Ben Sherwood
Author of Charlie St. Cloud
About the Author
Ben Sherwood is a senior producer for "NBC Nightly News." He has written numerous articles as an investigative journalist. This is his first book written under his own name. He lives in New York City, where he is at work on his next novel. (Publisher Provided)
Works by Ben Sherwood
Charlie St. Cloud 1 copy
Associated Works
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: The Zero Game • The Fire Baby • The Promise of a Lie • The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud (2004) 9 copies
Livros Condensados: Sorriso Assassino | Comam Bolos! | O Códice | A Morte e a Vida de Charlie St. Cloud (2005) 6 copies
Éjjeli bagoly, Bármit a szerelemért, Végveszélyben, Charlie St Cloud halála és élete (2006) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Sherwood, Ben
- Other names
- Barclay, Max
- Birthdate
- 1964-02-12
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Harvard University
University of Oxford (MA) - Occupations
- journalist
author
television producer - Organizations
- NBC
ABC - Awards and honors
- Rhodes Scholar
- Agent
- Evans, Joni
- Short biography
- Ben Sherwood is a bestselling author, award-winning journalist and executive director of TheSurvivorsClub.org. From 2004 to 2006, he worked as executive producer of ABC’s Good Morning America during the two most successful seasons in the program’s history. Sherwood guided prize-winning coverage of the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the devastation of hurricane Katrina, and the presidential election of 2004
From 1997 to 2001, Sherwood served as senior broadcast producer and senior producer of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. From 1989 to 1993, he worked as a producer and associate producer at ABC News PrimeTime Live with Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson.
Sherwood is the author of two critically acclaimed best-selling novels: The Man Who Ate the 747 and The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud. Both books were translated into more than 13 languages and are in development as feature films. The Man Who Ate the 747 is also being developed as a Broadway musical.
Sherwood’s new book, The Survivors Club, is a non-fiction exploration of the science and secrets of who bounces back from everyday adversity and who doesn’t; who beats life-threatening disease and who succumbs; and who triumphs after economic hardship and who surrenders.
In January 2009, Sherwood founded TheSurvivorsClub.org, an online resource center and support network for people surviving and thriving in the face of all kinds of adversity.
A graduate of Harvard College and a Rhodes Scholar, Sherwood earned masters degrees in history and development economics at Oxford University. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Karen Kehela Sherwood and their son Will.
Visit Ben Sherwood at the following sites:
http://bensherwood.com/
http://twitter.com/sherwoodben
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ben-Sh...
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57342610209&ref=mf - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- California, USA
Members
Reviews
Book Overview
The subtitle of the book, "The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life," pretty much sums up what this book is about—learning about what it takes to survive and determining what type of survivor you might be.
The first part of the book is devoted to exploring different survival scenarios and examining why ordinary people ended up surviving in extraordinary circumstances. As Sherwood relays these stories—ranging from plane crash survivors to Holocaust survivors to a show more bicyclist who lived after getting crushed by a twenty-one-ton truck—he calls in various scientists, researchers and medical experts to weigh in on what it was that allowed these people to survive and why so many others perish in similar circumstances (a hint: they freeze up). Some of the key findings that Sherwood discovered are:
* Taking action quickly plays a large part in determining whether you will live or die in a survival situation.
* Awareness of your surroundings affects your chances of survival.
* Faith in a higher power can make a difference in whether you live or die.
* Luck isn't really luck; it is a mindset.
* Fear can be helpful if you use it correctly.
* The will to live makes a tremendous difference in whether you will survive or not.
* Sometimes circumstances make all the difference; but your mental attitude can play a factor too.
* Resiliency in the face of repeated adversity is a factor in increasing your survival odds.
* The ability to adapt increases your chances of survival.
The second part of the book is devoted to helping readers discover their survivor personality, which can be determined via an online survey called the Survivor Profiler. The survey takes about 15 minutes and will tell you what type of survivor personality you have and your strongest and weakest traits. When I took the quiz, I ended up being a Thinker, with my strongest survival traits being adaptability, hope and flow. It was interesting to read about the different types of survivor personalities and how different character traits can make the difference in whether someone will survive or not.
The book includes two appendices, an extensive list of notes about where the author obtained his information, and an index.
