A graduate of the University of Southern California where he majored in anthropology and psychology, Goddard has studied obscure cultures in all parts of the globe. A resident of La Canada, California, where he lives with his wife and two of his five children, Goddard does not believe in pursuing adventure for the sake of frivolous thrills, but used these experiences to achieve a worthwhile end.

This end, for him, is scientific exploration, adding to the world's store of knowledge. "Digging out the facts is the real challenge," Goddard says in summing up his career. "The adventure is exciting and enjoyable--but secondary.

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One rainy afternoon an inspired 15-year old boy named John Goddard sat down at his kitchen table in Los Angeles and wrote three words at the top of a yellow pad, "My Life List." Under that heading he wrote down 127 goals.

These were not simple or easy goals. They included climbing the world's major mountains, exploring from source to mouth the longest rivers of the world, piloting the world's fastest aircraft, running a mile in five minutes and reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica.

Now, a generation later, he has accomplished 109 of these quests, and has logged an impressive list of records in achieving them.

Click here to view the list of goals.
 

This Spotlight on John Goddard was broadcast on DATELINE (NBC)

 
The Survivor captures some of these adventures as it follows his experiences from boyhood, through his teen years and into adulthood. Each individual adventure is sure to thrill you�from the exquisite details of exotic locales, to the raw power of Pacific storms, to the hair-raising brushes with death�always emphasizing the danger and exhilaration intrinsic to the adventurous life. Unique to this book, though, is the author's reverence for life and all living things, his honesty in admitting his own recklessness, his awe and gratitude to the supreme force that miraculously allowed him to survive each of these close calls with death, and his ability to use his experiences and the lessons he learned to set and achieve clear, meaningful goals.

Click here to buy "The Survivor"