True Crime / Life Books

[formerlyfreedom]

I just read this book in an afternoon: 'Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of The Dvatlov Pass Incident'. Now, what you have to understand about me is that I've been a true crime/true story freak since I was very young. My high school library had a big ole book called 'Disasters' that I spent study periods examining that book in depth. Mudslides, plane crashes, earthquake, avalanches, fires, hurricanes, tsunamis, you name it, I'm freaking fascinated.

So this book is about the mysterious death of nine hikers in the Ural Mountains in February of 1959. It's well done, and I'm thinking of searching out some of the referenced materials/other books on the topic (I don't like to stop at one book; I want more opinions, because I'm insane apparently?) Does any one else out there suffer from this sort of 'MUST. READ. MORE.' And, the most important question, can somebody help me find that updated big book of disasters?!?!?

Edited May 31, 2015 by Athena

[clemmyb]

Okay, so Dvatlov Pass.  I haven't read the book you devoured, but I have read a bit about the incident, mostly because I'm a huge unsolved mysteries fan (I'm speaking about the concept here, and not the eponymous TV show) and it's come up in different places.  Have you listened to or read the Skeptoid podcast about the incident?  You can read the transcript of the podcast here.  I always like to read as much as I can about a mystery and then listen to the Skeptoid podcast, because it keeps me grounded (and often bums me out).

I too suffer from the "must read more" syndrome.  Whenever I finish reading anything that leaves questions in my mind, I have to seek out other sources.

So, what do YOU think happened on that mountain?

(I did a little searching but can't find the Disasters book you mentioned.  Do you remember anything else about it that might narrow it down?)

[formerlyfreedom]

Thanks for directing me to the Skeptoid podcast! The book actually does a really decent job of not giving credence to many of the more bizarre theories out there, and I think the author's belief and explanation is actually pretty rooted in some science - fairly new science that's still developing, but still, it wasn't little green men. The Skeptoid explanation is fairly solid as well. It was quite fascinating that the author was able to meet and interview the tenth hiker (the one who turned back due to illness). And it sounds like the remnants of Soviet paranoia and fear are alive and well in the Ural mountains. I'm definitely going to be looking for a few more books on this story to balance out!

So, what do YOU think happened on that mountain?

For the record, I think either Eichar's or Skeptoid's explanation, or some combination of both, are the most likely cause.

(I did a little searching but can't find the Disasters book you mentioned.  Do you remember anything else about it that might narrow it down?)

The Disaster book was old when I was in high school, so by now it's probably dust... I did find a promising new Encyclopedia of Disasters for the low low price of $164.95, so I'll keep looking!

[Athena]

This is your thread for discussing true crime/life books.

[editorgrrl]

From the true crime TV thread:

I'm in the mood to read some true crime this summer while traveling. Any suggestions? I used to like Ann Rule, but I haven't even finished the last book I got of hers. Do y'all have any favorite true crime authors or books about specific cases that were particularly interesting?

[Joe]

One interesting book I've read is El Narco by Ioan Grillo, about the Mexican drug war. A few years out of date now, some players have fallen and some others have emerged. But it still gives a good overview of how it started, how it escalated, what's at stake, and the means and methods of the players.

[psychoticstate]

From the true crime TV thread: I'm in the mood to read some true crime this summer while traveling. Any suggestions? I used to like Ann Rule, but I haven't even finished the last book I got of hers. Do y'all have any favorite true crime authors or books about specific cases that were particularly interesting?

 

I like Ann Rule's older books; I haven't enjoyed her newer ones quite so much.  I also like Jerry Bledsoe, although I think he retired from writing true crime.  But he does have a few excellent ones out there, notably "Before He Wakes" and "Bitter Blood." 

 

I will always recommend Joe McGinniss' "Fatal Vision", one of the best true crime books out there in my humble opinion and a classic.  Another classic is "Helter Skelter", if you haven't read that.  "Restless Souls" was published a year or so ago and has an interesting look at what the Manson crimes did to the Tate family.

