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Summary: Into Thin Air
Review: The book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster. An adventurous expedition to the summit of Everest in May of 1996. Krakauer's report of the disaster in this book are recollections of the events that transpired on Mt. Everest. This one expedition took the lives of thirteen climbers due to the radical change in the weather. Mt. Everests summit is at an altitude of 29,028 feet, ruefully the cruising altitude of most jet airliners. Krakauer also goes into great detail about the history of Mt. Everest from the first expedition, to the clean up of the mountain, to some of the present day expeditions. This is overall a good book. It is slow going at times and the vocabulary is very extensive, yet the excitement of the book is worth it. We do recommend reading this book.
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Summary: The Greatest Feat Gone Wrong
Review: I very easily gave this book 5 stars. I have not read an adventure story that beats the thrill of Into Thin Air. The first thing I read was the dedication, '...and in memory of...' Oh wow I thought, this is for real. That set the tone for the rest of the book. The story of the Everest disaster is one that I'll remember for quite a while. Krakauer does a remarkable job telling his story.I hike a lot on the Appalachian Trail, and for someone to thru hike the whole 2,100 mile trail seems like a totally enduring experience. But compared to a trip to summit Mt. Everest, it seems like a little hike through the woods. Kraukauer tells of all what is involved to summit the monster. His detail of climbing and the elements gave me a headache and took me straight to the mountain. This is truely one supurb storyteller, telling an even more exciting tale of accomplishment and disaster.
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Summary: A harrowing tale of the perils of high-altitude climbing.
Review: Have you ever been in a life or death situation? Some say that your perception is altered. Others say that your adrenalin kicks in and your mind is totally clear. Or maybe it could be a little bit of both. The book "Into Thin Air" By John Krakauer tells about first hand accounts of heroics and clouded decisions made by the expeditioners. When Krakauer was given the assignment by the editor of Outside Magazine to go to the base camp of Mount Everest and write about the commercialization of the expeditions, he thought, he would climb it while there. Upon arrival in Nepal he made a steadfast friendship with his guide Rob Hall (a world renowned climber). The other ill-fated expedition's guide was Scott Fisher. Upon departure for the summit the expeditioners' fate was foreshadowed by the clients' disregard for the safety and welfare of the other members. From beginning to end this book was fraught with tragedy and misfortune. In the early beginnings of the story an excellently skilled Sherpa (guide) fell to his death. Everything seemed to go down hill from there. An unexpected storm caught everyone off guard and claimed most of the climber's lives after they ignored deadlines and were hours away from safety in camp. At the end many lay dead in one of the most tragic Everest expeditions ever. This is one of the most phenomenal and heart wrenching books that one will ever read. It was fabulously written and it superbly described the horrible tragedy that took place on the fateful day of May 10th, 1996. I recommend this book to the advanced reader who doesn't mind some bothersome detail.
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Summary: Incredible!
Review: From Base Camp to the Summit, I was enthralled. Into Thin Air, John Krakauer's adventure tale of the Everest climbing disaster in 1996, was wonderful. The events of this climb were a haunting memory for Krakauer and this book was his way of getting them off his chest. In 1996 John Krakauer was asked by Outside magazine to accompany Rob Hall, an accomplished Everest guide, on a mission to the highest peak in the world in order to write an article about the growing commercialization of Everest. Climbing Everest was an ambition since boyhood for Krakauer. So in the spring of 1996 he went to Nepal, where he met his nine climbing companions, and three guides. John Krakauer did not easily bond with any climbers except for one forty six year old postal worker from Seattle named Doug Hansen. Most of his companions were wealthy people with little actual climbing experience. Even so, the group climbed successfully until the last stretch to the summit. On the final summit climb many mistakes were made and the blame cannot be pinned on one person, but the lack of oxygen caused a lack of good judgement. Only six of Krakauer's companions returned to base camp. The agreed upon turn back time of 2 o'clock was not abided by and there were people reaching the summit after 5 p.m. It was impossible to reach the camp in the dark during a blizzard. Thus, the lives of two of the group's guides, including head guide Rob Hall, were lost. Doug Hansen and three other climbers were also killed in the storm. When one approaches this book, it cannot only be thought of as a book about climbing. Into Thin Air is about people and how important it is to have a mental and physical balance. Once the group was in the "death Zone" above 24,000 feet, brain cells were lost and the physical element of Everest became just as dangerous as the mental element. True to Krakauer's original assignment, this book is about the commercialization of Everest and the people like Krakauer's companions who try to buy the accomplishment of climbing Everest instead of earning it. John Krakauer has an excellent writing style, both informative and thrilling at the same time. Into Thin Air is Krakauer at his best. This book is great for outdoorsmen and city boys alike. It shows how critical every decision is on the top of the world.
