Thirteen Lessons that Saved Thirteen Lives: The Thai Cave Rescue - the daring mission in the BAFTA nominated documentary The Rescue
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- Create Date：2022-08-07 10:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：John Volanthen
- ISBN：0711266107
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Summary
READ ABOUT THE DARING MISSION DOCUMENTED IN THE AWARD-WINNING FILM， THE RESCUE， FROM THE MAN AT THE HEART OF THE SEARCH。
‘A profound and thrilling read。’ COLIN FARRELL
‘Riveting。。。a powerful story written by a hero who lived it。’ RON HOWARD， Oscar-winning director of Apollo 13
This is the thrilling account of the dramatic Thai cave rescue which saved the lives of thirteen people， from the diver who led the rescue。
In this first-hand account， John Volanthen reveals how he pushed the limits of human endurance in the life-or-death mission to rescue the Thai youth soccer team trapped in the flooded cave。
‘A profound and thrilling read。’ —COLIN FARRELL
‘Riveting。。。a powerful story written by a hero who lived it。’ —RON HOWARD， Oscar-winning director of Apollo 13
The world held its breath in 2018 when the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach went missing deep underground in the Tham Luang cave complex in northern Thailand。 They had been stranded by sudden， continuous monsoon rains while exploring the caves after practice。
With torrential rain pouring down and the waters still on the rise， an army of rescue teams and equipment was deployed， including Thai Navy SEALs， a US Air Force special tactics squadron， police sniffer dogs， drones and robots。 But it was British cave diver John Volanthen and his partner， Rick Stanton， who were first to reach the stranded team and who played a key role in their ultimate rescue。
As John’s light flickered from one boy to another， he called out， ‘How many of you？’ ‘Thirteen，’ a boy answered。 After 10 days trapped in desperate darkness， the boys and their coach were all alive。
Each chapter of Thirteen Lessons that Saved Thirteen Lives tells one part of the edge-of-your-seat mission from Tham Luang but also imparts a life lesson， gleaned from John’s previous rescues and record-breaking cave dives， that can be applied to everyday obstacles and challenges。
In this story of breathtaking courage and nerves of steel， John reveals how responding positively to the statement， ‘But I can’t…’ by stating， ‘I can，’ led to one of the most incredible rescues of all time。
He hopes that his story will inspire the superhero in you。 Meanwhile， he is always on standby for the next rescue。
‘A profound and thrilling read。’ COLIN FARRELL
‘Riveting。。。a powerful story written by a hero who lived it。’ RON HOWARD， Oscar-winning director of Apollo 13
This is the thrilling account of the dramatic Thai cave rescue which saved the lives of thirteen people， from the diver who led the rescue。
In this first-hand account， John Volanthen reveals how he pushed the limits of human endurance in the life-or-death mission to rescue the Thai youth soccer team trapped in the flooded cave。
‘A profound and thrilling read。’ —COLIN FARRELL
‘Riveting。。。a powerful story written by a hero who lived it。’ —RON HOWARD， Oscar-winning director of Apollo 13
The world held its breath in 2018 when the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach went missing deep underground in the Tham Luang cave complex in northern Thailand。 They had been stranded by sudden， continuous monsoon rains while exploring the caves after practice。
With torrential rain pouring down and the waters still on the rise， an army of rescue teams and equipment was deployed， including Thai Navy SEALs， a US Air Force special tactics squadron， police sniffer dogs， drones and robots。 But it was British cave diver John Volanthen and his partner， Rick Stanton， who were first to reach the stranded team and who played a key role in their ultimate rescue。
As John’s light flickered from one boy to another， he called out， ‘How many of you？’ ‘Thirteen，’ a boy answered。 After 10 days trapped in desperate darkness， the boys and their coach were all alive。
Each chapter of Thirteen Lessons that Saved Thirteen Lives tells one part of the edge-of-your-seat mission from Tham Luang but also imparts a life lesson， gleaned from John’s previous rescues and record-breaking cave dives， that can be applied to everyday obstacles and challenges。
In this story of breathtaking courage and nerves of steel， John reveals how responding positively to the statement， ‘But I can’t…’ by stating， ‘I can，’ led to one of the most incredible rescues of all time。
He hopes that his story will inspire the superhero in you。 Meanwhile， he is always on standby for the next rescue。
Reviews
Kylie
，
