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Testimonials


Here is a small sampling of the mail that comes to this web site all year long. Please CLICK HERE to add your comments or use the Contact link in the navigation bar.

 

DEEP SURVIVAL

Dear Laurence,

I read Deep Survival today and wanted let you know how fascinating it was. I especially liked how you interwove literary references like All Quiet On The Western Front (one of my favorites). Some of the stories will stick with me for a long time. Kiley on that raft. The electrical engineers on that rock.

Ann Hood Providence, Rhode Island
Author of Comfort and The Knitting Circle

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Deep Survival was gourmet brain food, and I think about the stories you told every month, sometimes every week. I can’ t say that about many books.
I've been reading Everyday Survival and I think it's epic and poetic. I can't tell you enough how superbly economic and relatable and humbling.
Rest assured I will be tearing through your entire library one book at a time.
A huge fan.

Viki Reed
Tinton Falls, New Jersey

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Mr. Gonzales,

When I came across Deep Survival, I had recently received my wings as a Naval Aviator and was on my way to the Navy’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School. I was desperate for advice on how to survive a week in the wilderness and mock POW camp. I got a lot more out if it than I expected. Your book almost felt like the life lesson textbook I should have had for the last three years of my life. What most fascinated me was reading why people do dumb things. Thanks for a great book.

LTJG Dave “Ike” Turner
VMFAT-101
MCAS MIRAMAR

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Mr. Gonzales:

I just finished Deep Survival while on Spring Break last week. It’s a fantastic read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and purchased copies for colleagues. Tremendous application to personal and business lives. Thanks for a great read.

Tim Gerrits
North Chicago, Illinois

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Laurence,

Deep Survival is one of the finest books that I have ever read. Truly awesome reading. I have recommended this book to lots of my friends and family as well. Again thanks because this book REALLY REALLY hit me.

Troy Droegemeyer
South Florida, USA

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LG,

I am listening to Deep Survival on audiobook for perhaps the eighth time, and every time I learn something new. Put a Gold Star on your chart; well done.

Jock Elliott
Troy, New York

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I have been flying reconnaissance aircraft in Iraq and now Afghanistan. I have read Deep Survival a few more times since being here. There are some stressful situations in a war zone and it's nice to have an idea on the workings of the brain in such conditions.

Troy Butcher
Portland, Oregon

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I was caught out on a trail in the eye of an EF-4 tornado on April 10, 2009. I had just finished reading your book, Deep Survival. When the tornado caught me unprepared on the trail, I kept my calm, having spent a lot of time reflecting on the presence of mind and humor your book recommended in the face of extreme situations. Five or ten seconds before the tornado hit me, I calmly wrapped myself around a tree, and, miraculously, survived the eye of a storm that damaged or destroyed 1000 homes, injured nearly 60 people, killed two, and cut a 23 mile path through my city.

Thank you for your book.

David M. Young
Nashville, Tennessee

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Dear Mr. Gonzales,

Thank-you for writing Deep Survival. It is a book I have been waiting to read all my life. Your work has moved me along in my life. It is a key I was looking for.

Thank-you very much.

Jean Sousa

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Mr. Gonzales,

I want to thank you. Your book, Deep Survival, has saved lives. Literally.

Ari Hoffman MA, LPC
Couples, Family, and Individual Psychotherapy
Denver, Colorado

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Hi Laurence!

I still buy your Deep Survival and give it out--one of my favorites, and I take it seriously as a guide for my expeditions!!! I am actually about to board plane to north Norway, where we will take a boat to the N arctic and dive with pods of Orcas!!! Water, 29 degrees, outside -25, always dark: purpose, for me, the existential experience, as always, and to accompany and co-sponser Paul Nicklen with National Geographic on this assignment--thus, once again, your book, my "bible" keeps me safe.

Richard Sneider
Los Angeles, California

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Mr. Gonzales~

Deep Survival is quite probably the best book I have ever read. It has changed the way I view the world around me. I have recommended your book to everyone I know. My wife has even found lessons that will benefit her in the boardroom at the Chicago Tribune. Thank you again for such an important book.

