Rating: 
Summary: Compelling and illuminating
Review: This personal account was so interesting, I finished the book in two sittings. Krakauer's literary realism places you on the mountain with the rest of the trekkers. He provides clear and concise insight to what a mountain climbing experience might be like under the most dire of circumstances. Fascinating reading!
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful account of an awful tragedy.
Review: Jon Krakauer presents an incredibly objective account considering how close he was to the terrible events when he wrote the book. He explores the romantic obsession of those who are compelled to climb the 8,000 meter peaks, while simultaneously revealing the inherent misery and suffering that composes 99 percent of the venture. I could not put this book down. Krakauer really knows how to tell a story, even one in which he is so deeply involved. He is very hard on himself for his own involvement in the disaster, I think far too much so for the most part. I'm shocked that there are so many people who have taken him to task, chastising him for his actions or inactions. They have clearly failed to understand that humans are chemical reactions that are profoundly affected by their surroundings. Furthermore, such criticism is extremely mean-spirited when directed at a man who has tried to honestly present an account of a terribly traumatic experience.
Rating:
Summary: Not to be missed. Leaves you sad and hungry for more.
Review: If,like myself, you have always had childhood dreams of summitting Mt Everest this is a book not to be missed. INTO THIN AIR will leave you baffled at the extreme reaction of man in the face of provocation ("why? because it's there"), consumed by his insatiable desire; will leave you questioning whether the effort was worth it; and will probably leave you still ever more hungry to achieve your childhood dreams.
Rating:
Summary: It's Pretty Much The Truth, Believe Me!
Review: I lived an near parallel (without the deaths) to "Thin Air."I took a Guided Mountaineering trip to the Alaska Range this summer with an outfit out of Talkeetna, Alaska. Like the book the guides were there because they needed to suppor their expensive hobby/lifestyle. At times they were downright childish in behavior and then tried to crack the whip when a client wanted to be challenged. Just like in the book they had no team spirit with the clients. Their only job was to make sure everyone came home in one piece and not to have had a good experience. I am so glad that Krakauer exposes these guided trips for what they are - a way to fund a lifestyle. I too, just like in the book, found that the clients arrived with untested gear and that they were not properly screened for previous experience. If you intend to go on one of these guided adventures, This book is an absolute must read. Jon states so clearly that big mountains are best enjoyed by those who pay their dues to the sport o
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY INTRIGUING...COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!!!!
Review: This book is so well told, so gripping, that I found myself staying up until 3:00am (on a work night!) and savouring every last word. It is a chilling story of how the human mind leads the body into a knowingly deadly situation for the ultimate "high"...to reach the top of the world. I am now a die hard mountaineering fan and am trying to devour any and all information n this gripping subject. I only wish I could let my mind go and get the courage to reach the summitt of the worlds highest mountain. I recommend this book to anyone seeking chilling adventure and wonderful storytelling. I cannot wait to read everything else by Krakauer....
Rating:
Summary: Honest, heart-felt and searing
Review: I'm not a mountain climber but I loved this book. The reason is that it is not just about mountain climbing but about the people, the culture, the sense of invinceability that drives human beings to challenge themselves to the utmost endurance. Everything from the arrogance of filmakers to the sacrifice of guides to the miracle of life itself, persisting when all else thought otherwise, to the poignant conversation of love between husband and wife, lends an energy and spirit to this book. The chapters covering the actual assault on Everest were so powerful that I found myself re-reading them again once I was finished with the book. I wanted to be in touch with these people, in this place, one more time.
Rating:
Summary: The Making of a legend
Review: I picked this book up in the San Francisco airport and read it on three different legs of a trip to NYC, CHI, and back to SFO. During the reading I kept reminding myself that the Airliner I was safely housed in was at approximately the same altitude of Mt. Everest. John Krakauer's account of the 1996 Everest disaster is fair, insightful, and most likely the best account we will have of what transpired during the month long ascent. Local customs, legend, and the spiritual background of the peak adds to the depth of the books seductiveness. Krakauer's account crescendos in the final chapters in which Krakauer describes (I won't give this away) the ghostly survival of one member of the team, a living legend, a folk hero in this readers opinion. As a long distance swimmer and runner I don't believe I've ever come close to the physical and psychological demands placed on climbers undertaking an ascent of this type. I have friends who have climb Mt. Shasta (Highest point in CA, at approx. 14,000 ft.) and describe similar experiences. As I spoke of the book to them they challenged me to climb next June with them. Is this the kindling of a drive to climb Everest
Rating:
Summary: Everest is Microcosm of World - Chillingly
Review: I am not a camping out/mountaineering person and
I loved this book. The author, Jon Krakauer, shows the
psychology of the people climbing - and to lessor
extent those around them - supporters - observers -
from the internet community to the press. There are
heros and self-servers, diverse nationalities, and
best of all ordinary men and women trying to
discover how to live gracefully and decently with
themselves and others. It is clearly a struggle to do
the latter. Climbing the mountain is a climb to
self-discovery, and it often is not a pretty one. It is
a climb to acceptance of our humanity (we are not
supermen/women) and our fraility. To the author
Jon I would say: Jon, you are a very self-aware
human person - please learn to love and accept your
own idealism and your own and other's fraility. And
thanks for this frank reality check for others who
may be tempted by the glittering summit
Rating:
Summary: Everest is Microcosm of World - Chillingly
Review: I am not a camping out/mountaineering person and I loved this book. The author, Jon, shows the psychology of the people climbing - and to lessor extent those around them - supporters - observers - from the internet community to the press. There are heros and self-servers, diverse nationalities, and best of all ordinary men and women trying to discover how to live gracefully and decently with themselves and others. It is clearly a struggle to do the latter. Climbing the mountain is a climb to self-discovery, and it often is not a pretty one. It is a climb to acceptance of our humanity (we are not supermen/women) and our fraility. To the author Jon I would say: Jon, you are a very self-aware human person - please learn to love and accept your own idealism and your own and other's fraility. And thanks for this frank reality check for others who may be tempted by the glittering summit
Rating:
Summary: A riveting first-hand account of the 1996 Everest disaster
Review: I have climbed Everest.
I have never been in Nepal or Tibet, but I was with Jon Krakauer and his team in spirit as they mounted their assault on the highest mountain and greatest challenge known to mankind (why? because it is there...). "Into Thin Air" is Krakauer's fascinating recollection of famed leader Rob Hall's expedition and its tragic consequences for his team and others. I was spellbound as "we" endured frigid howling gales of blinding snow, crept up sheer ice walls, inched above yawning crevasses and became disoriented in the thin air on the perilous peak as the oxygen tanks gave out. This tale goes beyond the elation of reaching the roof of the world by exploring human nature and the dilemma of teammates choosing to risk sacrificing themselves to save others or making the difficult decision to leave the weak to their fate...and in some cases, welcoming back those left for dead. Krakauer details how the strongest, most competent climbers can be conquered -- in mind and body -- by the mountain and its fury. They remain there today...You won't be able to put down this true story.
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