Rating: 
Summary: Into Thin air
Review: Jon Krakauer's description of a complex event that has caused significant controversy in the mountaineering world and obvious torment in his own life was both disturbing and gratifying. I now have a much greater appreciation for the incredible will necessary to climb Mt. Everest as well as an appreciation for the pain that succeeding or failing can and often does cause. I feel like I somehow know the people on Mt. Everest on May 10th 1996.
Rating: 
Summary: A page turner
Review: I'm not a mountain climber, but this book kept me riveted. Well written. It gave me quite an appreciation of the rigors of climbing the mountain. Not that I ever would climb the mountain, but it practically turned me off of ever thinking about it. A good expose on the internal pressures climbers feel to get to the top and also of the irresponsibility of the tour guides. They put personal achievement of themselves and others ahead of safety. The author explains the conflicts of climbing Everest, both physical and mental. He's a bit overly apologetic for his actions which gets tiresome. But overall, an excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Acquisition which hurt
Review: This is the second book I am reading by the author. I was born in India and lived most part of my life in the mountainous state of himalayas in India. I have always loved to wander and get lost in the mystic mountains. But this book has brought me to the harsh reality of the truth. Himalayas as is beleived by most hilly people as god, is place to love and respect. I feel sorry and respect the caliber of all the good people who consumed there lifes searching something, which no one knew what, on these mountains. I am not sure what good are these acquisitions, if they leave so many of us so hurt. Although I was not involved in this disaster, I am equally hurt and disturbed for what all happened there. I just can not pull myself away from it, being a part of mountains myself. But on thing I am sure, it is best we find a cure for this Summit Disease, as I am sure mountains will never change. Love for mountains does not nescarily mean climbing the peaks, it means getting to know the mountains, to know the flowers and fauna of the mountains, to enjoy the springs and to love people living on these high mountains.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greats!
Review: If you like climbing books, adventure books, or just like to read, this would classify as any of them. It's hard to read in less than a week. Into Thin Air is an excellent book. It's about a journalist that is sent to Nepal to climb Mt. Everest, the largest mountain in the world. When your up around 29,000 feet you start to lose some of your awareness. Find out how Jon and everyone else on the mountain try to cope with this disaster.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautifully Written Tragedy
Review: This is a book I will long remember. I really hated for it to end. It is non-fiction at its best. It was so interesting in its detailing of both the rigors and the extreme dangers of high altitute rock climbing. How will I ever forget the incredible sadness the author described of losing his friends to the elements, their hopelessness in being stranded in the dark, at over 26,000 feet, exhausted and delirious, with frostbitten hands groping for ropes in gale force winds and snow, with very little oxygen. And his private torment and feeling of betrayal in leaving some of his dying teammates behind on the mountain, to maximize the chance for himself and others to survive that terrible storm. It was a tragic occurance that happened only three years ago on the roof of the world, and was a fate that I could only have barely imagined--but with the author's vivid account it comes to life. It is a great adventure and truly a great book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greats!
Review: If you like climbing books, asventure books, or just like to read. This book is very suspenseful. It's hard to read in less than a week. Into Thin Air is an excellent book. It's about a journalist that is sent to Nepal to climb Mt. Everest, the largest mountain in the world. When your up around 29,000 feet you start to lose some of your awareness. Find out how Jon and everyone try to cope with this disaster.
Rating:
Summary: Into Thin Air
Review: Into Thin Air - a good book and a terrible movie! So what's new? As a journalist, Krakauer gets a "D". As an author he gets a "B+" for contributing an intense account of the 1996 tragedies on Everest. While I read this book from cover to cover without putting it down, I had to hold back on one star because Krakauer failed to present accurate and complete facts of the 1996 tragedy - causing unnecessary harm to those who survived, and to those mourning the loss of loved ones and friends who perished on the mountain. If this was fiction - no harm done - but it's not.Be sure to read 2 other books on this subject: "The Climb" and "High Exposure". God Bless Boukreev!
Rating:
Summary: I Chilled At Every Chapter
Review: I have never read such an honest account of something so right having gone so terribly wrong. The narrative kept me glued to the page. Unlike other works, where I would skim over the over-written sections, Krakauer wrote in such a fashion that every word he placed on the page was vitally important to read. After finishing the book, all I could say was, "Wow."
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Narrative Nonfiction
Review: I've read this book twice now, the second time a detailed reading for a class that I teach in narrative nonfiction. Krakauer's account of the disastrous 1996 Everest climbing season, focussed on his personal experience as a client on a commercial expedition, is compelling. The author's reporting is comprehensive, his narrative strong, and his honesty commendable. There has been significant controversy regarding the books' factuality, especially in regards to the late Anatoli Boukreev. I have not read Boukreev's book (authored by Weston deWalt), but I have read a detailed on-line debate between deWalt and Krakauer. As an experienced writer of nonfiction (26 years of professional publishing), I find Krakauer's account the more credible. I am impressed by the extent of his reporting and his attention to detail. An excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Great Books
Review: This book is an incredible depiction of nature's raw power against helpless climbers struggling to stay alive on the tallest mountain in the world. Krakaur shows that nature is a powerful and awesome part of the world. He says that we must respect it or else it could lead to disaster as it did for many of the climbers on Everset in 1996. This book has lead me to pursue more of Krakaur's books on nature and its great value to us.
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