Bruce Bever
Chesterton, Indiana

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Mr. Gonzales:

I've been Scoutmaster for a Boy Scout Troop just outside of Washington, DC for the past 12 years. After reading Deep Survival, I've decided to start a new tradition in the Troop. Starting with the Eagle we are honoring this Sunday, I am giving each Eagle something to carry them forward from this point--your book. I believe Scouts can really use the principles contained in Deep Survival to build upon their Scouting knowledge and experience.

Yours In Scouting,

Bill Thomas, Scoutmaster
BSA Troop 224

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Dear Mr. Gonzales,

A few years ago my wife bought me your book Deep Survival. I had no idea it would save my life twice! Just this weekend four of us were saved by your chapter on bending the map. THANK YOU!!! You saved four lives!!

John Foulks

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Mr. Gonzales,

I am an Army Infantry Officer and a big fan of your work, having read Deep Survival three times and recommended it to countless people. I am writing to thank you for your insight and impressive work in writing Deep Survival. You had a direct, positive impact on my professional and academic development.

Andrew Steadman
Major, Infantry
Operations Officer (S3)
3d Squadron (Thunder), 3d Cavalry Regiment

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I read Deep Survival several years ago on the recommendation of a friend's husband. Loved it so much, I bought copies for my own husband and both our 20-something sons. Recommended it to "everyone" because of the book's insight into understanding how our brains deal with all types of survival. Your work not only helps me understand why I act the way I do sometimes but empowers me to accept the control I actually have over my life.

Marianne D. Wallace
Monrovia, California

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What a fantastic book, Deep Survival! I've been recommending it to everyone. It was recommended to me by my son, it being required reading when he was a member of the American River Hotshot wildland firefighting crew in California last year.

Sy Balsen, M.S., Ed.S.
Valatie, New York

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I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for the excellent research and superb writing I find in your books.

Walt Clements
Cincinnati, Ohio

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Dear Laurence,

I’m writing to tell you how impressed I am by your book. After reading Deep Survival I handed it to my wife and bought two more copies from Amazon… had them sent to our two grown daughters. One read it coming and going to the New Orleans Jazz Festival and called with rave reviews. Again, I’m inspired by your writing.

John Wood
Concord, MA

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Good Afternoon Mr. Gonzales,

This is just a brief email saying how insightful and unique I found your Deep Survival book to be. The more I read, the more I appreciated the contents.

Rolf Dengler
Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania

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Hello,

I hope this message will actually reach the eyes of the author as I want to let him know what a difference Deep Survival has made in my life. My brother recommended the book to me and I gobbled it up. It resides on my bedside table as a reminder of the "all of it". Because I see it there daily under the lamp, it serves as a trigger to ponder many of the points within the pages and how, who, and what I am when it comes to the experiences I have had and will embark on in the future.

Thank you for your work. It has meant the world to me.

Gwenn Perkins
Lake Seymour, Alaska

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Dear Mr. Gonzales,

Thank you for a great book Deep Survival-- it works on so many levels. As a gay man I lived through the AIDS crisis back in the 80's/90's. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your gift to the world.

James Sullivan
Northampton Massachusetts

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Mr. Gonzales,

My name is Frank Jere and I am engineer working a Cokemaking facility in Detroit, MI. I have read your books Deep Survival and Everyday Survival and have shared several of the lessons with my operators to engage them in safety. Your books have really made me examine the work I do as an engineer in a chemical plant and in my daily life.

Frank T. Jere, Ph.D., MBA
Detroit, Michigan

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Dear Mr. Gonzales,

Just a quick note to thank you--as I should have a few years back--for writing Deep Survival. I first read it while deployed as a civilian with the Army in Afghanistan during 2008. I read it again when I got back to the States and have since recommended it to many people.

Thank you for weaving neurology and psychology together with interesting case studies so as to grab the attention of the lay reader! I especially enjoyed your account of carrier aviation, which I compare favorably with Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff.