 

Caitlin Rother writes some excellent narrative nonfiction true crime - - much more psychological studies than glorifying violence. 

 

I was fascinated with "Devil in the White City" and "Devil's Knot" (story about the West Memphis 3.) 

[Sharpie66]

A book about the mob in Cuba that I just loved is Havana Nocturne. I bought it after seeing the author on The Daily Show when it was published a few years back. It's a really entertainingly told history of how the U.S. mob (mostly Meyer Lansky and his cronies) set up show in Cuba in the 1940s and '50s, and their story is paralleled with the rise of Castro in the 1950s, culminating in his takeover of the country. I had an already-existing interest in the topic, since my BIL was born there and his family fled in 1962, right before Castro shut down any emigration. (His older sister actually saw Castro fairly regularly, at least in passing--his mistress lived on her street, and his security guys would shut everything down while he was getting some afternoon nookie.)

[MargeGunderson]

I enjoyed Errol Morris' A Wilderness of Errors which is another look at the Jeffrey MacDonald case. Morris wasn't a fan of Fatal Vision so it might be interesting to read both books and see who's most convincing.

Edited June 2, 2015 by MargeGunderson

[psychoticstate]

I enjoyed Errol Morris' A Wilderness of Errors which is another look at the Jeffrey MacDonald case. Morris wasn't a fan of Fatal Vision so it might be interesting to read both books and see who's most convincing.

 

There are many problems with Wilderness of Error although it is an interesting read.  While there may have been issues with the judge in MacDonald's trial, I still believe him guilty.  I also think Helena Stoeckley was a drug-addled, easily coerced woman who had nothing to do with the murders. 

 

For me, the biggest "tell" for MacDonald's guilt is the fact that he not only lived, after his pregnant wife and two little girls were butchered, but had no real life threatening injuries.  He had one - - ONE - - potentially serious stab wound that would have been difficult to sustain in the seated position he claimed, that was clean and precise, while his family suffered many, many vicious wounds. 

 

Additionally, his neighbors reported they could hear loud conversations at times but did not hear a life and death struggle going on that, per MacDonald's story, would have involved a minimum of four drugged out intruders plus the four members of the MacDonald family. 

 

I would suggest reading the transcript of MacDonald's Article 32 hearing.  It can be a bit tedious in spots but it was taken just a few months after the murders and it's very telling.  MacDonald complains that his wife kept the house messy and the kitchen drawers were a mess - - who would be thinking of things like that just two or three months after your family is massacred?  He also speaks of the alleged intruders in a normal way - - "a man", " a woman" but when speaking of the telephone operator who was trying to ascertain whether or not he was on base in order to send help, he says "the asshole operator."  It just doesn't add up.

 

His cocky behavior at his 1979 trial also helped to put him behind bars and paint him very unsympathetically.

 

McGinniss' Fatal Vision may not be perfect but it tells a more unbiased look than Morris' version does IMO.   If you do read it, report back and let me know what you think!

Edited June 2, 2015 by psychoticstate

[AuntiePam]

Stacey, I love disaster books too -- natural or manmade.  It's fascinating to see how it happened, why, how people coped, or didn't cope, and what steps were taken to prevent or mitigate the fallout.

 

Some good ones:

 

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson -- you will never take clean drinking water for granted again

 

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan -- I think this won a Pulitzer

 

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly -- there's actually some humor in this one, as Kelly takes digs at public officials and the science of the time

 

Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival by Dean King -- not a disaster per se, but a true account of sailors shipwrecked on the west coast of Africa in 1815 (they were sold to slavers)

 

Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park by Lee Whittlesey, another not-disaster but an eye-opener about how stupid we can be in dangerous places

 

The Great Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan

 

And one whose title I've forgotten, about a firestorm in Hinckley, Minnesota

[Mrs. P.]