My Thoughts
This book is both terrifying and comforting at the same time.
The book is terrifying because you realize just how many ways there are to die that you have probably never thought about. One such story is that of Ellin Klor, who ended up in her survival situation by walking up some stairs to go to a knitting group. That's right ... just walking up some stairs! As she was walking up the stairs, she tripped and fell in such a way that a knitting needle pierced her heart. It was, as they say, a "one in a million shot." Luckily for Ellin, trauma surgeons were able to put her back together. Yet her survival story didn't end there. As a result of the knitting needle incident, doctors detected breast cancer thanks to the CT scans that were taken during her hospital stay. Thanks to early detection (which wouldn't have happened if the knitting needle hadn't punctured her heart), the doctors were able to remove the cancer before it spread. So, in a very real way, the knitting needle ended up saving Ellin's life!
The book is comforting because you read, over and over again, about ordinary people who end up surviving what experts thought was unsurvivable. And it is from their stories that Sherwood begins to draw out the personality traits and lessons we can all use to increase our own chances of survival. One of the things I learned is that awareness of your surroundings can make or break you in a time of crisis. After reading this book, I flew on a cross-country plane trip. It was like an entirely new experience for me. Instead of reading or dozing through the safety talk, I listened to it. I reviewed the safety card with my Little One, and we both practiced our crash position. We located the closest exits, checked for our flotation devices and identified the locations of the life rafts. Although we didn't need to use this information (and the chapter points out repeatedly how safe flying really is, statistically speaking), I did feel like we were more prepared in case something had happened during the flight.
You cannot read this book without wondering what your own reaction would be in a survival situation. Would you be the person who freezes up and ends up dying when you didn't have to? Or would you be the person who quickly realizes what is happening and takes action to save your own life? As Sherwood discovers, so much of what makes the difference between life or death is contained in your mental attitude—your will to live, your faith in a higher power, your awareness of your surroundings. I've always thought I would end up panicking in an emergency situation, but when I think back on my life, I realize that might not be true.
The only "life or death" situation I've experienced was when I went whitewater canoeing for the first time at age 12. On the last rapid of the day (which was the fastest yet), we had to navigate our canoe through a series of rapids avoiding rocks throughout. At the end, we had to shoot off a small waterfall (about 3 to 4 foot high) and end up in the river below. The guide reviewed our safety procedures with us before we went in the event that we capsized—follow the flow of the river, do not struggle, climb onto a rock, and don't panic.
The guide took me and my mother down together. The whole ride down was a blur until the end when we shot off the waterfall and capsized. I remember that I didn't panic—I let myself bob to the surface and faced downstream. I saw a huge rock so I climbed on top of it. Meanwhile, my mother was floating downstream screaming for me. The guide saw me perched on the rock and told me to stay there and that he would come back down and get me. Well, the guide tried about four or five times to get to me but each time was a failure—mostly because to get to the rock I was on, you would have to bring the canoe to a dead-stop after rocketing off the waterfall. Eventually, everyone realized it couldn't be done so they told me to climb back in the river and float down to my parents.
I remember when I was in the water after we capsized that I didn't panic once. I kept repeating to myself what the guide had said and did everything he had told me to do. They said that I was up and out of the water and onto that rock very quickly. It was only AFTER I was safe that I started feeling afraid. At the actual moment of crisis, I was calm and came through for myself.
Thankfully, I've not been tested in quite this way again, but I hope that this calmness I experienced in the past is still a part of my survivor response!
Here are some other "fun" tips to help you survive that I learned in the book.
* If you are going to fall from a great height, it is best to be drunk. (You'll be more relaxed.)
* If you are prone to having heart attacks, you would do well to hang out in Las Vegas casinos, where the survival rate for cardiac arrests is more than 50% (much higher than in hospitals).
* If you want to get reluctant churchgoers to attend church, tell them that people who attend church regularly live longer than those who don't.
* Righties live longer than lefties. (I didn't care for this stat as I am left-handed myself. However, I hope my stubbornness and will to live shall overcome this little "handicap.")
* If you get lost in the woods, just stay where you are.
* There is a bristlecone pine tree in California that is 4,650 years old. OK ... that won't help you survive, but that is kind of neat to know, isn't it?