Paul Kretkowski
Iowa City, Iowa

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Hello Laurence,

I loved your book Deep Survival. I so loved that you explained our unconscious behavior patterns that we all have when under strong emotions, extreme stress, and dangerous situations. I feel so empowered now with the knowledge you presented and know that I already have made the shift to be a survivor in advance of any future life threatening experiences. Attitude is everything! Deep Survival is now permanently in my library. I bought an additional one for my brother as my copy is not for loaning. It's a book I should add to my survival back pack that I carry around in my car for those just-in-case times.

Heidi Haslinger
out in the Pacific Northwest

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Laurence

I just finished reading Deep Survival…thank you for writing it. I shall add your book to my recommended reading list and get copies for all three of my children.

Rick Schechter
Highland Park, Illinois

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Laurence,

I'm a little more than half way through reading Deep Survival. Wonderful read. Thanks so much for studying the subject so exhaustively and writing a book to share your thoughts and discoveries on the subject.

Bob Rapacki
Homewood, Illinois

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To whom it may concern,

I have never finished a book and been so anxious to start it again. Thank you for your extensive research in combination with creative liberty. If every science book in America applied the knowledge like you successfully did in your book Deep Survival, I am confident the United States would be THE leading science nation ever. I'm blessed enough to have read your book at the time I did in my life. A true blessing.

Nathan Eckman
Ohio

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Mr. Gonzales,

I've hauled your book Deep Survival subway to subway, breakfast to dinner, and read it zealously. Your book is equally dear because I am just as assured that my life will depend on its contents. For all of this, thank you.

Bryan Harris
Brooklyn, NY

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Dear Mr. Gonzales,

Happened to pick up Deep Survival at the book store in Chelsea Market, New York City, paying no mind to the name of the writer; was already listening on CD to the novel Lucy. Half way through both books I realized the matching authorship, and understood the odd resonance. Quite a good experience to go back and forth. Thank you.

Robin K. Wilson MD PhD
Baltimore, MD, 21209

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I consider Deep Survival one of two essential books I need for what I think is in store for us. The other being The Enchiridion.

Rod Roth
Vero Beach, Florida

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Mr. Gonzales,

I was enraptured by Deep Survival. Every story you shared jumped out at me and reminded me of the few adventures of survival I lived through while growing up.

When I think back in my life growing up in the early 60’s in a dirt poor neighborhood of La Ceiba, Honduras, without a dad and my mother prostituting her life to keep me alive and little to eat, I think it had a positive influence on me. Thank you and God bless you.

Pete Castellanos
Kansas City, Missouri

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Mr. Gonzales,

Thank you for writing Deep Survival. Your book really distilled much of what I love about the challenges of doing well in extreme conditions. I especially enjoyed the brain connection. I thought your connections between the emotional/rational, neuro-physiological, and the survivor's mind/body link were superb. I particularly enjoyed the way you tied your personal experiences into the book; stories about your daughter and your dad really brought the book home for me.

I look forward to reading more of your work. Thank you for a truly great book.

Hank Stanley
Coronado, California

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Mr. Gonzales,

I have just read half of Deep Survival and am blown away by the contents. I wish this would have been required reading back at Embry-Riddle during my initial [pilot] training. Just wanted to thank you for giving me extra knowledge that just might keep me alive one day! Thanks.

Troy Butcher
Portland, Oregon

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Hi

I am writing to tell you that I have read Deep Survival too many times to count, organized several lectures based on survival using Deep Survival as my template, and have recommended and bought numerous copies for my friends and family. Today I just finished re-reading Deep Survival, as I am preparing for a lecture next month, and I have to say that every time I finish the book, I sit in silence for several minutes taking it all in and wishing that there was more to read.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to escape into such a fascinating world.....

Suzanne Bodlovic
Chicago, Illinois

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Laurence,

I wanted to sincerely thank you for writing the book, Deep Survival. I couldn’t put it down and have referred back to it several times since I read it. In fact, I copied the appendix to the book and have those pages hanging in my pod at work. I am a corporate manager for Wal-Mart in Bentonville, Arkansas, and find that most of the lessons from the book are very applicable to corporate life as well as survival itself.

Thanks again. Blessings on you and your family.