As for disaster books, I highly recommend Into Thin Air by journalist Jon Krakauer. It's the true story of what happened to a group of mountain climbers trying to summit Mt. Everest in 1997. The narrative is compelling, the characters are well drawn, the atmosphere is breathtaking. I've gone back and reread it several times, something I rarely do.

[psychoticstate]

Vincent Bugliosi (Manson prosecutor and author of "Helter Skelter") has died.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/09/us/feat-vincent-bugliosi-dead/

[bubbls]

"Night of the Grizzlies" by Jack Olsen. True story of two women attacked and killed by grizzlies on the same night within four hours of each other but In different parts of Glacier National Park in August of 1967. The odds are incalculable. I was skeptical about the author's ability to turn the story into a book, but it was compelling. I'm about to read it for the third time.

Mrs. P, I've read "Into Thin Air"several times too. Great book!

[GreekGeek]

I don't read a lot of true crime, but a recent book I found horrifyingly compelling was See How Much You Love Me by Amber Hunt, about a Florida teenager who murders his parents and then throws a party as they lie dead in their bedroom. It's different from the Menendez brothers case in that there wasn't even a suspicion of abuse on the part of the parents--the kid comes off as a true monster.

 

For the reverse--a parent killing children--there's Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule. It was made into a TV movie a while back, with Farrah Fawcett as the murderous mom.

 

Jon Krakauer was mentioned above. I really enjoyed his Into the Wild. I had previously seen the movie, but Chris McCandless comes off as much less foolish and naive in the book. I had the sense that Krakauer changed his mind about him since the first edition of the book.

[Crs97]

Into Thin Air is an incredible book. The Perfect Storm is also very well-written. Both are disturbing, but I am glad to have read them.

[bubbls]

I enjoyed "The Perfect Storm" as well. "Seabiscuit" is another that's well written.

 

 

 

Jon Krakauer was mentioned above. I really enjoyed his Into the Wild. I had previously seen the movie, but Chris McCandless comes off as much less foolish and naive in the book. I had the sense that Krakauer changed his mind about him since the first edition of the book.

 

That's funny because I seem to remember getting the opposite impression, although it's been years since I read the book. It's possible I read a version that wasn't updated. If there is a version that's updated, that is. I'm sure starvation isn't pleasant, but dying all alone out there must have been awful too.

Edited June 24, 2015 by bubbls

[Yokosmom]

I'm convinced that McCandless had some sort of mental breakdown.  Not that he was insane, but that his thinking was disordered.  His naivete certainly bordered on mental illness.  But he was also trying to test himself, I think.

 

Currently reading Devil's Knot about the West Memphis 3 case.  Very well written, but I can only read a chapter or so at a time, as the whole situation makes me so angry.  

[bubbls]

I'm convinced that McCandless had some sort of mental breakdown.  Not that he was insane, but that his thinking was disordered.  His naivete certainly bordered on mental illness.  But he was also trying to test himself, I think

 

 

I agree completely. I think his mental health was questionable long before he got stranded in that bus. My impression was this was a long, drawn-out, subconscious suicide. He changed his mind towards the end, but it was too late by then. It's a tragedy he didn't get help psychiatrically and/or chemically. I feel sorry for his family most of all though. They're the ones left with the scars.

 

I just discovered his sister has written a book detailing their abusive home life. Not feeling so sorry for his parents now!

Edited June 28, 2015 by bubbls

[AuntiePam]

The Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King, won the Pulitzer for non-fiction in 2013.  It's about Thurgood Marshall and his defense of black men falsely accused of rape in Florida.

 

It reads like a combination biography and true crime, really well done, riveting.  I'm learning a lot.

 

One thing that surprised me (an eye-opener) is that juries (white men) in the South didn't automatically find black defendants guilty.  The book starts with an account of 21 men accused of attacking white police officers in a "riot".  All were acquitted.  I'm going "Damn, maybe things weren't that bad", but then we learn that Marshall barely escaped with his life after the trial.

[psychoticstate]

For the reverse--a parent killing children--there's Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule. It was made into a TV movie a while back, with Farrah Fawcett as the murderous mom.