And, if you ever needed an excuse to NOT wear pantyhose on an airplane, Sherwood provides the data you need: in case of a fire, they will melt onto your skin! For that matter, let's just not wear pantyhose EVER!
My Final Recommendation
If you like reading about amazing survival stories, this book is like catnip! It contains numerous survival stories that are fascinating. The added bonus is the practical information that Sherwood provides so that we can all learn from the lessons of these survivors. When I first received the book, I was mostly interested in the survival stories. In the end, I think I ended up learning quite a bit more, and it gave me food for thought on how my mental attitude can literally affect whether I'll live or die. I think most people will find this book interesting and useful. And, who knows, what you learn might someday help save your life! show less
The subtitle of the book, "The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life," pretty much sums up what this book is about—learning about what it takes to survive and determining what type of survivor you might be.
The first part of the book is devoted to exploring different survival scenarios and examining why ordinary people ended up surviving in extraordinary circumstances. As Sherwood relays these stories—ranging from plane crash survivors to Holocaust survivors to a show more bicyclist who lived after getting crushed by a twenty-one-ton truck—he calls in various scientists, researchers and medical experts to weigh in on what it was that allowed these people to survive and why so many others perish in similar circumstances (a hint: they freeze up). Some of the key findings that Sherwood discovered are:
* Taking action quickly plays a large part in determining whether you will live or die in a survival situation.
* Awareness of your surroundings affects your chances of survival.
* Faith in a higher power can make a difference in whether you live or die.
* Luck isn't really luck; it is a mindset.
* Fear can be helpful if you use it correctly.
* The will to live makes a tremendous difference in whether you will survive or not.
* Sometimes circumstances make all the difference; but your mental attitude can play a factor too.
* Resiliency in the face of repeated adversity is a factor in increasing your survival odds.
* The ability to adapt increases your chances of survival.
The second part of the book is devoted to helping readers discover their survivor personality, which can be determined via an online survey called the Survivor Profiler. The survey takes about 15 minutes and will tell you what type of survivor personality you have and your strongest and weakest traits. When I took the quiz, I ended up being a Thinker, with my strongest survival traits being adaptability, hope and flow. It was interesting to read about the different types of survivor personalities and how different character traits can make the difference in whether someone will survive or not.
The book includes two appendices, an extensive list of notes about where the author obtained his information, and an index.
My Thoughts
This book is both terrifying and comforting at the same time.
The book is terrifying because you realize just how many ways there are to die that you have probably never thought about. One such story is that of Ellin Klor, who ended up in her survival situation by walking up some stairs to go to a knitting group. That's right ... just walking up some stairs! As she was walking up the stairs, she tripped and fell in such a way that a knitting needle pierced her heart. It was, as they say, a "one in a million shot." Luckily for Ellin, trauma surgeons were able to put her back together. Yet her survival story didn't end there. As a result of the knitting needle incident, doctors detected breast cancer thanks to the CT scans that were taken during her hospital stay. Thanks to early detection (which wouldn't have happened if the knitting needle hadn't punctured her heart), the doctors were able to remove the cancer before it spread. So, in a very real way, the knitting needle ended up saving Ellin's life!
The book is comforting because you read, over and over again, about ordinary people who end up surviving what experts thought was unsurvivable. And it is from their stories that Sherwood begins to draw out the personality traits and lessons we can all use to increase our own chances of survival. One of the things I learned is that awareness of your surroundings can make or break you in a time of crisis. After reading this book, I flew on a cross-country plane trip. It was like an entirely new experience for me. Instead of reading or dozing through the safety talk, I listened to it. I reviewed the safety card with my Little One, and we both practiced our crash position. We located the closest exits, checked for our flotation devices and identified the locations of the life rafts. Although we didn't need to use this information (and the chapter points out repeatedly how safe flying really is, statistically speaking), I did feel like we were more prepared in case something had happened during the flight.
You cannot read this book without wondering what your own reaction would be in a survival situation. Would you be the person who freezes up and ends up dying when you didn't have to? Or would you be the person who quickly realizes what is happening and takes action to save your own life? As Sherwood discovers, so much of what makes the difference between life or death is contained in your mental attitude—your will to live, your faith in a higher power, your awareness of your surroundings. I've always thought I would end up panicking in an emergency situation, but when I think back on my life, I realize that might not be true.
