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So Others May Live: Coast Guard's Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death | 
 enlarge | Author: Martha J Laguardia-kotite
Creator: Tom Ridge
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $15.00
You Save: $7.95 (35%)
New (6) Used (11) Collectible (1) from $11.42
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 106909
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 280
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 1592289312
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.2860973
EAN: 9781592289318
ASIN: 1592289312
Publication Date: June 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: 1st Edition, 1st Printing. Immaculate, pages clean and crisp, new and unread. Dust cover unclipped and in excellent condition, no tears or marks. From private collection.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
So Others May Live is the untold story of the U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer. In startlingly clear and exceptional writing, it tells twelve heroic stories of the greatest maritime rescues attempted since the program was started in 1985. These feats, told through the eyes of the hero, reveal an understanding of how and why the rescuer, with flight crew assistance, risks his or her own life to reach out to save a stranger. The book covers diverse environments: oceans, hurricanes, oil rigs, caves, sinking vessels, floods, and even Niagara Falls. It is truly a can't-put-it-down collection.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Great book, great movie April 1, 2008
The weather Channel just did a story on this author and book featuring Hurricane Katrina rescues. Commander LaGuardia-Kotite, USCGR has written a great book about men and women who go out and rescue lives when everyone else is told to stay home and in a safe harbor. Her interviews with the original starting members gave a look into the uncertainty of the program. As 13 year member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, I have watched and help SAR teams with their training. I am very proud of the Coast Guard and the fine people who serve and save lives. I highly recommend this book to all the boating public and pray they never have to call a MAYDAY.
 Good story, author lacking April 27, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
While I found the stories interesting, the author's style was lacking. The first two chapters dealt with why the Coast Guard has a rescue swimmer program and what led up to it. However, it gets a bit tedious at times. The author lists every person who ever had anything to do with the ups and downs of the program. Needless to say, the two chapters could have been combined into one smaller chapter. The minutia gets a bit heavy.
As for the stories, once again minutia gets in the way of the heart of the story. I don't think it's necessary to list the aircraft numbers in each story. Unless you are CG and have flown in or worked around these aircraft, it is not necessary for the story. I wold have preferred also that the author list crew positions more than once in each chapter. The constant referring to the crews by name without occasionally referring to them with crew position and name requires you at times to reread the beginning to keep up with who's who.
I applaud the heroism and dedication of the crews involved, however it seems their story gets lost in the author's quest to write a long book by filling it with unnecessary words. At times it was like the student who was told to write a 1,000 word essay and ends up with a 500 word essay and 500 words of filler.
 My son's favorite book March 11, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've read the entire book a few times to my son. He loves it. The writing style is arguably not the greatest, but the stories are wonderful and the author's pride, admiration, and sincerity shines through.
I think this could be turned into a wonderful book for boys ages 8-12. I do want to point out the risk of encouraging a career as a rescue swimmer. As a father I'd prefer something a bit less heroic.
Muddy's Coffeehouse in Eliz. City November 22, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Incredible! I am a frequent patron of Muddy Water's Coffeehouse in E. City, N.C. and I have no connection to the Coast Guard. I frequently run into these guys, mostly the kids in the swimmer training program, on Saturdays when they come in to get coffee and study their training material, or e-mail their wives and girlfriends. They are perennially polite and completely pumped up about the program. I have always had lots of interest in learning about what they do. Then came The Guardian. After seeing that, I had more respect for these swimmers than I have for any of the other "Special Forces." (I realize they are not classified as such, but perhaps they should be.) I bought the book to learn more and learn I did. It is unfathomable to me that these young men and women will take the risks they do to save others' lives, particularly when, in many of these cases, people made stupid mistakes to be out on the seas in the first place. I read the book thinking, Yeah, So Others May Live to make some more stupid mistakes another day.
As a writer myself, I thought the book was incredibly well-done. The characterization of these guys as capable, yet humble, rang so true. The story-driven chapters were gripping. I read far too late into the night too many nights in a row. Martha, you owe me some sleep. And, Swimmers, the rest of us owe you and your "teammates" nothing but the utmost respect.
A P.S. to Ms. LaGuardia-Kotite: Your epilogue on "rescuing the rescuers"
answered the burning question I had - what do these guys do with the horrors they have seen and they stress they have borne?
A history of the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer August 17, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
SO OTHERS MAY LIVE: SAVINGS LIVES, DEFYING DEATH WITH THE COAST GUARD'S RESCUE SWIMMERS provides a history of the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer, pairing this history with twelve stories which chronicle maritime rescues. Swimmers tell these stories of perilous rescue and while SO OTHERS MAY LIVE would also qualify to be featured in our 'True Adventure' section, it's featured here for additional value as a history of Coast Guard efforts overall.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
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