 

 

 

Ann Rule's earlier books were fantastic.  Small Sacrifices was particularly good and FF turned in a great performance.

 

 

Currently reading Devil's Knot about the West Memphis 3 case.  Very well written, but I can only read a chapter or so at a time, as the whole situation makes me so angry.  

 

Devil's Knot is very well written and yes, very infuriating.  Mara Leveritt also wrote Dark Spell, with Jason Baldwin, about his conviction and incarceration.  Very galling to read what a 16 year old went through in prison and how his own mother wasn't told where he was for two weeks.   Ms. Leveritt also wrote The Boys on the Tracks, another case of Arkansas corruption.  

[Yokosmom]

Finished Devil's Knot. The fact that the prosecutor, police and judge still see nothing wrong in their investigation and the trial was particularly galling.  Books like this reaffirm my opposition to the death penalty--not because some people don't deserve it, but because it is much easier than people think to convict an innocent person.   

 

OK.  Off soapbox now.

 

Vincent Bugliosi (Manson prosecutor and author of "Helter Skelter") has died.

 

I first read Helter Skelter when I was 12 (scared the hell out of me---that, and the tv movie).  I recently re-read it and it still holds up.  The book that came out last year, Manson, was also quite good and can be considered a companion piece to HS.  It covers Manson's childhood and his family situation (and no, his mother wasn't a prostitute that traded him away for a beer like he claimed). It also covers in great depth the formation of the Manson Family and his repeated attempts to break into the music business. In reality, he had more connections and demo help than most people back in that era. It's my impression that the Helter Skelter theory of the case is now viewed as just one of many factors that led to the murders.

 

On a more cheerful note, reading Ron Chernow's Hamilton, in preparation for seeing the musical this fall. Hamilton's energy exhausts me--he went from being a penniless orphan in the Caribbean to George Washington's right hand man during the Revolution over the course of just a few years.  And that was just for starters. Not near finished yet.

 

And on the theme of survival stories, has anyone read Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad? He survived a plane crash on a snowy mountain as an 11 year old.  Most of the book is about his father, who pushed him to take risks and excel at surfing and skiing.  His father unwittingly gave him the survival skills to survive the crash and make his way down the mountain.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Yokosmom

[glowlights]

Caitlin Rother writes some excellent narrative nonfiction true crime - - much more psychological studies than glorifying violence. 

 

Rother is purportedly writing a book about the McStay murders. Hope she owns a pair of hip waders, she'll need them. :/

 

 

Some true crime recommendations. I found all three of these to be very well-written and hard to put down:

 

Lost Girls - An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker

A fairly damning account of the investigation into the Long Island Serial Killer and the way the victims may have been failed by law enforcement's (and society's) view of one of our most vulnerable populations. Kolker takes the stories of five slain women who were "just prostitutes" and treats like them thinking, feeling human beings who are equally deserving of justice.

 

American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, The Birth Of The "It" Girl, And The Crime Of The Century by Paula Uruburu

I've been fascinated by the story of Evelyn Nesbit ever since she was introduced as a character in E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime. This account of Nesbit's terrible upbringing and exploitation, early success as international "It" girl, and the fatal shooting of Stanford White by Nesbit's husband, Harry K Thaw, could easily have read like a lurid Sidney Sheldon paperback, but imo Uruburu handled the material very well. One of those "stranger than fiction" tales.

 

The Shark Net by Robert Drewe

Part coming-of-age memoir, part ode to the Western Australia of yore, part true crime thriller. Drewe grew up in Perth and lived through the reign of terror of serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke (one of Drewe's own friends became a victim). If you're looking for a simple, straightforward account of Cooke's crimes this isn't it, but it was a great read, and I was really compelled by Drewe's first-person perspective on how residents' daily lives were affected by the spree - the story behind the story, if you will.

