<p> People overcome impossible odds where others surrendered and failed. </p><p> What would you do if you were stranded or trapped in a situation where you had to fight for your life? <i>When the Worst Happens</i> is a collection of intense, true stories set in distant corners of the earth. <ul> <li> After a fierce storm, the crew of the Polaris was stranded on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean. </li> <li> A massive cave-in traps 19-year-old Jimmy Sanchez and 32 other Chilean miners deep below the earth. </li> <li> Twelve-year-old Bala and his two sisters must survive on a tiny island off the Australian coast after their boat capsizes. </li> <li> When her plane crashes in the Peruvian jungle, 17-year-old Juliane struggles to find help. </li> </ul></p><p> In extreme situations such as these, people can pull together, show almost super-human skill, and survive. But sometimes they face madness, greed or mutiny. These action-packed accounts reveal the critical decisions that determined the fate of each victim. </p><p> In an attempt to answer the question why people react the way they do in extreme circumstances, <i>When the Worst Happens</i> also looks at modern psychological studies, interesting historical details and settings, as well as seemingly unrelated events, to discover what draws the line between success and tragedy. </p><p> Graphic icons point readers to successful or poor decisions as each story unfolds, and outstanding illustrations capture the real-time developments in each riveting story. </p>