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Summary: Best Adventure Book Ever Written
Review: If you have ever seen snow, been in the woods, or felt rain, you have to read this book. This book is not only for adventure junkies. It is for anyone who loves a gripping tale. Although it is nonfiction, it is a page turner if there was one. Really, this is the most amazing nonfiction book that I have ever read.
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Summary: A gripping tale
Review: Krakauer is both an excellent storyteller and a experienced outdoorsman who participated in a doomed Everest expedition and lived to tell the tale. A tragic situation, and ironically the perfect formula for a great adventure tale. Many things went wrong on the climb, for which many of the expedition's members share the blame. This is to be expected on a dangerous climb which encounters an unexpected obstacle, in this case the killer storm. In the book Krakauer goes to great lengths to make it clear that he himself is culpable, but his self-flagellation gets a bit tiresome after a while. Overall, Krakauer handles the material well. There are a lot of elements here besides the thrill of the climb. The personalities, motivations, and responses to crisis are the most gripping parts of the story. But Krakauer resists the temptation to beat us over the head with a lot of psycho-analysis and opinion; he just recounts the events and lets the story speak for itself. Into Thin Air is a gripping tale of adventure and danger. One wonders what effect the book will have. Will readers take Krakaur's tale as a warning and avoid "unnecessary" perils like climing Everest, or will every stairmaster jock with $65k to blow head to the Himalayas looking for adventure?
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Summary: Very hard to put down.
Review: A friend of mine recomended this book a few years ago. He told me that he could not put the book down. I figured I'd give it a shot, and figured it would be nice to read about an actual occurance. When I look back at the books in my life that were the hardest to put down, this is one that will come to mind. I remember reading this book and being just absolutely SHOCKED at what people put themselves through to climb this mountain. I recomend this book to anyone who has ever had to persevere something, or may have to at some time in the future. I was getting ready for a military style 15 day training, and this book helped me prepare for it. I figured if those people on that mountain can endure what they did, then what I was going to go through was nothing. I guess that goes for life in general as well, no?
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Summary: Chilling book but no new heights in storytelling here....
Review: A personal look at the ill-fated Everest attempts that took the lives of six people in 1996, Krakauer gives his perspective as one of the survivors about the events leading up to and immediately after the event. The true appeal of Krakauer's book for most, of course, is that we get a glimpse of human tragedy up close -- a taste of adventure, a poke at death -- without leaving the comfort of our own little worlds. It is a sound book, well done and informative, with enough perspective for the non-climber to appreciate the real issues modern high-altitude mountaineering and the dangers they pose. Krakauer's skillful reporting and observation, however, don't provide much sense of storytelling. This keeps what could have been a memorably gripping tale one which is simply worth reading -- but not worth raving.
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Summary: Shakespeare in RL
Review: Written from the heart, in simple terms, this book reads like one of Shakespeare's tragedies. A combination of small mistakes that turn out deadly, and you wonder to yourself, "if only..." The pictures and the emotions revealed place you on the same knife edge. It's probably the closest most of us will ever get to climbing Everest.
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Summary: Wow What a Story
Review: An amazing story. At times I wept and at times I actually felt cold. A must read.
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