[Yokosmom]

Rother is purportedly writing a book about the McStay murders. Hope she owns a pair of hip waders, she'll need them. :/

 

Oh!  I've been following this case for years.  Thanks so much for mentioning this. I hope that the book covers the trial. Agree about the hip waders--for a seemingly decent, laid back guy, Joseph McStay was surrounded by grifters and family members who seemed to go out of their way to act suspiciously.  There were a LOT of suspects in the disappearance/murders.

[hendersonrocks]

Lost Girls - An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker

 

I just picked this up from the library last week! In the same trip I picked up Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Levoy, and am excited to read that too (despite my general distaste for the term in the title).

 

Ditto, ditto to the Krakauer recommendations above. Into Thin Air & Into the Wild are two of the books that I can pick up and read at any time. I don't think I can do that with his others, though...while good - like Where Men Win Glory & his new one, Missoula - they're just too heavy.

 

The heaviest true crime/life read I've ever had, however, was Columbine by Dave Cullen. I was just about catatonic after that one. Glad I read it; never again.

[bubbls]

Columbine by Dave Cullen had a lot of misrepresentations in it. The other book on the subject that came out at the same time is far more factual and unbiased.

[Yokosmom]

bubbls--what was the title of the other Columbine book? I've read the Cullen book.  What misrepresentations did he make?  One of the main things that I pulled from the book was how much the media had gotten the story wrong.  Also how some of the victims had false memories of what happened (judging by the security cameras in the school).

 

The heaviest true crime/life read I've ever had, however, was Columbine by Dave Cullen. I was just about catatonic after that one. Glad I read it; never again.

 

This was an event that would be devastating to read about no matter how the book was written.  Just so awful, all the way around.

[bubbls]

bubbls--what was the title of the other Columbine book? I've read the Cullen book. What misrepresentations did he make? One of the main things that I pulled from the book was how much the media had gotten the story wrong. Also how some of the victims had false memories of what happened (judging by the security cameras in the school.

Mostly he misrepresented Dylan Klebold as far more sympathetic than he should have been. Yes, he was severely depressed, but he killed approximately the same amount of people as Eric Harris (13 were killed and they were split almost evenly between the two killers). Dylan also mocked the victims, terrorized them, and laughed and enjoyed himself. To read the author's website you definitely don't get this sympathetic impression of Dylan so maybe the book was just badly edited. But it's a theme throughout the book so if it's editing it's the whole book.

A minor misrepresentation is Eric Harris was a stud who got laid a lot. Pfft. There may be more but it's been years since I read the book. I also downloaded and read all the thousands of pages JeffCo released back then. I fell into the abyss and got pretty obsessed with it for about a year.

Overall the book is good. Edited to say his site is great along with acolumbinesite.com. The second site will give a true read of Dylan IMO. I did enjoy Cullen's book, however, anyone reading it needs to take all things about Dylan with a huge grain of salt. The things you mentioned are true; the media got it wrong and memories were flawed. Both are to be expected.

The other book is Columbine:A True Crime Story by Jeff Kass. These two along with No Easy Answers by Brooks Brown give a casual but thorough look at the situation.

Edited July 1, 2015 by bubbls

[hendersonrocks]

I did enjoy Cullen's book, however, anyone reading it needs to take all things about Dylan with a huge grain of salt.

 

That makes sense, now that I think back to it. Cullen did put a lot of weight on the complete psychopath that Eric was - and time into breaking down what psychopathy actually is, if I remember correctly - and did make it seem a bit like Dylan was more or less an impressionable kid along for the ride. 

 

Thanks for the other recommendations. I might work up the fortitude to read more about Columbine one of these days.

[glowlights]

Oh!  I've been following this case for years.  Thanks so much for mentioning this. I hope that the book covers the trial. Agree about the hip waders--for a seemingly decent, laid back guy, Joseph McStay was surrounded by grifters and family members who seemed to go out of their way to act suspiciously.  There were a LOT of suspects in the disappearance/murders.

