We all love survival stories. It’s the sense of adventure, the courage and perseverance, the difficult decisions, and the acts of desperation to survive against the odds, no matter what.
And when those stories are real, they become all the more intense, shocking, exciting, and inspiring.
So to help you find your next page-turner survival book, we’ve gone ahead and rounded up our top picks for the best non fiction survival books that you can read today.
Whether you consider yourself interested in survival stories or not, we guarantee these books will have you hooked and engaged from the first page to the last!
1. Lost In Shangri-la
Author: Mitchell Zuckoff
Publication Date: HarperCollins Publishers
Publisher: 2011
Genre: Non Fiction, History, War, Survival
First up: Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II.
And if you enjoyed Lost Survivor, this is a true story that won’t disappoint about three U.S. army personnel who managed to survive one of the most dangerous parts of New Guinea during WWII after their plane went down.
2. Into Thin Air
Author: Jon Krakauer
Publication Date: 1997
Publisher: Anchor Books
Genre: Non Fiction, Survival, Adventure, Memoir
It’s no surprise that the most incredible survival stories have come from mountaineers who have climbed the world’s tallest peak: Mt. Everest. And in Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, Jon Krakauer details his gripping experience that almost led to his death.
3. Alive: The Story Of The Andes Survivors
Author: Piers Paul Read
Publication Date: 1974
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Non Fiction, Survival, History, Adventure
You might remember or know about the 45-passenger plane that crashed in the Andes in 1972. What happened after resulted in just 16 survivors, and Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors reveals everything—the brave and the unspeakable—that took place.
4. Touching The Void
Author: Joe Simpson
Publication Date: 1988
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Genre: Non Fiction, Adventure, Survival
Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous Survival is the incredible story of how Joe Simpson survived a treacherous climb in the Andes after his partner was forced to leave him behind. Written by Joe Simpson himself, this real-life survival story is both riveting and inspiring.
5. The Lost City Of Z: A Tale Of Deadly Obsession In The Amazon
Author: David Grann
Publication Date: 2009
Publisher: Doubleday/Random House
Genre: Non Fiction, History, Adventure, Survival
Fascinated by lost cities and lost civilizations? The Lost City of Z will be right up your alley, which details Percy Fawcett’s quest to locate a lost civilization in the Amazon. Part adventure, part survival, this is a book that offers mystery and the obsessive actions of an expedition team hellbent on solving it.
6. Into The Wild
Author: Jon Krakauer
Publication Date: 1996
Publisher: Anchor Books
Genre: Non Fiction, Biography, Travel, Survival
Ever thought about cutting up your credit cards, leaving your job, and going on a solo adventure? That’s exactly what Christopher McCandless did – an adventure that went on to becoming a critically acclaimed film. Here’s the story in book form, told by mountaineer Jon Krakauer.
7. Between A Rock And A Hard Place
Author: Aron Ralston
Publication Date: 2004
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Non Fiction, Survival, Biography, Memoir
Here’s the true story that was adapted into the movie, 127 Hours, starring James Franco. Between a Rock and a Hard Place is Aron Ralston’s biographical account of what happened when he was trapped canyoneering, between two rocks, forced to amputate his own arm – a survival story like no other and one of the most famous ever told.
8. In The Heart Of The Sea: The Tragedy Of The Whaleship Essex
Author: Nathaniel Philbrick
Publication Date: 2000
Publisher: Penguin Books
Genre: Non Fiction, History, Adventure, Survival
What inspired Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick was a real-life sperm whale that battered the Essex – a whaler boat of 20 crewmen on a Pacific Ocean voyage in 1820.
Leaving them to survive on three small boats for three months, In the Heart of the Sea is a gripping story of survival – and a reminder to never take nature for granted.
9. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
Author: Alfred Lansing
Publication Date: 1959
Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers
Genre: Non Fiction, History, Adventure, Survival
Navigating a voyage through ice, storms, and freezing cold temperatures is never going to be easy. And that’s what Ernest Shackleton found out on a South Pole voyage that almost took his life and the lives of his twenty-seven-man crew, accurately chronicled by reporter Alfred Lansing.
10. Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men And The Mountains
Author: Jon Krakauer
Publication Date: 1990
Publisher: Anchor
Genre: Non Fiction, Adventure, Survival
As one of the world’s most famous mountaineers, Jon Krakauer has experienced a few (a lot of) close calls. In Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and the Mountains, Jon Krakauer describes his most daring mountain climbs – including all the times he had to fight for his life to survive.
11. Jungle: A Harrowing True Story Of Survival
Author: Yossi Ghinsberg
Publication Date: 1985
Publisher: Boomerang New Media
Genre: Non Fiction, Adventure, Survival, Memoir
Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival is Yossi Ghinsberg’s personal account of survival in the Amazon rainforest after being separated from his group.
Using nothing but improvisation, Yossi’s experience was a survival story against all odds that was adapted into a feature film starring Daniel Radcliffe.
12. The River Of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey
Author: Candice Millard
Publication Date: 2005
Publisher: Anchor Books
Genre: Non Fiction, Survival, Adventure, Biography
Yep, Theodore Roosevelt has his own survival story, one that happened in 1912 when he set off to explore The River of Doubt – one of the most unforgiving rivers in the Amazon rainforest. In The River of Doubt, Candice Millard tells this survival story in incredible detail, now an international bestseller.
Hunting for a survival book that tells you how to survive? Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why is it, written by bestselling author Laurence Gonzales, who offers real-life survival advice (practical and mental) collected from some of the most experienced professionals on the planet.
14. Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption
Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Publication Date: 2010
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Non Fiction, History, War, Survival
Louis Zamperini is a World War II lieutenant and prisoner of war who was forced to survive after his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean during 1943.
A sinking raft, sharks, and nothing to eat or drink, Louis Zamperini’s survival story is a gripping read from start to finish, written by American author Laura Hillerbrand.
15. The Perfect Storm: A True Story Of Men Against The Sea
Author: Sebastian Junger
Publication Date: 1997
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Genre: Non Fiction, History, Adventure, Survival
The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea is a must-read survival story if you’re interested in sea voyages, especially when they involve a punishing storm that forces the crew to battle the elements – a true story about the Andrea Gail fishing vessel.
16. Frozen In Time: An Epic Story Of Survival And A Modern Quest For Lost Heroes Of World War II
Author: Mitchell Zuckoff
Publication Date: 2013
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Non Fiction, Survival, War, History
Here’s another book by acclaimed author and professor Mitchell Zuckoff, this time about the survival of nine men whose US cargo plane crashed in Greenland during World War II. This account mixes adventure, survival, and a brave rescue mission in one, making for a WWII story that needs reading.
17. The Climb: Tragic Ambitions On Everest
Author: Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt
Publication Date: 1997
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Non Fiction, Adventure, Travel, Survival, Memoir
Anatoli Boukreev took it upon himself to climb Everest to rescue two groups whose expeditions took a turn for the worse. From Anatoli Boukreev himself, this heroic account is a survival story and rescue mission like no other, highlighting the courage and perseverance of one man who managed the impossible.
18. Escape From Camp 14
Author: Blaine Harden
Publication Date: 2012
Publisher: Viking
Genre: Non Fiction, Survival, Biography, History
Last but not least, Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West.
A New York Times bestseller, this survival book details Shin Dong-Hyuk’s incredible escape from a North Korean prison—and all the harrowing experiences he witnessed and faced during his time there—written by journalist Blaine Harden.
Final Word
And that wraps up our list of the best non fiction survival books that you need to read. Add these to your reading list as we know for a fact that these incredible true stories of survival will grip and inspire you from the first page to the last!
Hi, my name is Penny Spacer and I have been an avid reader since I can remember. I have always sought out book fairs, events, and sales to find a new adventure.
There’s nothing better than someone falling in love with a book that you told them to read!
This is the reason why I decided to start up my website where we can talk about fiction, non-fiction, reviews, and more. I want to get more people excited about reading!
I hope you enjoy my website and who knows, maybe I’ll meet you around the bookshelves one day.