Brian T. Gordon
Kansas City, Missouri

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Dear Mr. Gonzales -

I'd like you to know that your book, Deep Survival, saved two lives in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota - my husband's and my own. We weren't perfect, but before reading your book, my husband would have tried to muscle his way through and we would have died on day one. Thanks!

Julia Barrett

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Dear Mr. Gonzales,

Deep Survival was given to me by to read by my friend. I did reach the point where I couldn't put the thing down. In fact, I finished it in less than 48 hours. Just wanted to say thanks for the great in-depth research and the thoughtful and insightful information you provided in your book. It really hit home on so many levels, personally and professionally.

Leslie K. Yellen, RN, MSN, PHN
San Diego, California

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Dear Mr. Gonzales,

Deep Survival was one of the most influential and spiritual books of my life. Reading this book couldn't have come at a better time in my life. Thank you for the wonderful experience in reading Deep Survival. I will never forget it.

Kyle Ellertson
San Diego, California

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Dear Laurence,

I felt compelled to email you after finishing Deep Survival for the first time. It is a fascinating read filled with wisdom that I can relate to living. There are a number of books I’ve read through the years that have enriched my life, and yours is now in that top ten.

Matt Workman, CIC
Harper Woods, Michigan

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Hi, Laurence.

Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you for writing Deep Survival. I just finished reading it for the 4th or 5th time and it keeps getting better.

Brandon Riza
Playa Vista, California

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G'day Laurence

Nearly five years ago, I bought a copy of Deep Survival. It was an overwhelming read because it gave me answers that I had not found anywhere else and it showed me myself. In fact, I suffered badly from manic-depression. Five years on? I took your words on board and have never looked back. I can now manage the disorder, I have my mind back, and I can now live my life as most 'normal' people can. I truly am indebted to you. In life there are no quick fixes, but the right start can sure speed things up. Whenever I confront a risky challenge, I recall the skidoo riders and the mountain climbers and it always works!

You have my thanks and may God bless you

Mike Newnham
Batlow, New South Wales, Australia

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Greetings Mr Gonzales:

I love Deep Survival and consider it one of the most important books I’ve ever read. Honestly, I think about it almost every day in my work as a high school teacher and a university adjunct professor at Marquette University. The stories also resonate with me as I face the challenges of middle age (dealing with sick and aging parents, trying to maintain my level of fitness, managing relationships, etc). Keep up the amazing work.

Theresa Burant Milwaukee, Wisconsin

 

LUCY

Dear Mr. Gonzales,

I just finished Lucy, and just had to tell you what a wonderful, fantastic read I thought it was. I rarely write to authors, but I thought your book so interesting and inventive, I wanted you to know how thoroughly I enjoyed it. My favorite line in the book was about "the gift of adversity" in ones life and that really got me to thinking about turning a negative into a positive.

Sally Haines

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Mr. Gonzales,

I just finished Lucy and I really loved this book. I was sad to finish it because I loved the characters so much and I wanted to be involved in their lives. Your story made me think about what it means to be "human" and how to treat people. It made me think about how I treat them and what my thoughts really are about people who are different than myself. I'm not trying to be cheesy, but it confronted me with some ideas that I have and what kind of person I want to be.

Again, I really loved this story, it impacted me immensely. :) Thanks :)

Yvonne Chamorro
San Carlos, California

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Just wanted to let you know that I have just had a profoundly moving experience with Lucy. I'm usually not able to read a book straight through in a sitting or two. But by the time I reached the middle in the 2nd day I not only completed it, but it was also the first time (I'm 61) I ever had to read through my tears. By the time I reached Lucy's last line to Jenny, I was crying like a baby and just sat there till I calmed down.

What a beautiful profound book you've written. Something else struck me as I was "reading"...it was like I was watching a movie of it in my mind....even casting it in my mind! You're writing is truly cinematic!

In closing, again let me thank you for the experience... yes, I truly felt human. Unfortunately, I've got to go.....got to check Amazon for my next Laurence Gonzales book!

Leonard Abel

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Just finished Lucy. In fact I stayed up until 2 am to do just that. It’s a wonderful book and I hope that you will write a part two.