 

From her recent post it seems she will be following the trial. Let's hope it results in a great book:

https://wildbluepress.com/mcstay-murder-case-moves-trial-questions-remain/

Before I commit myself to writing a true crime book on a specific case, I must weigh many factors, including the logistical challenges of covering a trial as well as the strength of the prosecution’s case. But by the end of the prelim yesterday, when the judge listed all the factors that persuaded him to hold Merritt over for trial, I was convinced that this story is most definitely book worthy.

 

I recall having a very sad, heavy reaction to Cullen's book on Columbine, although I thought it was very well-written. And then I watched a relative of one of the victims reduce the whole crime into the victims being specifically martyred for their Christianity, which turned my stomach. And then later I heard Chris Rock's take on it, and call me cold but I felt like the voice of reason had arrived. :/ I'm interested to learn more now about inaccuracies in Cullen's account, so thank you for the other recommendations, bubbls.

 

Will check out Ghettoside (what a title).

[Mountainair]

Based on recommendations here I picked up Into Thin Air (for my husband, turned out he's already read it and loved it) and The Worst Hard Time for myself. I look forward to reading it as soon as I finish my current selection!

My husband can rarely get to the library so I try my best to pick books for him to read. He is definitely a real life story reader, particularly WWII and survival stories. Keep these recommendations coming and TIA!

[bubbls]

 

I'm interested to learn more now about inaccuracies in Cullen's account, so thank you for the other recommendations, bubbls.

 

You're welcome. :) Below is the article on acolumbinesite.com that goes into Dylan not being an innocent sheeple (once you read further down). After studying it for so long my conclusion was simply that Eric's motivation was to kill and Dylan's motivation was to die. Eric was willing to die in order to kill and Dylan was willing to kill in order to die.

 

http://www.acolumbinesite.com/dylan.html

 

I'm sure I know which relative you're talking about. The killers were equal opportunity haters. They hated. Period.

 

I'm not familiar with Chris Rock's comments. I'm off to look them up (I agree with him. Exactly!). I know I enjoyed his YouTube commentary on (I think) Ferguson. The man has a brain and he uses it.

Edited July 2, 2015 by bubbls

[hendersonrocks]

My husband can rarely get to the library so I try my best to pick books for him to read. He is definitely a real life story reader, particularly WWII and survival stories. Keep these recommendations coming and TIA!

 

This made me think of the most powerful book I've read so far this year, which is The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. It's about, unsurprisingly, the life of Rob Peace - a truly brilliant young man from Newark, NJ. The author was Peace's roommate at Yale, so it's personal but still removed...he's an affluent white guy writing about his African American roommate who grew up in poverty and was murdered before age 30, and he obviously had to do a lot of research to learn more about the life and death of his friend. I highly, highly recommend it.

[Bunty]

Based on recommendations here I picked up Into Thin Air (for my husband, turned out he's already read it and loved it) and The Worst Hard Time for myself. I look forward to reading it as soon as I finish my current selection!

My husband can rarely get to the library so I try my best to pick books for him to read. He is definitely a real life story reader, particularly WWII and survival stories. Keep these recommendations coming and TIA!

 

Krakauer also wrote Eiger Dreams: Ventures among Men and Mountains. 

 

He might also enjoy High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places by David Breashears.

 

Review

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Possibly the most interesting aspect of this book is how improbable it seems that Breashears (Mountain Without Mercy) ever lived to write it. An accomplished alpinist, Breashears not only recounts his numerous, dicey ascents of the planets peaks but also explores his motivation for doing so. Though he is an experienced cinematographer whose past employers range from PBS to Hollywood, Breashears is most widely known as the director of the IMAX film Everest. While filming the movie, Breashears and his crew were fortunate to avoid the unforgiving storm at the mountains summit that led to the death of eight people and was chronicled in Jon Krakauers Into Thin Air. Breashears uses that tragic season on Everest as a frame for a personal memoir. The focus is on how he stepped out of the shadow of his violent military father and discovered his passions for climbing and filmmaking. Some of his psychology is simplistic, but there is no doubt that Breashears is as serious about understanding his actions as he is about succeeding in them. And there is no shortage of action, whether he is scaling a 1000-foot vertical rock or narrowly escaping being swept off a cliff by a runaway tonnage of snow. Though at times the book is self-aggrandizing, a little ego can be tolerated in this largely engrossing work, and is, perhaps, only to be expected from someone who has four times scrabbled up the ice and rocks of Everest to reach the top of the world.