Narration and Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐John did an amazing job re-telling this incredible story of the cave rescue。 I really enjoyed hearing it from his point of view and no one can deny that all the people involved in this are absolute heroes for risking their own lives。 The only thing I personally didn't enjoy was the self help aspect， but that has more to do with me and my hatred for the self help genre especially when it's not from a medical professional。 Narration and Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐John did an amazing job re-telling this incredible story of the cave rescue。 I really enjoyed hearing it from his point of view and no one can deny that all the people involved in this are absolute heroes for risking their own lives。 The only thing I personally didn't enjoy was the self help aspect， but that has more to do with me and my hatred for the self help genre especially when it's not from a medical professional。 。。。more
Bert
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Interlinked business techniques to cave rescue planning。 An interesting view
Peta
，
An amazing recollection and insight into such an incredible story！ This book is quite engaging and reveals some of the inner workings and thought processes that went into saving those boys from the caves in Thailand
Jackie Ho
，
Incredible story and great pairing to the Rescue documentary that NatGeo recently released。 Others have written about this rescue， but Jonathan Volanthen is one of the TWO divers that were THE ONES to make this rescue happen。
Rob
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It is a good book to read。 But not as thrilling and gripping as I would have thought it would be。 But it provides lots of details and interesting facts which you would not be able to learn from the movie （this event is filmed by national geographic）
Chris Rands
，
Anyone reading this book near to its release date will remember vividly the media coverage that surrounded this unique rescue cave diving operation of the 13 boys from the Thai caves of Tham Luang。 It is a gripping read from one of key the British divers， that describes not only the rescue， but also the planning， atmosphere， and politics outside the caves in those tense and chaotic days before the boy were finally extracted。 It is not without tragedy unfortunately， as a Thai Navy Seal， Saman Kun Anyone reading this book near to its release date will remember vividly the media coverage that surrounded this unique rescue cave diving operation of the 13 boys from the Thai caves of Tham Luang。 It is a gripping read from one of key the British divers， that describes not only the rescue， but also the planning， atmosphere， and politics outside the caves in those tense and chaotic days before the boy were finally extracted。 It is not without tragedy unfortunately， as a Thai Navy Seal， Saman Kunan， lost his life while helping to re-stock supplies on a dive。 The actual rescue itself， carried out after the boys were sedated with Ketamine （a horse tranquilizer） to keep them calm， is breathtaking to read from this firsthand account。The text is also somewhat of a self-help book with the "Thirteen Lessons"- although the advice seems logical， for me， this didn't really add anything to the book and I hurried through the latter pages of each chapter to get back to the main plot of the rescue operations。 Nonetheless， the events are remarkable and I believe the book documents them very well， although probably with a subjective touch- a great read。 。。。more
Anne Mercer
，
OUTSTANDING！
Sean Peters
，
Thirteen Lessons that Saved Thirteen LovesThe amazing true story of the rescue of the twelve pupils and one teacher at the Thai Caves。John Volanthen began caving with the scouts at the age of 14 and is now a world record-holding British cave diver who has been at the forefront of underground rescue and exploration for over twenty years。 Best known as the first diver to locate and contact the missing youth Thai soccer team with his diving partner Rick Stanton， he also planned and participated in Thirteen Lessons that Saved Thirteen LovesThe amazing true story of the rescue of the twelve pupils and one teacher at the Thai Caves。John Volanthen began caving with the scouts at the age of 14 and is now a world record-holding British cave diver who has been at the forefront of underground rescue and exploration for over twenty years。 Best known as the first diver to locate and contact the missing youth Thai soccer team with his diving partner Rick Stanton， he also planned and participated in the children's rescue， carrying three children to safety。 John has been involved in search， rescue and recovery operations as well as mapping caves worldwide。 His many awards include the British and Commonwealth George Medal， Royal Humane Society Bronze medal and Scientific Exploration Society Pioneer with Purpose。 With a background in medical electronics， John has invented underwater mapping devices， communications systems and state of the art， micro rebreathers， allowing divers to stay underwater longer than was previously possible。 In 2005 at Wookey Hole in Somerset， Volanthen and Stanton advanced the British cave diving depth record to 90 m （295 ft）。 