Into Thin Air

Rating:
Summary: An engrossing read--but take with a grain of salt
Review: I read this book as part of a history course this past year dealing with landscape as history. I won't get into too many details of that, but my professor is an avid climber and focuses on mountaineering and its history. The events on Everest that year were horrifying, and Krakauer's book tells the story from a survivor's perspective. It is well written and engrossing; I could not put the book down as I was reading it. My class did, however, read Anatoli Boukreev's counterpoint novel The Climb. Boukreev was a guide for a competing expedition, a great climber and played an important role in the disaster. Krakauer's book is a novel; it was written for a mass audience and was designed to sell. But in a tale like this, for a mass-market audience, a villain was necessary, and Boukreev became that villain. I don't care to speculate on whether Krakauer did this consciously or not, or if he was trying to misplace some of his own guilt at the horrible mistake he made on the mountain, but Into Thin Air is a biased account, and should be read in tandem with The Climb, preferrably the most recent editions of both books. Of course The Climb is a biased account as well, but that's why these books should be read together so that the reader may gain a more informed outlook. The fact of the matter is that all the clients of Boukreev's expedition--everyone--survived the disaster. I believe that says something about the validity of Krakauer's interpretation of events. You can make your own judgement. But I believe the quality of this book is called into doubt when read in a vacuum. Please do yourself a favor and read the Climb. It is not nearly as "thrilling" as Into Thin Air, but a valuable read nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable book
Review: I had wanted to buy this book since some years ago but I had never had the opportunity to do it, then I saw the TV movie (by the way it wasn't as bad as some have commented) and so I decided to buy the audiobook version. I don't want to repeat what other reviewers have written; I think that Krakauer correctly and objectively points to the errors of everyone of the climbers in both teams, and he NEVER said that the late Anatoli Boukreev were the villain of the story, and in my humble opinion I think that "Into Thin Air" is one of the best testimonies of survival ever written. This book makes me repeat: "It's better to lose the life in the passion than the passion in the life"

Rating:
Summary: Leaves you truly breathless
Review: Most everyone heard about the tradgedy on Mr. Everest May 10, 1996. Many heard about it from television, and the shear drama of the horrific event spurred furthur interest for me and many like me. There were so many questions. How could this happen? Is the commercialism behind the sport proving to be their ultimate shortfall? Even more perplexing, what kind of person becomes so committed to climbing mountains that they risk everything?

Jon Krakauer puts forth a brilliant effort to answer these questions, and so many more. He very respectfully details the events that brought death to the mountain that day. In some heartbreaking moments I guarantee tears will fall as you read about Rob Hall making his final call to his pregnant wife in Australia. Knowing he wasn't going to make it, he encourages her on, being a hero and a loving husband right until the end.

There were many factors that came into play those weeks. Krakauer details the distressing commercialism of the sport and the pollution left behind. He speaks about the bodies left high on the mountain that must remain, the thousands of empty oxygen cannisters dumped along the route, the politics and the sherpas that rely on the deluge of expeditions.

There were many heros those few days and they are aptly discussed. The author tells of the helicopter rescue team that risked their lives to save the others. You will read about the unbelievable determination and strength of men and women who try to achieve the most difficult ambition in the sport world and how they pull together to pick up the pieces when it fails.

This is a poignant story that surely will stay with you forever.

Rating:
Summary: The hardcover, illustrated edition is worth the extra bucks
Review: I don't think there's much I can add to the other reviews of Into Thin Air, however I was fortunate to find a copy of the hardcover, illustrated edition. It was well worth the extra money, and the stark pictures in black and white add to the feelings of cold and breathlessness you can't help but feel while reading this book. Additionally, you get more pictures of the key players. Makes a good coffee table book if not your bedtime reading copy.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, didn't hold my attention
Review: Contrary to many of the postings, I didn't thoroughly enjoy this book. I found the subject extremely interesting but I suppose starting a book knowing that the majority of the main characters will perish in the story kind of discouraged me from reading. In addition, I kept losing track of the different people because Krakauer would refer to the same person as 'Andy' in some places and 'Harris' in others. I almost needed a cheat sheet to keep them all straight. Overall, I'm glad I read it and admire Krakauer, Harris, Hall and Scott (and the rest of the team) for their bravery and skill and I mourn for the way the trip ended, but I'm not sure this type of book would get my time or attention again. I give it three stars because it's definitely an excellent example of great non-fiction, even though it's not my type of read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading
Review: I would have given this book a much higher rating but I just don't think much of the autor and his actions. The other people in the book seem very brave. Such a tragedy, but then the people must have known what they were getting into by camp 1.

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably Scary
Review: I couldn't put this book down and was amazed that anyone survived this ordeal. Jon Krakauer excelled at describing the mountain so I felt like I could see it. This book gives a frightening glimpse into the most extreme environment earth has to offer. I trembled when Krakauer described the night climbing, which was hair-raising enough, and the 100-mph wind storms.

And, of course, I really got a sense of the mind-boggling height of Mount Everest. Take for example the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Each one stands 1,483 feet tall, the highest building in the world. Now, in order to reach the summit of Everest, you would need to stack 19 and a half of those towers on top of each other! Or to put it another way, Mount Everest is taller than the 24 tallest buildings in the world put together! ............

This book will be topped by the one written about climbing Mount Olympus on Mars, but not by any others. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A gripping first person account
Review: Krakauer's own climbing expertise does not impede his writing an account that has universal appeal. His recounting of the Everest expedition is both triumphant and tragic. The details of the experience are thorough, including elaboration on everything from the physical necessities of the rigorous climb to the culture of the sherpas and respect for the mountain. The only drawback to this book (and the only reason it receives four stars instead of five) is the large number of names one must keep track of as a result of the several teams which were attempting to summit the mountain during that period of time.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding rendition of a gripping tale
Review: The problem with most mountineering books is that they are written by men and women for whom the adventure and danger have become almost routine (see, for example, Anatoly Boukreev's account of this same expedition). Jon Krakauer, however, is no professional climber, and he is clearly (and justifiably) terrified throughout this amazing account of his disastrous trip to Everest. Even readers not especially interested in adventure reading will find the story fascinating and the moral questions troubling.

Rating:
Summary: A classic of the genre
Review: By now, the events chronicled in "Into Thin Air" have passed into the popular culture and books have appeared from just about every climber who survived the events on Everest in 1996. But it was Krakauer's incredible storytelling that popularized the story in the first place. Krakauer is a good climber, and an even better writer. That he seemingly possesses little of the cockiness often associated with mountaineers is a big plus. He was truly devastated by what happened on Everest that year and writing this book was obviously theraputic for him. As a reader, you find yourself thankful that if the trajedy had to occur, that at least a first rate journalist was there to witness it first hand. This book is destined to be a long-remembered classic.