Read is best known for his non-fiction book '' Alive : The Story of the Andes Survivors '' which documented the story of the 1972 crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in the Andes mountains . '' Alive '' won the Thomas More Medal for the most distinguished contribution to Catholic literature in 1974 and has sold more than five million copies worldwide . The book was adapted into the 1993 film '' Alive : The Miracle of the Andes ''
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
Piers Paul Read