As part of an international team， he set a world record for the longest cave dive from the surface， reaching over 10km （33，000 ft） in the Pozo Azul cave system in the Rudrón Valley in Spain。 John lives in Bristol and continues to explore and document underwater caves throughout the world。 He is always on standby for the next rescue。So why do I review this book with only three stars。 A few reasons， but let me explain the true story the bravery， the task the massive accomplishment of the divers is an incredible story， but this book could have been much better。I often felt I was reading the autobiography of John Volanthen， his story， his life and not the Thai Caves rescue。 When you felt the story was building the author would start with "This reminds me of this rescue， so many years ago， and you lose where you were with the story。In fact so many rescues of this author are mentioned that maybe half the book is about the rescue of these children and teacher。I am not taking away the amazing job all the divers involved did an amazing rescue with a large team and help。This is just my observation reading this book， so three stars。 。。。more
Karen
，
I wanted to love it。 The idea of telling the amazing real life story of the cave rescues along with life lessons learned from repeated experiences of intense risk is so interesting。 But some of the detail and repetition got boring for me。
Ruth Edwards
，
Fantastic book that is truly inspiring。 I felt the book was well written and really highlighted the incredible work of the divers and so many others involved in the rescue attempt。 The author's humble account of the dangers and courage in the rescue was quite profound and I found myself thinking about this book long after reading the last page。 Fantastic book that is truly inspiring。 I felt the book was well written and really highlighted the incredible work of the divers and so many others involved in the rescue attempt。 The author's humble account of the dangers and courage in the rescue was quite profound and I found myself thinking about this book long after reading the last page。 。。。more
Antonia
，
I have learnt at least two things reading this book:1。 Cave diving is not for me2。 If grave accident should see me washed into a flooded cave， I hope that John and Rick are there to save me！Seriously though， this book gives a first-hand account of the nail-biting Thai cave rescue while John's exposition of his process and personal reflections give a refreshing alternative to the sensationalism surrounding the events in the press。Some of the writing style was not to my taste but each to their own I have learnt at least two things reading this book:1。 Cave diving is not for me2。 If grave accident should see me washed into a flooded cave， I hope that John and Rick are there to save me！Seriously though， this book gives a first-hand account of the nail-biting Thai cave rescue while John's exposition of his process and personal reflections give a refreshing alternative to the sensationalism surrounding the events in the press。Some of the writing style was not to my taste but each to their own。。。 mine is definitely warm， dry and above sea-level。 。。。more
Sarah
，
I really enjoyed this！ it's a bit of a crossover between a therapy book and a disaster movie， so was always going to be up my street， and it's cleverly done with just enough in-depth information to keep you hooked and invested but not so much that you feel bombarded or overwhelmed。 I especially loved how John's previous dives were woven in to the narrative， and I thought the set up of the thirteen lessons was really smart - the tone got it spot on too; this isn't a cheesy self-help manual but co I really enjoyed this！ it's a bit of a crossover between a therapy book and a disaster movie， so was always going to be up my street， and it's cleverly done with just enough in-depth information to keep you hooked and invested but not so much that you feel bombarded or overwhelmed。 I especially loved how John's previous dives were woven in to the narrative， and I thought the set up of the thirteen lessons was really smart - the tone got it spot on too; this isn't a cheesy self-help manual but contains practical and replicable insights into managing panic and tricky situations。 。。。more
Gabby
，
I entered and won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway。 This is not a genre in which I’d usually pick to read。 Although it took me longer to read， I throughly enjoyed this one！ John does a great job explaining any diving terms so that we can understand the context。 He also does an excellent job of providing diving and non-diving examples for each lesson。 I did not follow the original story of the Thai cave rescue but it was interesting to read about it from the authors perspective。 These thirt I entered and won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway。 This is not a genre in which I’d usually pick to read。 Although it took me longer to read， I throughly enjoyed this one！ John does a great job explaining any diving terms so that we can understand the context。 He also does an excellent job of providing diving and non-diving examples for each lesson。 I did not follow the original story of the Thai cave rescue but it was interesting to read about it from the authors perspective。 These thirteen lessons will be useful！ 。。。more