The only "life or death" situation I've experienced was when I went whitewater canoeing for the first time at age 12. On the last rapid of the day (which was the fastest yet), we had to navigate our canoe through a series of rapids avoiding rocks throughout. At the end, we had to shoot off a small waterfall (about 3 to 4 foot high) and end up in the river below. The guide reviewed our safety procedures with us before we went in the event that we capsized—follow the flow of the river, do not struggle, climb onto a rock, and don't panic.
The guide took me and my mother down together. The whole ride down was a blur until the end when we shot off the waterfall and capsized. I remember that I didn't panic—I let myself bob to the surface and faced downstream. I saw a huge rock so I climbed on top of it. Meanwhile, my mother was floating downstream screaming for me. The guide saw me perched on the rock and told me to stay there and that he would come back down and get me. Well, the guide tried about four or five times to get to me but each time was a failure—mostly because to get to the rock I was on, you would have to bring the canoe to a dead-stop after rocketing off the waterfall. Eventually, everyone realized it couldn't be done so they told me to climb back in the river and float down to my parents.
I remember when I was in the water after we capsized that I didn't panic once. I kept repeating to myself what the guide had said and did everything he had told me to do. They said that I was up and out of the water and onto that rock very quickly. It was only AFTER I was safe that I started feeling afraid. At the actual moment of crisis, I was calm and came through for myself.
Thankfully, I've not been tested in quite this way again, but I hope that this calmness I experienced in the past is still a part of my survivor response!
Here are some other "fun" tips to help you survive that I learned in the book.
* If you are going to fall from a great height, it is best to be drunk. (You'll be more relaxed.)
* If you are prone to having heart attacks, you would do well to hang out in Las Vegas casinos, where the survival rate for cardiac arrests is more than 50% (much higher than in hospitals).
* If you want to get reluctant churchgoers to attend church, tell them that people who attend church regularly live longer than those who don't.
* Righties live longer than lefties. (I didn't care for this stat as I am left-handed myself. However, I hope my stubbornness and will to live shall overcome this little "handicap.")
* If you get lost in the woods, just stay where you are.
* There is a bristlecone pine tree in California that is 4,650 years old. OK ... that won't help you survive, but that is kind of neat to know, isn't it?
And, if you ever needed an excuse to NOT wear pantyhose on an airplane, Sherwood provides the data you need: in case of a fire, they will melt onto your skin! For that matter, let's just not wear pantyhose EVER!
My Final Recommendation
If you like reading about amazing survival stories, this book is like catnip! It contains numerous survival stories that are fascinating. The added bonus is the practical information that Sherwood provides so that we can all learn from the lessons of these survivors. When I first received the book, I was mostly interested in the survival stories. In the end, I think I ended up learning quite a bit more, and it gave me food for thought on how my mental attitude can literally affect whether I'll live or die. I think most people will find this book interesting and useful. And, who knows, what you learn might someday help save your life! show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
This is a story of the greatest love, ever. An outlandish claim, outrageous perhaps, but trust me-- And so begin the enchanting, unforgettable tale of J. J. Smith, Keeper of the Records for The Book of Records, an ordinary man searching for the extraordinary. J.J. has clocked the world's longest continuous kiss, 30 hours and 45 minutes. He has verified the lengthiest single unbroken apple peel, 172 feet and 4 inches. He has measured the farthest flight of a champagne cork from an untreated, show more unheated bottle 177 feet 9 inches. He has tasted the world's largest menu item, whole-roasted Bedouin camel. But in all his adventure from Australia to Zanzibar, J.J. has never witnessed great love until he comes upon a tiny windswept town in the heartland of America, where folks still talk about family, faith, and crops. Here, where he last expects it, J.J. discovers a world record attempt like no other: Piece by piece, a farmer is eating a Boeing 747 to prove his love for a woman. In this vast landscape of cornfields and lightning storms, J.J. is doubly astounded to be struck by love from the same woman, Willa Wyatt of the honey eyes and wild blond hair. It is a feeling beyond measure, throwing J.J.'s carefully ordered world upside down, proving that hears, like world records, can be broken, and the greatest wonders in life can not be qualified. Richly romantic, whimsical, and uplifting, The Man Who Ate the 747 is a flight of fancy from start to finish. It stretches imagination, bends physics and biology, but believe it just a little and you may find yourself reaching for your own records, the kind that really count. Written with tenderness, originality, and insight, filled with old-fashioned warmth and newfangled humor, it is an extraordinary novel, a found treasure that marks the emergence of a major storytelling tale. show less
