It takes an extraordinarily strong person to mentally and physically survive something of this caliber.

I know that I am not cut out for that kind of survival. Not only would I not be able to spend that much time alone, but the thought of eating some of the things he ate would be too much for me. Over a year? I would have been 1000x crazier than Alvarenga. I know for a fact if I was lost as sea for 10 days I would fling myself overboard for fish food. I listened to it on Scribd (audiobook) and was so shocked and blown away the entire time. But that would be impossible to survive, wouldn’t it? Hairy, starving, and on the verge of losing his mind, Alvarenga claimed he had drifted from Mexico. 14 months later, on January 30th, 2014, Alvarenga washed ashore on a nearly deserted island in the Pacific Ocean – one of the Marshall Islands, which happens to be one of the most isolated places on the planet.

With their motor failing, they were left completely isolated and stranded in the Pacific Ocean. Alvarenga called to shore, but with the weather, they could not be located and the radio was ruined by the rain. Leaving from Mexico for a weekend fishing trip, Alvarenga and his crewmate, Ezequiel Cordoba, became trapped in a storm and lost at sea. Jose Salvador Alvarenga survived for 438 days in the Pacific Ocean from November 2012 until January of 2014. The most I can do is recommend this book, since it is a true story of one of the craziest survival stories I have ever read about. How can I judge that? Jose Salvador Alvarenga did not survive for 438 days at sea for me to give my completely insignificant opinion on his story.

They are people who decided to tell their story. Autobiographies though, are written by the person who experienced an event that was interesting enough to write an entire book about it. Who am I to rate someone’s life experiences? How am I suppose to read a book about a man who survived 14 months alone at sea, and rate it from 1-5 stars? Do you base it on the story? 5 stars for being alive? Do you base it on the writing? In some cases, like this book, it was not physically written by him. I have a really hard time rating biographies. Everything will work out… don’t give up hope, remain calm.

Jonathan franklin 438 days