Kelly Louise
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Fascinating read。
Joseph
，
Three years ago （2018）， 12 Thai members of a boys’ soccer team got stranded by flood waters two miles in a cave。 It took nearly two weeks to find and rescue the boys and their coach。 A major player in that rescue， John Volanthen， has written THIRTEEN LESSONS THAT SAVED THRTEEN LIVES: THE THAI CAVE RESCUE。 It’s an excellent book on several levels。John Volanthen as a cave diver stays methodical and avoids as much as possible being emotional in his exploration and rescue efforts。 He wrote this book Three years ago （2018）， 12 Thai members of a boys’ soccer team got stranded by flood waters two miles in a cave。 It took nearly two weeks to find and rescue the boys and their coach。 A major player in that rescue， John Volanthen， has written THIRTEEN LESSONS THAT SAVED THRTEEN LIVES: THE THAI CAVE RESCUE。 It’s an excellent book on several levels。John Volanthen as a cave diver stays methodical and avoids as much as possible being emotional in his exploration and rescue efforts。 He wrote this book the same way – almost clinical， minimizing the emotional。 This National Geographic film preview clip VIDEO: National Geographic Debuts THE RESCUE Documentary Trailer （broadwayworld。com） shows that even the most clinical cannot diminish the impossible challenges these divers faced getting the boys。 There’s nature。 And， of course， there’s politics。 Even so， I got squeamish when Volanthen is about to shove a heavily sedated boy face first into the waters of a dark cave knowing he had to carry him about two miles on a three hour “swim” through all kinds of hazards。 Three pages later he admis he wished he hadn’t started it。 The task of getting the boy out alive seemed impossible even as he was doing it。Forty percent of the book is finding the boys。 Sixty percent is figuring out how to rescue them， and actually doing it。 They had to overcome a lot of human， shall we say， miscalculations and poor judgments。 One bit sticks with me。 Some Thai workers took a nap inside the cave and got caught in flood waters。 Volanthen and his partner purely by accident found them。 Rescuing them was going to be a challenge。 As they were ready to try， the workers refused to go until Volanthen and his partner retrieved the workers’ cellphones！ One of the most humanizing aspects of the book occurs when Volanthen arrives at the cave entrance and sees the boys’ bicycles there。 That these were simple， innocent。 young boys hit home hard。 All that is part of the book。 About half the book is life lessons that Volanthen had to resort to， often against more irresponsible peoples’ clamorings。 He illustrated them by incidents in his previous cave diving and rescue efforts， and how they were critical in rescuing the soccer team， and how the lessons can be applied in other situations。 I found I do most of them naturally， but some I’ll keep in mind for future times。I rate “Thirteen Lessons that Saved Thirteen Lives” five stars。 My only wish is Volanthen had given the young team’s young coach more credit for keeping the boys alive while waiting for a rescue that may never come。 。。。more
Sarah MacIntyre
，
Who can forget those days of the horror of those missing boy trapped in a cave。 This book was wonderful。 Written by a man part of that dramatic， brave rescue。 An inspirational， moving read。 I was fascinated。
Jaspal
，
Good， but suffers a bit when compared to the books by harris/challen and stanton。
Stevejs298
，
The genesis of my interest in this book was to learn more about the risk and that was certainly satisfied。 It was an amazing accomplishment that these boys were able to be found and safely rescued。 The portions of the book on the thirteen lessons were a real bonus。 I had not expected to be interested in them。 But， ultimately found them interesting and potentially helpful in any number of situations。 Nothing that is ever going to get me into cave diving though！ Even reading this book from the saf The genesis of my interest in this book was to learn more about the risk and that was certainly satisfied。 It was an amazing accomplishment that these boys were able to be found and safely rescued。 The portions of the book on the thirteen lessons were a real bonus。 I had not expected to be interested in them。 But， ultimately found them interesting and potentially helpful in any number of situations。 Nothing that is ever going to get me into cave diving though！ Even reading this book from the safety of my home I had to tamp down the burgeoning feelings of claustrophobia and panic as the author described his various experiences。 。。。more
Debbie
，
Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives begins each chapter with a short thought or lesson and then tells how that lesson applies to the rescue of the 13 from the cave that flooded in Thailand。In the summer of 2018， twelve boys and their soccer coach decided to explore the Tham Luang cave complex in northern Thailand。 But when it flooded， their escape was impossible。 And even with the Thai Navy SEALs help， there seemed no way to rescue the 13。That’s when this story really begins。 It is filled Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives begins each chapter with a short thought or lesson and then tells how that lesson applies to the rescue of the 13 from the cave that flooded in Thailand。In the summer of 2018， twelve boys and their soccer coach decided to explore the Tham Luang cave complex in northern Thailand。 But when it flooded， their escape was impossible。 And even with the Thai Navy SEALs help， there seemed no way to rescue the 13。That’s when this story really begins。 It is filled with 13 chapters， each starting with titles such as theseA。 Start With Why NotB。 Listen To the Quiet Voice， andC。 Zoom In， Zoom OutAfter each short lesson is described， the cave rescue story continues。 A story I didn’t want to stop reading。 The descriptions kept me on the edge of my seat。 The ability to save these individuals seemed impossible and horribly stressful。 But putting myself in the place of the trapped， hungry， scared individuals didn’t feel good either。 It seemed that both the rescuers and the trapped were in difficult situations。 The possibility of rescue felt hopeless。Though I knew the outcome from watching the news， the story still kept my heart pounding and the pages turning。 It's one thing to know the outcome， and another to actually read the details。My ConcernsNothing。Final ThoughtsI highly recommend this book。 In fact， the lessons and story were so interesting that I kept thinking that the book would make a perfect graduation gift。 I say that only because in many ways it’s a challenge to reach out and embrace life。My thanks to NetGalley for the ability to read this book and write a review with no stipulations。 。。。more
Lou （nonfiction fiend）
，
Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives is the enthralling inside story of the Thai Cave Rescue from one of the men at the centre of the mission。 In July 2018， twelve boys and their football coach disappeared into Tham Luang Cave in Thailand。 Trapped miles beneath the surface， not even the Thai Navy SEALs had the skills to bring them to safety。 With the floodwater rising rapidly， time was running out。 Any hope of survival rested on Rick Stanton， a retired Midlands firefighter with a living ro Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives is the enthralling inside story of the Thai Cave Rescue from one of the men at the centre of the mission。 In July 2018， twelve boys and their football coach disappeared into Tham Luang Cave in Thailand。 Trapped miles beneath the surface， not even the Thai Navy SEALs had the skills to bring them to safety。 With the floodwater rising rapidly， time was running out。 Any hope of survival rested on Rick Stanton， a retired Midlands firefighter with a living room full of homemade cave-diving equipment and his partner。 As unlikely as it seemed， to those in the know， Rick and his partner， John Volanthen， were regarded as the A-team for exactly this kind of mission。 The Thai Cave Rescue was the culmination of a lifelong obsession， requiring every ounce of skill and ingenuity accumulated by Rick over a four-decade pursuit of the unknown。 While the world held its breath， Rick， John and their assembled team raced against time in the face of near-impossible odds。 There was simply no precedent for what they were attempting to do。 An edge of your seat story of courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds in the most remote and unforgiving of landscapes。 The rescue was extremely dangerous and these experienced divers knew that one wrong move and it could be their last。 A compulsive， fascinating and inspirational read， this is a captivating yarn that is well worth your time。 。。。more
Tanya R
，
I was intrigued when I came across this book。 I remember this event and how scary it was just watching the news reports on TV but couldn’t remember how the situation ended。 Did they all make it out？ What happened？ I just couldn’t remember。This book tells the story from one of the main diver’s point of view。 It was chilling reading his experiences。 There were times when I felt claustrophobic and completely stressed out knowing that this actually occurred and that the rescuers had to put themselve I was intrigued when I came across this book。 I remember this event and how scary it was just watching the news reports on TV but couldn’t remember how the situation ended。 Did they all make it out？ What happened？ I just couldn’t remember。This book tells the story from one of the main diver’s point of view。 It was chilling reading his experiences。 There were times when I felt claustrophobic and completely stressed out knowing that this actually occurred and that the rescuers had to put themselves at risk， over and over again， to try and rescue the boys and their coach。Finding out how they actually completed the rescue was amazing and so intensely scary。The challenge I had with this book is that it tried to wrap up these thirteen lessons along with the story。 It made sense， as it was written， but it wasn’t really what I wanted to read about。 I would have been more engaged with the book all the way through if it wasn’t broken up with the lessons and instead， just focused on the story of the rescue。But overall， it’s still a good book and definitely worth the read！Thank you to #Aurum and #NetGalley for making this book available for review。 All opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Tweedledum
