John Goddard, a career explorer and adventurer, experienced many thrilling close calls with death during his adventurous life. As told in one of the most memorable stories in the original Chicken Soup for the Soul, when he was a boy, John Goddard made a list of 127 things he would like to do in his life, from living with pygmies in Africa and headhunters in Borneo to exploring the world's greatest rivers and highest peaks.

The Survivor captures some of these adventures as it follows his experiences from boyhood, through his teen years and into adulthood. Each individual adventure is sure to thrill readers-from the exquisite details of exotic locales, to the raw power of Pacific storms, to the hair-raising brushes with death-always emphasizing the danger and exhilaration intrinsic to the adventurous life. Unique to this book, though, is the author's reverence for life and all living things, his honesty in admitting his own recklessness, his awe and gratitude to the supreme force that miraculously allowed him to survive each of these close calls with death, and his ability to use his experiences and the lessons he learned to set and achieve clear, meaningful goals. This great read will entertain and inspire people to live their dreams.