L.C.Garvin, CRS II
Baltimore, Maryland

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Hello Mr. Gonzales!

I just finished reading your book, Lucy! It was wonderful! Now I'm hoping there is going to be a sequel to Lucy!

Betty Stoecklin
St. Louis, MO

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Hi,

I can't remember when a book engaged me so completely as your Lucy.

Marcella Bihari
Toledo, Washington

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Hello to Mr. Gonzales,

I loved the book Lucy. I was moved, educated, inspired, disturbed, and rewarded. Thank you for your wonderful creative abilities and for bringing those people into my psyche.

Douglas Hill

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Lucy - EXCELLENT BOOK, I could not put it down, love and loss, along with heartbreaking. It makes you wonder, and you realize that some people out there in the world we live in today how they would react. I'd take Lucy in a heartbeat.

Cynthia Anderson

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Dear Laurence Gonzales,

I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading Lucy. It was a riveting story with great characters, especially Lucy, obviously, and a wonderfully realistic ending. Congratulations! Lucy should definitely be made into a movie. Keep up the good writing.

Phil Carava
Schaumburg, Illinois

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Mr. Gonzales,

I am a 72-year-old mother and grandmother. I just finished Lucy and was amazed as to the way you were so descriptive in your explanation of Lucy. I felt by the time I finished your book that I, too, was in the Stream. I started reading your book before I went on vacation to Alaska. While I was there I taught myself to listen to what was going on around me just like Lucy learned in the forest. It was amazing to realize that I could hear things that others might not hear. I thank you for that, for now I can hear and listen to a world so different than mine.

Thank you for writing such a wonderful and inspiring book.

Barbara Grossman

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Hi Laurence,

Last night I started to read Lucy around 10:30pm, with the intention to get a few hours in before bed... Finally after the last sentence, I closed the book, stood to stretch and twisted toward a distant clock, squinting to see the time.

4:09 am.

Holy cow.

I'd read the entire book during what sounded like a terrible electrical storm. Today I'll be running on less sleep than I need, but still can't get Lucy's images out of my head. I love it when something provokes my thoughts to flow like that, and not just about the literature but around the concepts. Thank you for this experience.

Betsy Wolfe Stemple

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Mr. Gonzales,

Your novel, Lucy is a masterpiece!! I couldn't put it down (and I'm a pretty busy professional). I laughed, and I cried. Somehow you managed to infuse so many emotions that resonated with this particular reader. I loved all the main characters, the message, and although the death of Amanda caused me some emotional distress, it all fit so well.

What a read! Really and truly. And I'd love to be "in the Stream". I'm working on it.

Please accept my gratitude for writing such a beautiful piece of work!!

David

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I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for the excellent research and superb writing I find in your books.

Walt Clements
Cincinnati, Ohio

 

SURVIVING SURVIVAL

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Using Surviving Survival as a guide, I have had success in changing the monologue in my head, stopping the automatic thoughts of suicide, and creating a greater sense of awareness for myself and my surroundings. The book had such an impact on me, and continues to, that I recommend it to everyone who talks about struggling, or talks about suicide. For once, I am cautiously optimistic about my future.

It really did save my life.

Gwynne Monahan
Chicago, Illinois

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Dear Laurence,

I just finished your book Surviving Survival; carrying it around with me like a Bible for days. I never thought it would offer such exquisite wisdom. I believe you saved my life a few years ago with some advice about heeding a warning with my "moth to the flame" passion for paragliding. I listened. I sold my equipment and moved on to other thrilling, but safer pursuits.

This business of life has no guide, but you have made some of the navigation easier. I am so grateful, and I wanted you to know that. I ordered a hardbound book for my personal library - it will sit next to Deep Survival.

I wish you all the best this world has to offer.

Kathryn Walkley
Tacoma, Washington

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Many times I have sat down to send comments about Surviving Survival. This book goes deep into many different forms of loss. It taught me on so many levels. After the death of my son, I grieved and will always grieve, but I also chose to turn it into something to help others know that they can survive their loss and focus on the life and not the death. By choosing this path I am also healing. Thank you for teaching me so many things. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, I have recommended it to many.