，
If， like me you were riveted to the Thai cave rescue story back in 2018 you will definitely want to read this book， written by one of the four divers who ultimately led the rescue plan and personally brought out 3 boys to safety。 However， fabulous and gripping as that story is in itself， John Volanthen has crafted a book that can speak to us all in our life journeys offering lived wisdom through the insights his own adventures and daring have taught him。 I have an additional reason for being fas If， like me you were riveted to the Thai cave rescue story back in 2018 you will definitely want to read this book， written by one of the four divers who ultimately led the rescue plan and personally brought out 3 boys to safety。 However， fabulous and gripping as that story is in itself， John Volanthen has crafted a book that can speak to us all in our life journeys offering lived wisdom through the insights his own adventures and daring have taught him。 I have an additional reason for being fascinated by this story。 My brother， who sadly died from a brain tumour in 1984， discovered the challenge and joys of pot-holing and caving in his late 20s， going on to initiate and run a caving club for boys and the occasional girl。 He developed training packages， coached them and led them on expeditions up to the time when he fell ill。 The kids rapidly developed a confidence and independence as they acquired new skills that they never knew they could have。 10 years younger and preoccupied with college， marriage and a baby I was unable to truly appreciate at the time how much he had inspired those young people。 Volanthen’s descriptions of how caving inspired him as a young teen gave me a whole new insight into this。 。。。more
Sharon Macleod
，
First hand account of the heroic rescue， told by a humble expert cave diver。 Can’t wait to watch the documentary by the Free Solo documentarian and Ron Howard’s film to come out。
Jan
，
The author is a renowned cave diver from England who has been called out to many cave rescues， but the most publicized was the rescue of twelve boys and their soccer coach from a cave system in Thailand during monsoon season with the caves filling with water。 The rescue was an international effort and the teamwork was as impressive as the rescue。 Against the backdrop of a recounting of the entire event is a defined and applied list of life lessons appropriate for everyone。 t1。 Start with why not The author is a renowned cave diver from England who has been called out to many cave rescues， but the most publicized was the rescue of twelve boys and their soccer coach from a cave system in Thailand during monsoon season with the caves filling with water。 The rescue was an international effort and the teamwork was as impressive as the rescue。 Against the backdrop of a recounting of the entire event is a defined and applied list of life lessons appropriate for everyone。 t1。 Start with why not？t2。 Listen to the quiet voicet3。 Zoom in， zoom outt4。 Rest， and decompresst5。 One breath at a timet6。 Expect the unexpectedt7。 Step up and step backt8。 Harnessing teamwork and trustt9。 Hurry up and do…nothing t10。 Keep it simple（simple and reliable delivers success）t11。 Rehearse。 Then repeatt12。 Make success a habit 13。 Define your own happiness （It's OK to do OK）I've read two other books about the monumental task， but this one is back drop to things everyone ought to know。 EXCELLENT！I requested and received a temporary digital ARC of this book from Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion and Aurum Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you！ 。。。more
Pauline Dunleavy
，
InterestingThis was not what I was expecting however I enjoyed it very much。 I understand better the difficulties that the rescuers faced and the lessons exemplified would really be beneficial to the young starting their adult life stories。
Jasmine
，
I really enjoyed this book- though it feels much longer ago that I was watching the actual rescue unfold （thanks 2020！） I usually hate self-help type books but I didn’t feel the lessons in here were patronising or took away from the main focus of the book。I appreciate John’s manner- he’s not seeking glory or presenting himself as a hero， just someone with the ability to help in a situation doing so。
Katie Young
，