 

While on the theme of climbing this might also be a good choice :

 

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

 

This is about the guy (Ralston) who from midday Saturday, April 26, 2003, until midday Thursday, May 1, was pinned between a boulder and a canyon wall in a remote area of Canyonlands National Park in Utah.  To save himself he cut off his arm.  This was also made into a movie.

[glowlights]

My husband can rarely get to the library so I try my best to pick books for him to read. He is definitely a real life story reader, particularly WWII and survival stories. Keep these recommendations coming and TIA!

 

Has he read Isaac's Storm or Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of The Lusitania? Both by Erik Larson, who wrote Devil In The White City. Neither of them are survival stories, per se, but interesting history (imo) and really terrific writing. Here are the summaries from Amazon, in case either sound like they might interest your husband:

 

Isaac's Storm:

September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange deep-sea swells and peculiar winds that greeted the city that morning. Mere hours later, Galveston found itself submerged in a monster hurricane that completely destroyed the town and killed over six thousand people in what remains the greatest natural disaster in American history--and Isaac Cline found himself the victim of a devestating personal tragedy.

Using Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, Erik Larson builds a chronicle of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude. Riveting, powerful, and unbearably suspenseful, Isaac's Storm is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets the great uncontrollable force of nature.

 

Dead Wake:

On May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, German U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack.

Germany, however, was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence unit tracked Schwieger’s U-boat, but told no one. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and achingly small—hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more—all converged to produce one of the great disasters of history.

It is a story that many of us think we know but don’t, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love.

Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster whose intimate details and true meaning have long been obscured by history.

 

(edited to correct spelling)

Edited July 3, 2015 by glowlights

[smittykins]

For the reverse--a parent killing children--there's Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule. It was made into a TV movie a while back, with Farrah Fawcett as the murderous mom.

Along the same lines--and also by Ann Rule--is "Bitter Harvest," about Dr. Debora Green, who set fire to her house, killing two of her three children(her older daughter escaped through her bedroom window), and also poisoned her estranged husband several times with ricin, which he barely survived.

[Crs97]

Isaac's Storm is a wonderful book. I grew up in a small town between Houston and Galveston, and the effects of that storm still resonate there today. Edited July 4, 2015 by Crs97

[Bunty]

Here's a great list done by National Geographic

 

Extreme Classics: The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time

[Black Knight]

Below is the article on acolumbinesite.com that goes into Dylan not being an innocent sheeple (once you read further down). After studying it for so long my conclusion was simply that Eric's motivation was to kill and Dylan's motivation was to die. Eric was willing to die in order to kill and Dylan was willing to kill in order to die.

Actually, your conclusion is exactly what I got out of Dave Cullen's Columbine. I didn't feel he portrayed Dylan Klebold as an innocent sheeple at all; just that, on his own, he probably eventually would have committed suicide without killing a bunch of other people in the process, because his main motivation was to die. Eric Harris had an effect on him, yes, but it wouldn't have taken root if there hadn't been a part of Klebold who was interested in killing other people, in the idea of making his suicide really memorable. Acknowledging Harris had an effect on Klebold isn't the same as Klebold being an innocent sheeple.

[bubbls]

"Over The Edge: Death in Grand Canyon" (by Michael P. Ghiglieri, Thomas M. Myers) is a great book. I picked this up at the library out of curiosity and was immediately enthralled. Who knew there were so many intentional/accidental/questionable deaths at the Grand Canyon! Very interesting.

