Society of the Snow

The Definitive Account of the World’s Greatest Survival Story

By: Pablo Vierci, Jennie Erikson - translator

Narrated by: Elliot Fitzpatrick

NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX FILM

It was 13 October 1972. Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, carrying a team of young rugby players, their families and friends, took off for the very last time. A deadly miscalculation saw F571 crash directly into the Andean mountains to devastating consequences: the body of the plane broke violently into two, its floor torn to smithereens; seats flew out of the air taking passengers with them. In the weeks that followed, the remaining people who were on board - the society of the snow - emerged to fight a dire, gruelling battle for survival.

Waiting for a rescue team that didn't arrive, the survivors became fewer and fewer in numbers. Stranded alone on a glacier, they had to face brutal temperatures, lethal avalanches and the loss of friends and family with no access to supplies, food or water. In order to survive, they had to do the unthinkable . . . It wasn't until seventy-two days later that they were able to reach safety.

Alarmingly gritty, moving and powerfully told, journalist Pablo Vierci recounts the unsettling stories of the sixteen survivors in intimate detail. Drawing on exclusive interviews, Society of the Snow delves into the tragedy of the crash and how it radically redefined the rest of the survivors' lives. Ultimately, however, the book is a touching testament to the strength of faith, friendship, and the resilience of the human spirit.©2023 Pablo Vierci and Jennie Erikson (P)2023 Hachette Audio UK

Critic reviews

[Society of the Snow] is an epic and deeply moving film (Guillermo del Toro)

This story of survival never gets old

Great thoughts from all survivors, families and searchers. Well done brining the different view points together.

The love that was put in !!!

I loved this because after watching the Netflix movie I found this event to be very important. I would love to see more people read or listen to this book thanks

Very inspirational!

Excellent account of courage under excruciating circumstances. This book details the horrific events that transpired after the plane collided against the icee Andes Mountain! A must read for all who want to learn about the overwhelming instinct to survive. Very inspirational!

Most moving account

This is the 9th book I have read about the Andes Survivors. Of the first 8 books I rated ‘Alive’ by Piers Paul Read and ‘Miracle of the Andes’ by Nando Parrado (both available as audiobooks) the highest but I think that this book surpasses both of those books. It is the saddest, most moving of all the 9 books. The author interviewed all 16 of the survivors and each of them has a chapter of his own. I especially liked the chapters about Bobby Francois, Alvaro Mangino, Roy Harley and Moncho Sabella as the other books had not covered much of which came to light in their chapters.
For anyone who has not read any book about the Andes Survivors I would recommend reading/listening to ‘Alive’ first and follow it up with this book.

Most philosophical and heartfelt telling of this story.

For those who read Alive and thought you got the story. This book produced by the longtime friend of the survivors is unlike any other. With interviews from the survivors and alternating chapters recounting the events; it leaves you with so much to ponder and so much to be grateful for. Absolutely brilliant.