If you enjoyed Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, you are going to enjoy Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff. Here’s a classic World War II story of heroism, daring, bigger than life characters, and amazing success.

The true story occurs in May-June, 1945. The war in Europe is victorious and the battle against Japan is clearly winning. In New Guinea, an American pilot “discovers” a beautiful valley with thousands of pre-historical men, women and children. They call it Shangri-La and dozens of folks want to fly over and see it from the air. Inaccessible by land, sea, or air, the region is completely untouched by modernity.

Then one of sightseeing planes crashes. Most of the men and women aboard die instantly. But three survive, and the book tells the story of their incredible rescue. It’s a great adventure book that just happens to be true.

Simple to read, balanced, and with a mostly happy ending, this is a book everybody will enjoy.