 

Black Knight, I agree regarding Harris' effect on Kelbold and the potential outcome had they not gotten together, but we'll have to agree to disagree on Cullen's portrayal of Dylan. I got the distinct impression there was some projection going on with Cullen regarding Dylan.

[kattybiz]

Going back to mountaineering books....I've loved all of Ed Viesturs' books.  He has one on his quest to climb the 14 8,000 meter peaks, then one each on Everest, K2, and Annapurna.  He was also part of Brashears' team on Everest for the IMAX film.

[Crs97]

Was he the one on his honeymoon who climbed without extra oxygen? I can't decide if he is amazing or crazy (not mutually exclusive, I know).

[kattybiz]

He didn't climb on his honeymoon that I can remember (although his wife Paula was in base camp for the 1996 Everest disaster), but he does climb without supplemental oxygen most of the time.  He only uses it if he's guiding other people.

 

I think he's one of the less crazy ones out there....his big mantra is "Getting to the top is optional, getting down is mandatory."  He's turned back from quite a few summits because he didn't think he could make it back.

[hendersonrocks]

This isn't a book, but is a rather good online long read about a 2010 climbing trip-turned-tragedy in the Tetons. The Viesturs quote about "getting down is mandatory" (I could live with that being more people's mantra) reminded me of it. 

[bubbls]

Going back to mountaineering books....I've loved all of Ed Viesturs' books.  He has one on his quest to climb the 14 8,000 meter peaks, then one each on Everest, K2, and Annapurna.  He was also part of Brashears' team on Everest for the IMAX film.

 

 

You know, I just couldn't get into his autobiography, which surprised me as I'm a rabid armchair adventurer with high altitude climbing being my favorite subject. The Imax film is very interesting, by the way. Especially knowing what happened that year.

 

The books on the discovery of George Mallory's body on the north side are very interesting. I thought I'd read another one but I can't find the title.

 

*Ghosts of Everest by by Jochen Hemmleb

*Detectives on Everest: The 2001 Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition by Jochen Hemmleb and Eric Simonson

*The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mount Everest by Conrad Anker and David Roberts

Edited July 9, 2015 by bubbls

[bubbls]

 

Lost Girls - An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker

A fairly damning account of the investigation into the Long Island Serial Killer and the way the victims may have been failed by law enforcement's (and society's) view of one of our most vulnerable populations. Kolker takes the stories of five slain women who were "just prostitutes" and treats like them thinking, feeling human beings who are equally deserving of justice.

 

I picked this up at the library yesterday, and I'm already halfway through it. I've never been convinced Shannan Gilbert was a victim of the serial killer, although there were no drugs found in her system which was my theory till that came out. I hope he goes into this further. Sad how similar the backgrounds of these victims are.

[callie lee 29]

My favorite non-fiction/true crime book of all time is Homicide: A year on the Killing Streets by David Simon, I normally end up re-reading it once a year. It's not necessarily about one specific crime/criminal, but a year a Baltimore Sun reporter spent with the Homicide division in Baltimore.

 

Does anyone remember the McMartin preschool trials in the 80's? When I was in middle school I think I read a book from my library about this. I still rememebr this book and the accusations, it was just so vivid and descriptive. Maybe I just read it at a certain time, but that book has stuck with me more than alomost any other and I'm almost 40. I can't remember the name of the book though.

[Angeltoes]

Ann Rule has died.

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2015/07/27/seattle-true-crime-writer-ann-rule-dies/30744985/

[kathyk24]

That's so sad. I loved her books especially And never let her and The stranger beside me.

[NewDigs]

Ann Rule has died.

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2015/07/27/seattle-true-crime-writer-ann-rule-dies/30744985/

Sad.

One of the best. Her book Small Sacrifices kind of got me started reading True Crime books. And though the partner sometimes gives me the side-eye, lol, it's a more educational genre than most realize. The judicial system; it is sometimes broke!

But Ann Rule showed such pathos and sympathy for the victims and those left behind that she really elevated what could have been just gruesome, sad stories into knowledge of real people impacted by horrific events.

RIP