Lee Ann Hutson
Bereaved Parents of the USA, President

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Dear Laurence Gonzales,

I have just finished reading Surviving Survival which I thoroughly appreciated. It's an extremely well written book. You have done an excellent job. As a psychologist, I was impressed by the easy and accurate way you wrote about the science. It's a tricky thing to get right and I thought you got it right.

Thank you.

John Marzillier
Oxford, England

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Laurence,

I can't tell you how profoundly Surviving Survival has affected me. I was physically ill. I had panic attacks and overwhelming debilitating bouts of utter dread. I no longer knew myself. And then I picked up your book and I got it. It all made sense. I haven't had a panic attack or any thing like what I was going through since. The knowledge you have so wisely and generously imparted is a gift of which I can't begin to thank you enough. But thank you is all I have, so please believe me when I say I mean it from the depths of my soul.

Lori Tobias
Newport, Oregon

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Aloha,

Thank you very much for writing Surviving Survival. The book touched me and helped me understand the way we respond to adversity. Each chapter has more lessons and helps me focus on resilience, something we need in all aspects of our lives. I don't know if others wonder about the way they would respond to these types of situations. If they do, pick up this book!

Elizabeth Kent
Kailua, Hawaii

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Dear Mr. Gonzales,

I just finished Surviving Survival. I have read Deep Survival and Everyday Survival several times and have recommended them to friends and business associates.

I have actually studied the books, as they are a unique blend of compelling storytelling and educational substance.

Rick Llinares
Suffolk County, New York

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Laurence,

I stayed up late last night reading Surviving Survival and woke up early today to finish it. I believe you have described the long-term healing process spot on. You and the experts and survivors you consulted answered a host of questions I've had about my own far less traumatic survival. I'm grateful beyond words. Plus, it's, as usual, one hell of a good read. I believe you've supplied wonderful examples of people who encountered truly horrific trauma and had to move forward to a new self to survive their impossible losses. This note is, in part, intended to be a heartfelt thank you to you for your part in the strengthening of my character, sense of purpose, and the healing of my spirit.

You've written the necessary follow-up to Deep Survival.

Al Bliss
Ann Arbor, Michigan

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I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for the excellent research and superb writing I find in your books.

Walt Clements
Cincinnati, Ohio

 

EVERYDAY SURVIVAL

Mr. Gonzales,

Everyday Survival is a phenomenal read. I put a review up on Amazon for 5 stars. Thanks.

Bob Piper
Chicago, Ilinois

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Mr. Gonzales,

My name is Frank Jere and I am engineer working a Cokemaking facility in Detroit, MI. I have read your books Deep Survival and Everyday Survival and have shared several of the lessons with my operators to engage them in safety. Your books have really made me examine the work I do as an engineer in a chemical plant and in my daily life.

Frank T. Jere, Ph.D., MBA
Detroit, Michigan

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What Ho?

I'm reading your wonderful book Everyday Survival as the CBC News broadcasts video showing Japanese store clerks trying to keep merchandise from falling off shelves during the earthquake... strange human priorities, as you point out so often. I have given several copies of Deep Survival to friends and it has been much appreciated. Thanks a million for your great books!

Jon Blair
Sidney, British Columbia

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Deep Survival was gourmet brain food, and I think about the stories you told every month, sometimes every week. I can’ t say that about many books.
I've been reading Everyday Survival and I think it's epic and poetic. I can't tell you enough how superbly economic and relatable and humbling.
Rest assured I will be tearing through your entire library one book at a time.

A huge fan.

Viki Reed
Tinton Falls, New Jersey

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Hello!

Just wanted to pass along my thoughts on your book, Everyday Survival. I have found it to be deeply inspirational and exactly the kind of thought-provoking prose that our world needs at this moment. I will make sure to recommend it to everyone in the hopes that they can learn something from your work and make a change in their lives.

Matt Helt
Omaha, NE

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I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for the excellent research and superb writing I find in your books.

Walt Clements
Cincinnati, Ohio