Additional information
by Mitchell Zuckoff (Author)
A New York Times bestseller, the extraordinary World War II mission to rescue survivors of a U.S. military plane crash in an isolated corner of the South Pacific, and the ancient indigenous tribe members that aided those stranded on the ground in this "Shangri-La."
Award-winning former Boston Globe reporter Mitchell Zuckoff unleashes the exhilarating, untold story of an extraordinary World War II rescue mission, where a plane crash in the South Pacific plunged a trio of U.S. military personnel into a land that time forgot. This true survival story will captivate fans of Hampton Sides' Ghost Soldiers, Marcus Luttrell's Lone Survivor, and David Grann's The Lost Cityof Z, who will be captivated by Zuckoff's masterfully recounted, all-true story of danger, daring, determination, and discovery in jungle-clad New Guinea during the final days of WWII.
Based on declassified documents, a survivor's journal, and original film footage, this gripping work of military history brings a forgotten chapter of the war to vivid life.
- A WWII Aviation Disaster: The harrowing true story of the Gremlin Special, a C-47 transport plane, lost in an uncharted region of Dutch New Guinea during a sightseeing flight gone wrong.
- Survival Against the Odds: Follows Corporal Margaret Hastings and two fellow survivors as they endure horrific injuries, gangrene, and the dangers of a jungle that time forgot.
- First Contact with a Lost Tribe: An incredible account of the survivors' encounter with a prehistoric tribe, reputed to be cannibals, who had never before seen the outside world.
- The Impossible Rescue: The gripping, high-stakes mission to find the survivors and the daring glider snatch operation devised to pull them from the isolated valley known as Shangri-La.
Front Jacket
In 1945, twenty-four American servicemen and women boarded a plane to see "Shangri-La," a beautiful valley deep within Dutch New Guinea. But when the plane crashed, only three pulled through to battle for survival.
Emotionally devastated and badly injured, the trio faced certain death. Caught between spear-carrying tribesmen and enemy Japanese, they trekked down the jungle-covered mountainside and straight into superstitious natives rumored to be cannibals.
Drawn from interviews, Army documents, photos, diaries, and original film footage, Lost in Shangri-La recounts this true-life adventure for the first time. Mitchell Zuckoff reveals how the trio traversed the jungle; how brave Filipino-American paratroopers risked their lives to save the survivors; how a native leader protected the Americans; and how a cowboy colonel attempted an untried rescue mission to get them out.
A riveting work of nonfiction that brings to life an odyssey at times terrifying, enlightening, and comic, Lost in Shangri-La is a thrill ride from beginning to end.
--New York Times Book ReviewBack Jacket
In 1945, twenty-four American servicemen and women boarded a plane to see "Shangri-La," a beautiful valley deep within Dutch New Guinea. But when the plane crashed, only three pulled through to battle for survival.
Emotionally devastated and badly injured, the trio faced certain death. Caught between spear-carrying tribesmen and enemy Japanese, they trekked down the jungle-covered mountainside and straight into superstitious natives rumored to be cannibals.
Drawn from interviews, Army documents, photos, diaries, and original film footage, Lost in Shangri-La recounts this true-life adventure for the first time. Mitchell Zuckoff reveals how the trio traversed the jungle; how brave Filipino-American paratroopers risked their lives to save the survivors; how a native leader protected the Americans; and how a cowboy colonel attempted an untried rescue mission to get them out.
A riveting work of nonfiction that brings to life an odyssey at times terrifying, enlightening, and comic, Lost in Shangri-La is a thrill ride from beginning to end.
