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Summary: exciting storytelling but dishonest
Review: Krakauer tells an exciting story, well-written and captivating. But what is for real and what is fanciful writing? The lack of truth and credibility took away from my enjoyment of the book. This book caused so much outrage that Anatoli Boukreev and others who were involved in this disaster later wrote their own books to get the story straight. Krakauer makes assumptions and implicates people as at fault, mainly to have a good protaganist in the story. Its disturbing that this book has won so much acclaim. Exaggeration is one thing, but ripping apart people who risked their lives to save others isn't meritted. Krakauer certainly wasn't out there rescuing people.
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Summary: Frightening ascent to Mt. Everest
Review: What a spectacular book! I was hooked right from the beginning. This is a personal account of journalist's trek to the summit of Mt. Everest. This book was so hard to put down because I always wanted to know what happened next. This book was so well written you could almost feel the cold they were feeling. Although it is a tragedy, this book is about the courage to stay alive.
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Summary: Top Class Journalism
Review: I can not comment on the morality or otherwise of the dramatic personae. This is a harrowing and realistic account of the tragic 1996 events. The book was written by an experienced journalist and mountaineer who captured this most dramatic of stories first hand. He has succeeded most vividly in providing an accurate and fair account. His journalistic ability ensures that almost every angle to the story is looked at. Krakauer only just lived to tell the tale, and as an experienced mountaineer did enough to ensure his own survival. He has produced one of the best books on mountaineering I have read. It is a sad tale, but those who took part should have known the risks. It is sadder to think about the death of guides who sacrificed their lives in order to try and get their clients to the top and down.
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Summary: Points of View
Review: This is an interesting book, made even more interesting by the fact that it is a true story. However, it is told from the point of veiw of a writer not an expert climber. For this reason the author makes some assumptions about Anatoli Boukreev that may or may not be true. If a reader wants a more complete picture of events or to view the event from both perspectives I would also suggest reading, The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev.
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Summary: Into Thin Air - A Tremendous Book
Review: As an eclectic reader and non mountaineering person, I was hesitant about my enjoyment of this book, however, Into Thin Air is one of the best books I have ever read .. Extremely well written and gripping, one of the few books that I actually could not put down, and had to wake up in the middle of the night to keep reading ... this will not disappoint anyone who reads for fun and adventure!
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Summary: Magnificent, beautifully written
Review: This is a marvelous read even if you had absolutely no interest in climbing Everest or mountaineering. I had previously read a half a dozen other first-person narratives of the 1996 disaster, but this book towers head and shoulders above any other participant's memoirs. Krakauer is a gifted storyteller with the talents of a novelist, yet the experience of one who has climbed perilous peaks and lived to share the knowledge with others. He has the unique ability to paint a portrait with words that leaps out from the pages and lets the reader *see* and *feel* what is happening.Perhaps Krakauer's greatest strength is deftly describing the personalities and quirks of the other people in his climbing party. The reader comes to know them all; liking some climbers immensely (The Texan Beck comes to mind) and loathing others for their petty self-absorption and monstrous egos (Sandy Pittman to a "T"). The best part of the book is the actual summit experience by the author and the devastating sequence of events that transpires after he slowly descends. The effects of HACE, high altitude and the frequent absence of reliable oxygen bottles is gripping. So are the deaths that occur because of a brutal storm that sweeps the mountain as Krakauer stumbles down to Camp 4. Whether you are a Everest buff or a world class couch potato, this is a superlative book: well written and engrossing. A splendid read!
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Summary: A truly moving yet totally thrilling read
Review: I don't need to tell you the scenario as all the other reviews do that. But let me just say if you want to be excited, appalled, thrilled, saddened and in total wonderment read this incredibly written book.
I loved it and at last I know why people climb mountains and why I never will.
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Summary: this book is really good /Boukourev's THE CLIMB is better!!
Review: this is a must read story. and Krakauer is an exciting story teller. In particular, is his focus and critical commentary on the actions of Anatoli Boukourev. This topic surely must have been nearly over-discussed around the world by now; but this created one of the most exciting reading opportunities i have ever enjoyed: ..because you can also read Boukourev's side of the story in The Climb - we get 2 expert views of the same exciting story; from 2 expert climbers' viewpoints - except that Boukourev's carries more weight because he was probably like the Kelly Slater of climbing(i.e. better than anyone else forever). Boukourev is vindicated. He is T H E man! He saved lives / Krakauer collapsed - i'd be dead.
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Summary: Leadership contrasts ...Incredible Voyage vs Into Thin Air
Review: I read this book just after having finished Shakleton's Incredible Voyage. I could not put down either book. These books are great material to compare and contrast leadership styles and how people behave in extreme circumstances. Any person who is in a leadership role should read this book and Shackleton's Incredible Voyage.
Both expeditions would be considered unsuccessful -- neither completely reached their goal. However, the responses and outcomes stand in marked contrast.
As a leader, Sir Earnest Shackelton held out hope and was a careful and extremely thoughtful leader. An important thing to note was that he was uninhibited by pride.
Into Thin Air, painfully shows us the reality of leadership flawed by pride. A chain of mistakes that normally would not have been so serious ended in incredible loss.
I agree that J.K. would have written a better book if he had refrained from making judgements. The material would be better served if readers were allowed to reach their own conclusions.
Reading this book against the contrast of Shackleton's Incredible Voyage allows a reader to clearly see the different leadership responses and outcomes.
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Summary: GREAT READ
Review: How good is this? One night while sleeping (about 3/4 way through the book), my wife shook me awake... I was tired and out of breath. She said I was breathing so hard it woke her up. I was talking jiberish and squirming around heavily. For the four nights it took me to complete the book, I practically lived Everest day and night. Krakauer took me to the top of the world and just barely got me back. Before the book, Everest was just a mountain for crazy rich climbers. My view has been forever changed. The only drawback... sometimes he blurs the line between fact and opinion.
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