I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This book is well written and inspiring. This group of young boys were extremely brave in a pickle of a situation. The team that rescued them is an inspiration. I highly enjoyed this nonfiction book. I absolutely encourage anyone and everyone to GO GET THIS BOOK. This book is in stores for $26.00 (USD).

Who can forget those days of the horror of those missing boy trapped in a cave. This book was wonderful. Written by a man part of that dramatic, brave rescue. An inspirational, moving read. I was fascinated.

A nerve-wracking book that frankly presents the challenges and risks of the rescue operation, alongside key messages about how to manage difficult situations of all kinds. Personally I found the lessons parts of the book rather jarring and felt that the focus should have been on the events rather than life lessons. However, I can see the value of learning from the author’s experiences and some people may really like this aspect. The descriptions of the rescue mission were detailed and provided a unique insight into the perilous situation.

Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives begins each chapter with a short thought or lesson and then tells how that lesson applies to the rescue of the 13 from the cave that flooded in Thailand.

In the summer of 2018, twelve boys and their soccer coach decided to explore the Tham Luang cave complex in northern Thailand. But when it flooded, their escape was impossible. And even with the Thai Navy SEALs help, there seemed no way to rescue the 13.

That’s when this story really begins. It is filled with 13 chapters, each starting with titles such as these

A. Start With Why Not

B. Listen To the Quiet Voice, and

C. Zoom In, Zoom Out

After each short lesson is described, the cave rescue story continues. A story I didn’t want to stop reading. The descriptions kept me on the edge of my seat. The ability to save these individuals seemed impossible and horribly stressful. But putting myself in the place of the trapped, hungry, scared individuals didn’t feel good either. It seemed that both the rescuers and the trapped were in difficult situations. The possibility of rescue felt hopeless.

Though I knew the outcome from watching the news, the story still kept my heart pounding and the pages turning. It's one thing to know the outcome, and another to actually read the details.

My Concerns
Nothing.

Final Thoughts
I highly recommend this book. In fact, the lessons and story were so interesting that I kept thinking that the book would make a perfect graduation gift. I say that only because in many ways it’s a challenge to reach out and embrace life.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ability to read this book and write a review with no stipulations.

Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives is the enthralling inside story of the Thai Cave Rescue from one of the men at the centre of the mission. In July 2018, twelve boys and their football coach disappeared into Tham Luang Cave in Thailand. Trapped miles beneath the surface, not even the Thai Navy SEALs had the skills to bring them to safety. With the floodwater rising rapidly, time was running out. Any hope of survival rested on Rick Stanton, a retired Midlands firefighter with a living room full of homemade cave-diving equipment and his partner. As unlikely as it seemed, to those in the know, Rick and his partner, John Volanthen, were regarded as the A-team for exactly this kind of mission.

The Thai Cave Rescue was the culmination of a lifelong obsession, requiring every ounce of skill and ingenuity accumulated by Rick over a four-decade pursuit of the unknown. While the world held its breath, Rick, John and their assembled team raced against time in the face of near-impossible odds. There was simply no precedent for what they were attempting to do. An edge of your seat story of courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds in the most remote and unforgiving of landscapes. The rescue was extremely dangerous and these experienced divers knew that one wrong move and it could be their last. A compulsive, fascinating and inspirational read, this is a captivating yarn that is well worth your time.

I was intrigued when I came across this book. I remember this event and how scary it was just watching the news reports on TV but couldn’t remember how the situation ended. Did they all make it out? What happened? I just couldn’t remember.

This book tells the story from one of the main diver’s point of view. It was chilling reading his experiences. There were times when I felt claustrophobic and completely stressed out knowing that this actually occurred and that the rescuers had to put themselves at risk, over and over again, to try and rescue the boys and their coach.

Finding out how they actually completed the rescue was amazing and so intensely scary.

The challenge I had with this book is that it tried to wrap up these thirteen lessons along with the story. It made sense, as it was written, but it wasn’t really what I wanted to read about. I would have been more engaged with the book all the way through if it wasn’t broken up with the lessons and instead, just focused on the story of the rescue.

But overall, it’s still a good book and definitely worth the read!

life-lessons, nonfiction, cave-diving, caves, rescue, Thailand, teamwork*****
The author is a renowned cave diver from England who has been called out to many cave rescues, but the most publicized was the rescue of twelve boys and their soccer coach from a cave system in Thailand during monsoon season with the caves filling with water. The rescue was an international effort and the teamwork was as impressive as the rescue. Against the backdrop of a recounting of the entire event is a defined and applied list of life lessons appropriate for everyone.
1. Start with why not?
2. Listen to the quiet voice
3. Zoom in, zoom out
4. Rest, and decompress
5. One breath at a time
6. Expect the unexpected
7. Step up and step back
8. Harnessing teamwork and trust
9. Hurry up and do…nothing
10. Keep it simple(simple and reliable delivers success)
11. Rehearse. Then repeat
12. Make success a habit
13. Define your own happiness (It's OK to do OK)
I've read two other books about the monumental task, but this one is back drop to things everyone ought to know. EXCELLENT!
I requested and received a temporary digital ARC of this book from Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion and Aurum Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Amazing rescue mission that you will read holding your breath! Loved the book, the writing was very engaging that reads like fiction.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reading copy of this engrossing book. ‘Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives’ is written by John Volanthen, one of the British cave divers who assisted with the rescue of the boys and their coach stuck in Tham Luang cave in Thailand in 2018. It’s completely fascinating and gripping hearing John’s account both of how he came to be involved in the rescue operation and the actual rescue of the boys which is so much more complicated than many of us will have realised. The author uses what he has learned from the cave rescue and applied this to lessons for everyday life. It’s a really interesting approach to telling the story. For me the book really picks up pace in the final few chapters. It’s such an incredible story and John is methodical in his detail of his experience. What stuck with me most is how he felt he could help with the rescue mission at the outset and so put himself forward. John’s words of wisdom to ignore your inner critic and say ‘why not?’ is a good life reminder to us all.

One of the most incredible rescue missions ever! The world held its breath in 2018 when the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach went missing deep underground in the Tham Luang cave complex in northern Thailand. They had been stranded by sudden, continuous monsoon rains while exploring the caves after practice. A fabulous read I was gripped by this story from the first chapter. Fully recommend a read.