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by Gary Paulsen
This Newberry Award-winning book looks at the rite of passage of a young Eskimo boy, as he tries to escape the mechanical modern ways of life and goes out into the wilds with traditional dog sleds in search of life's meaning, and to find his own song. Touching tale, beautifully written, rich in description but yet concise, compact, crisp and precisely told. Paulsen's language itself has a magic of its own, resulting in great story-telling. Maybe because Paulsen is evoking his own experiences of having been there; this author is amazing because he never writes about a place unless he has been there and lived through it!
by Gary Paulsen
Fictional story of 16-year-old Brian Robeson who has to survive his parents' messy divorce and then an unexpected turn in the wilderness when his plane crashes. Successfully filmed in 1990 as A Cry in the Wild, Paulsen's graphic and detailed descriptions of Brian's adventures demonstrate a deep familiarity and connection to the wilderness; and in fact the author has spent much of his life in the bush, living almost entirely off the land. Brian's experiences in nature parallel his growing independence and maturity; readers who don't feel like they "fit in" will easily relate to the young protagonist's search for identity and purity. Paulsen has written a few sequels to Brian's life; The Return, The River, Brian's Winter and most recently Brian's Return. (This is not a survival manual but it will inevitably help you how to think and get the right approach to survival in your own unique settings, situations and surroundings, if ever you are stranded!)
by William Golding (Nobel literature prize winner)
Classic tale of group of young boys, who although comes from a "civilised" society, turns beastly when their plane crashes and they are left stranded alone in an island, with no grownups--and no rules. Golding is a master storyteller, careful in his choice of words he employs to bring out the full impact of this tale of how the beast in all of us comes out when we are left stranded in raw nature. A masterpiece. A true classic.
by Homer Hickam Jr.
The autobiographical story of Homer Hickam Jr. traces the events and people who helped shape the childhood of the author in his quest to escape the life of small town and pursue his life's most ambitious dream--sending rockets into the sky. He ultimately went on to become an engineer at NASA. Originally published as Rocket Boys, and now a major movie starring Chris Cooper, the book is well-written, and similar in story-telling to that of Boy's Life, which is my favourite book of all time. I was truly inspired and feeling immensely satisfied inside after reading October Sky. It really is a feel-good book and had a great emotional and sentimental impact on me. It is a torch of hope for people who dare to dream big dreams. (Hickam has released two sequels to October Sky, titled The Coalwood Way and Sky of Stone, making his autobiography a trilogy. The Coalwood Way was a great read and had elements of October Sky-ness which made it another feel-good book. I am dying to get my hands on Sky of Stone which I am sure will give me one more shot at experiencing the life and ways of Coalwood.)
