretty much about people taking chances and risking their lives for different reasons;mountain climbing, cycling, scuba diving,or just being caught out in the cold, - some recover - but some wind up taking their Last Breath. As you read it you know exactly how it happens. I've read it three times. Great read -especially to the layperson who may not know strenuous sports or the extremes a human body can withstand.

While one reviewer did not like this book at all, I can't agree with him that the characters were not engaging. Even though it is hard to create characters who are only in one situation, and who mostly die at the end of the story, I think the authour succeeded in showing interesting characters. Given the main purpose of the book was to show the physiological ways of death, I was glad the authour didn't focus on creating deep character studies. That would distract from the reason I personally bought the book - to learn about the human body, and how it can die. I am now reading this book again, and don't regret buying it at all.

This book is one of the best I've read in a long time. To the first reviewer, he clearly didn't understand this book, as is shown by the following reviews. The author is brilliant, after the chapter on thirst I went to the fridge and drank two sodas right away. The writing is intelligent, you don't get the feeling he's trying to dumb it down to the lowest common denominator. There is just enough medical information to make you understand what is going on physically, but not overwhelm you. I highly, highly suggest you read this book.

I first read a chapter of this book in paddler magazine and the way Peter Stark described the drowning of a kayaker (Chapter 2: A River of One's Own) in detail right down to the amounts of oxygen remaining in his lungs at various periods of time. The entire book is written as en ewcellent blend of fact and fiction and while the scenarios are not true they are composites of true stories, and some of Stark's imagination, which gives them a realism that pure fiction can't match. The facts Stark gives are sound, he obviously did his homework and he even gives a bibliography so you can check out some of his sources. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get outside.

I just bought this book yesterday, and have been unable to put it down since then. It's an edge of your seat book and I highly recommend it to anyone who is involved in sports of any kind. It really makes you think. Highly recommended!!!