PUSHING THE LIMITS OF SURVIVAL
You’re about to explore the theme of SURVIVAL. How we’re driven to endure in the face of threats to our livelihood, our life, our society, and even the sport team we play on. Our instincts urge us to scramble for one more win. One more breath.
Read the featured book below
Watch the video interview with the author
Watch the survival-themed featured video
Jumpstart your group conversation with our discussion questions
Pick a new themed topic, and repeat!
FEATURED AUTHOR
Clive Cussler
In English & Spanish
FEATURED BOOK
Arctic Drift
In Arctic Drift, Clive Cussler keeps readers transfixed while weaving marine methodologies into a high-stakes adventure. The book’s heroes fight for their lives, trying to keep world-changing technology out of the hands of the bad guys. The consequences of their actions..
Discussion Questions
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Clive Cussler
Would you like a peek into Clive Cussler’s creative mind? Cussler’s own history of writing advertising and his passion for marine archeology both influence his writing. In this interview, he describes some of the secrets behind his writing success — including how he dreamed up some of Read More...
Watch in English
w/Spanish Subtitles
FEATURED VIDEO
Pushing the Limits of Survival
In this 10-minute story, you’ll come to know — and cheer for — a young couple pushing their personal limits of survival. They work endless hours to keep the family farm from fading into history, while competing for water in an increasingly dry region. And in their limited time-off, they also work side-by side...
Watch in English
w/ Spanish Subtitles
JULIE & CORY
Dryland Wheat Farmers
Take a look at the other offerings below, curated for this theme. How do people push the limits of survival in each book or video?
The joy is in the discovery! Making those connections as you read will enrich your follow-up conversations.
What Six Years in Captivity Taught Me About Fear & Faith
In 2002, the Colombian guerrilla movement known as the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) kidnapped Ingrid Betancourt in the middle of her presidential campaign. For the next six years...
Watch in Spanish w/English Subtitles
The Limit: Life & Death on the 1961 Grand Prix
Discussion Questions
In the days before anyone thought much about race car driver safety, competitors fought to win — and to stay alive. Without roll bars or seat belts, one Californian would become the first American-born driver to win the Grand Prix. This story charts the journey that...
In English
Down River
In English
Rebellious teens hijack a van filled with rafting gear. Trying to navigate treacherous rapids at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, they face life-threatening tests of both mental and physical fitness.
No adults, no permit, no...
Discussion Questions
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down."
In English & Spanish
Discussion Questions
Nueve Lunas
An “emotional black hole” opened up in author Gabriela Wiener when she discovered she was going to be a mother. She chronicled her journey through pregnancy. She recounted her fight for her own understanding and doubts about maternal love. And why we continue — as individuals and as a species...
In Spanish & English
I Am Legend
In English & Spanish
The Horror Writers Association named this book The Vampire Novel of the Century. Every night, Robert Neville fends off the blood-sucking creatures trying to break down his door. Come daylight, he refortifies his house, hoping to withstand the next siege...
Discussion Questions
Hatchet
In this award-winning, heart-stopping adventure story, a 13-year-old boy is left the only survivor after his plane crash-lands in a forest. And his world only gets worse from there. He endures a constant barrage of nature’s fury with only a hatchet to keep him alive...
In English & Spanish
Discussion Questions
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
Did you know that the novel Moby Dick was inspired by a true story? In 1820, a sperm whale willfully rammed and sank the whaleship Essex. The surviving crew members drifted for months in tiny boats, forced to do the...
In English & Spanish
Discussion Questions
The King is Always Above the People
In English & Spanish
This collection of stories features characters whose lives lack heroism and yet continue to rebel against their challengers and find ways to survive. Long-listed for the National Book Award, these deeply human stories of treacherous migration...
The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge
Maybe you’ve seen the major motion picture based on this book. Trapper and tracker, Hugh Glass, is mauled by a bear. Against all odds, he rallies and drags himself through hundreds of wilderness miles to seek revenge on the men who left him there to die.
In English & Spanish
Discussion Questions
An Indigenous Perspective of Humanity's Survival on Earth
Eighty percent of the world's biodiversity is within Indigenous territories, yet these communities often don't have a say when it comes to protecting the lands they inhabit. Environmental activist Jupta Itoewaki explains why..
Watch In English