This is a sweet, light and entertainingly original little romance that takes place in the small Nebraska town of Superior, Nebraska where a besotted man, Wally Chubb, is eating an entire 747 (that just happened to fall into his cornfield) in order to show town journalist Willa Wyatt the depth of his love for her. When Keeper of the Records, J.J. Smith, who has spent a lifetime recording stunts, feats and attempts for the renowned Book of Records, receives an anonymous letter regarding show more Wally’s attempt, he thinks this might be just the record to revive his slump and save his beloved career. Little does he realize that stepping into the town of Superior will change his perspective on life forever. He’ll be swept off his feet, re-evaluate his life choices, and crush and revive hope in the town’s people all within a few weeks. Sherwood’s tone is light, quirky and sweet. The story slides down like a cool sorbet between courses. show less
"The Survivors Club" takes you on a wild rollercoaster ride from one harrowing story to the next, featuring people who survived adversity against incredible odds. After each nail-biting escapade, the author summarizes the “secrets of survival” just exemplified. He aims to capture “the wisdom of people who improbably survived the abyss” and share it with his readers.
The tour of almost fatal episodes includes being ejected from an airplane going 750 miles per hour, jumping off the show more Golden Gate Bridge, getting attacked by a mountain lion, getting pierced in the heart by a knitting needle, beating cancer, and even surviving the Holocaust.
In each of these instances, Sherwood also brings to light relevant studies that have been conducted on similar situations, showing what factors might predispose one to thrive. He maintains we can all increase our own chances of surviving crises by following these rules.
A major section of his book focuses on the power of faith; many survivors claim it was a higher power that enabled their rescues. Sherwood handles this in a way bound not to offend anyone. Studies acknowledge the strength that faith imparts, and Sherwood maintains that it doesn’t really matter if it’s “true” or not; the point is that the belief itself facilitates surviving behaviors, like calmness, the ability to focus, the determination to fight for life, and the capacity to feel optimistic and hopeful.
Listening to this book was a bit like sitting around a campfire, and everyone is telling scary survival stories in the dark. With each tale, you’re pushed to the edge of your seat in awe, but then it comes out okay. You can snuggle down with your blanket and hot chocolate and feel good again (at least until the next story).
I listened to the unabridged audiobook from Hachette Publishers, read by the author himself. I can’t imagine anyone else reading the book with such enthusiasm and passion. I highly recommend this book. show less
The tour of almost fatal episodes includes being ejected from an airplane going 750 miles per hour, jumping off the show more Golden Gate Bridge, getting attacked by a mountain lion, getting pierced in the heart by a knitting needle, beating cancer, and even surviving the Holocaust.
In each of these instances, Sherwood also brings to light relevant studies that have been conducted on similar situations, showing what factors might predispose one to thrive. He maintains we can all increase our own chances of surviving crises by following these rules.
A major section of his book focuses on the power of faith; many survivors claim it was a higher power that enabled their rescues. Sherwood handles this in a way bound not to offend anyone. Studies acknowledge the strength that faith imparts, and Sherwood maintains that it doesn’t really matter if it’s “true” or not; the point is that the belief itself facilitates surviving behaviors, like calmness, the ability to focus, the determination to fight for life, and the capacity to feel optimistic and hopeful.
Listening to this book was a bit like sitting around a campfire, and everyone is telling scary survival stories in the dark. With each tale, you’re pushed to the edge of your seat in awe, but then it comes out okay. You can snuggle down with your blanket and hot chocolate and feel good again (at least until the next story).
I listened to the unabridged audiobook from Hachette Publishers, read by the author himself. I can’t imagine anyone else reading the book with such enthusiasm and passion. I highly recommend this book. show less
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