The Great Thirst: 6 Awesome Survival Reads That Will Have You Grateful for Your Faucet
Although I love survival stories set in the frigid wilderness (my favorite is I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall), after last year’s brutal summer here in Texas, I think the heat is a bigger problem. For this almost-spring post, when the weather is still soft and you need a jacket at night, I thought it would be a good to get some perspective by reading some survival stories where the main character is sweating buckets. I have a healthy respect for that blazing ball of fire in the sky, and what it can do to poor little humans.
True story: When I was in college, my friends and I went hiking in the desert in Big Bend National Park and decided to head out on an off-trail three-day hike across the desert and the Dead Horse Mountains. Yep, three newbie hikers actually thought that was a good idea. The ranger warned us to bring a gallon of water per person per day, which we decided was just silly. That’s three gallons per person! Carrying THAT in our backpacks?! Too heavy. No, we’d be find with a gallon and a half each, thank you very much.
One day full day out there, hiking the long, quiet stretches of the Dagger Flats and beyond, and the heat surrounding us like an ocean, the water disappeared fast. We rationed, which mean I was constantly thirsty. By the time we’d reached the base of the mountains, we were in trouble. The ranger knew our general direction, but we’d already misread the topographical map and had gone off course. The only water we found was a tiny puddle underneath an overhang, and it looked full of disease. And…we hadn’t packed iodine to treat it, and for some reason we didn’t even consider boiling it.
After a ridiculously cold night wondering if we were gonna die, I woke to the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen—mist pooling in the quiet hollows of the desert, the horizon on fire. Then we faced the eight-hour trek back the way we’d come, very low on water. I remember stumbling through the lechuguilla, fantasizing about ice water, imagining the cool droplets that formed on the outside of the glass. I was obsessed. When we got to the lodge and sat down to order, and that wonderful, wonderful server brought me a glass of ice water…well, even to this day, that’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted.
So here’s a nice list of toasty hot survival books to make us grateful that when we turn on the tap, something comes out.
Dry, by Neil Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Wanna know what happens when a drought gets epically bad? Main character Alyssa has been dealing with the Tap-Out for a while, all the DON’Ts this beleaguered California community must face. Don’t water your lawn, don’t fill your pool—just don’t. Growing up in San Antonio, I can relate, as water rationing was a thing. But if you read DRY, you’ll get a taste of what it’s like when the taps run completely dry.
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, by Edgar Allan Poe
This book is rarely read by anyone but hardcore Poe fans and students who are given this book on a reading list. It’s a weird little book about a sea voyage that goes terribly wrong, and the “we got no water” scenes are pretty terrifying. Recommended for older teens and adults, but only for those with strong stomachs. This is Poe at his most disturbing.
Fractured Tide by Leslie Lutz
Sia, an experienced diver, ends up stranded on a small island off the Florida keys where there is absolutely no fresh water. I pulled on my experiences in the desert to write the scene in which poor Sia is alone and almost dead from thirst on a hot beach. Of course, thirst isn’t the biggest problem on this time-bending island, because something is lurking in the water…
96 Mile by J.L. Esplin
“Dad always said if things get desperate, it’s okay to drink the water in the toilet. I never thought it would come to that. I thought I’d sooner die than let one drop of toilet water touch my lips. Yet here I am, kneeling before a porcelain throne, holding a tin mug for scooping in one hand, and my half-gallon canteen in the other.” And that’s how this story of survival starts, from JLG pick author J.L. Esplin. After being robbed of their survival surplies after a catastrophic blackout, The two Lockwood brothers have to trek 96 miles in the desert to save themselves.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
The scene in which Katniss has just escaped from the Cornucopia and spends all day looking for water is absolutely riveting. This is still one of my favorite scenes.
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
This devastating book about two children who experience Sudan’s 1985 civil war is a great read. One of the characters spends eight hours a day making the trek to fetch water to bring it back to her family. Based on a true story. This is a must read for middle grade kids, and it’s a good reminder that the taps we rely upon should never be taken for granted.