Kenneth Decker, too, was severely burned and suffered a gaping head wound.Įmotionally devastated, badly injured, and vulnerable to the hidden dangers of the jungle, the trio faced certain death unless they left the crash site. John McCollom, grieving the death of his twin brother also aboard the plane, masked his grief with stoicism. Margaret Hastings, barefoot and burned, had no choice but to wear her dead best friend’s shoes. Miraculously, three passengers pulled through. Unlike the peaceful Tibetan monks of James Hilton’s best-selling novel Lost Horizon,, this Shangri-La was home to spear-carrying tribesmen, warriors rumored to be cannibals.īut the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed. Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Harper Perennial.Īny page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.On May 13, 1945, 24 American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea. How would you have reacted if you were on that fateful plane ride? What about if you were one of the rescuers? Has there been a time in your own life where your courage and determination were tested in this way?.How did the experience of Margaret, the one woman lost in Shangri-La, differ from that of the men? Why do you think the American public was so interested in her plight in particular? What does that say about the status and lives of women during that time?.Were those who took part in the rescue mission heroes? Would you have been able to parachute into the valley without knowing how you would get out? What makes a man or woman a hero, and does that definition change during wartime?.Do you think the meeting had a positive effect on the Dani? What was one of your favorite stories shared by the modern villagers about the impact of the soldiers? Meeting the American and Filipino soldiers left a mark on the Dani people.How does the author describe the natives' view of war as it compares to World War II? Were the Dani more of a threat to the survivors or were the survivors and their rescuers more of a threat to the tribespeople? Does either group really let down their guard?.Did this surprise you? How much did you know about World War II as it affected this part of the world before reading this book? What did you learn about the war for the first time while reading? The story of the rescue mission told in Lost in Shangri-La was not well-known in recent years.

Lost in Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff