When I felt his teeth hit my bone I thought he was going to break me.’ How does it feel to be attacked by a shark or crushed in an ice crevasse? Do you wonder what it’s like to be brainwashed by a cult – or to weigh 36 stone? Can you imagine what it’s like to be shot in the head? If you think it could never happen to you, read on. These compulsively readable true-life stories tell of unexpected experiences with the extreme, the horrifying and the simply bizarre. In gripping detail, ordinary people recall how they survived the unthinkable and what they discovered in life-defining moments, revealing the strength of the human spirit to rise to the challenge of extraordinary circumstances. Michelle Hamer is a journalist based in Australia. She is married with four children – all born by Caesarian section, and she’ll happily tell anyone who’ll listen just how that feels.