Island of the Lost is a book about a shipwreck in the 1860s, south of New Zealand, and the five men who survived against all odds. This is the story of their struggle, their teamwork, how and what they ate, the house they built, and the engineering ingenuity that allowed them to endure through 18 months of being stranded. (Seriously, the engineering skills were crazy amazing. There was one point where I was reminded of The Professor from Gilligans Island. Alas, no coconut radios for these gents.)
It’s contrasted with another shipwreck on the other side of the same island while these men were on the other. Those men were not well-led and most of them did not survive a much, much shorter abandonment.
I read Island of the Lost purely for book club – it’s not a book I would have picked up on my own. That said, I would recommend it if you like shipwreck stories or are looking for non-cheesy leadership lessons.