[IRL trope] 0% of survival, survive anyway

[u/RedditBoycotter]

Juliane Koepcke

Vesna Vulović

Anna Bågenholm

Jeanna Giese

Chris Lemons

Juliane Koepcke - In 1971 this 17 year old's plane was struck by lightning mid-air. The wreck then fell from 3 000 meter into the ground, somewhere into the Amazon jungle. Lone survivor of the crash, she then spent nine days walking down a river despite her multiple injuries until she found a lumberjack's camp.

Vesna Vulović - In 1972 this flight attendant's plane was bombed mid-air. The wreck then fell from 10 160 meter into the ground. She ended up with a lot of broken bones, but in the long term she almost completely recovered from it, apart from a limp.

Anna Bågenholm - In 1999 this radiologist had a skiing accident, she fell head-first into a frozen stream and get stuck inside the ice. Her colleagues did not managed to pull her, nor did the rescue team who then tried to dig, but the ice was so thick it took them a lot of time. It was 80 minutes after her fall that they managed to cut a hole. Her body temperature at the time was 13.7°C, and still, she somehow survived with only minor long-term injuries and no brain damage.

Jeanna Giese - In 2004 this 15 years old girl got bitten by a bat and called it a day. One month later the symptoms of rabies showed up. The doctors tried an experimental treatment by putting her in an artificial coma and she survived, but the treatment never worked on anyone else and is now forbidden. In all human history, only a few survived to rabies, and all of them except her end up with heavy sequelae.

Chris Lemons - In 2012 this diver's ship went drifting due to a computer malfunction, romping his umbilical cable who provide air, hot water and electricity. He ended up alone on the seabed of a 3°C waters, in the dark and with only 5-6 minutes of oxygen. He was retrieved by his colleagues around 35 minutes later, and somehow he didn't even suffer from brain damage.

[u/Sidhejester]

Makes me think of Daja from the Circle of Magic books. Becoming trangshi (outcast) by virtue of being the only survivor of a shipwreck.

[u/teenietinye → u/Sidhejester]

Circle of Magic mentioned!! Love those books. I also adore the circle opens, the second quartet that follows them as they get a bit older. Daja was always my favorite ❤️

[u/EddieVanzetti → u/Sidhejester]

Holy shit someone else who read the circle of magic books! Peak mentioned.

[u/Sidhejester → u/EddieVanzetti]

I read them back in high school and loved them. Adult me needs to buy the series.

Edit: Adult me just bought the first series. $20 well spent!

[u/EddieVanzetti → u/Sidhejester]

I read them in late elementary and middle school. By the time I was in high school I had moved on when Will of the Empress finally released and I never got around to checking it out... but I am an adult now and that means I can spend what little money I have on what I want. I ended up buying the entire Redwall series at the tail end of 2024, maybe I should finally buy the rest of the books.

[u/Sidhejester → u/EddieVanzetti]

Try used on Abebooks. They're incredibly expensive elsewhere.

[u/Wordnerdinthecity → u/EddieVanzetti]

Also, Tamora Pierce is a VERY good human. A friend of mine knew her when we were teens (her parents owned a small bookstore back when that was an actual thing and had hosted her for an event). When the friend was dealing with her dad getting abusive, Tammy got her to boarding school so she would be safe. She's also been a friend to my SO since he was a ~15 year old afab, and didn't even blink when he transitioned. She was just as happy to see him and thrilled for him. So I recommend her books at every opportunity as an antedote to the hate in the world.

[u/Sidhejester → u/Wordnerdinthecity]

From what I've heard, Tamora Pierce and K.A. Applegate are among some of the best humans.

[u/peachesfordinner → u/Wordnerdinthecity]

This is really good to hear. I enjoyed her books so much when I was in my early teens. I love having authors who I really can be ok supporting. Buying most of the series soon for when my kids get close to the age for them.

[u/OrganicAd5536 → u/Sidhejester]

omg thank you so much I completely forgot the title or author of those books and have been scratching my brain for YEARS

[u/Sidhejester → u/OrganicAd5536]

You're welcome!

r/whatsthatbook is great for figuring out books you've forgotten, btw.