Hi Elaine, I saw your request for good survival books - one we read in my book group that was truly fascinating, both historically and in terms of the story itself is called In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton. Enjoy!
In response to your question, here are some non-fiction, man-vs-nature man-discovers-self books: -Bone games (first person survival story and an exploration into the nature of peak experience).- 76 days lost at sea (fantastic story, not well written but amazing nonetheless)- The Endurance (a classic)- Fall of the Phantom Lord (if you like rock climbing)- The armchair mountaineer (if you like mountaineering)