Surviving the Extremes : What Happens to the Body and Mind at the Limits of Human Endurance

"Surviving the Extremes brings personal experience and scientific knowledge together beautifully, giving us narrative that are powerful, moving, and very real." -Oliver Sacks

A true-life scientific thriller no reader will forget, Surviving the Extremes takes us to the farthest reaches of the earth as well as into the uncharted territory within the human body, spirit, and brain. A vice president of the legendary Explorers Club, as well as surgeon, explorer, and masterful storyteller, Dr. Kenneth Kamler has spent years discovering what happens to the human body in extreme environmental conditions. Divided into six sections—jungle, high seas, desert, underwater, high altitude, and outer space—this book uses firsthand testimony and documented accounts to investigate the science of what a body goes through and explains why people survive—and why they sometimes don’t.

Dr. Kenneth Kamler is a microsurgeon and the author of Doctor on Everest, his account of being the only physician on Mt. Everest during the Into Thin Air expedition. He has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 48 Hours, and CNN and profiled in The New York Times and USA Today. He was named a “best doctor” by New York magazine and lives in New York City.