Into Thin Air

Rating:
Summary: Riveting, descriptive, educational, a cautionary tale.
Review: This book presents a clear picture of what it is like to climb peaks above 17,000feet, the effects high altitude has on the human body. Such information can only come from a book. The television reports in 1996 did not do the tragedy described in this book justice. In addition to describing a disasterous climbing season. I have imaginined what it would be like to do some things I have yet to try. This book disabused me of any notions I had of getting into mountain climbing. Activities where the best in the world, the experts, can get killed are to be avoided by novices and the inexperienced. This book is simply riveting.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting account, with some flaws.
Review: Jon Krakauer's book is an exciting account of the tragedy that took place on Mt. Everest in 1996. This book is very well written and Krakauer should be commended for his talents as a writer. The biggest controversy of the book seems to be Krakauer's criticism of the Russian guide, Anatoli Boukreev. While acknowledging I have no experience in mountain climbing, it does seem to me that Krakauer has a legetimate, if debatable beef with Boukreev's decision to hurry down the mountain. If you are going to shell out $65,000 for a guided expedition, isn't it reasonable to expect your guides to keep a close eye on you? Boukreev didn't think so, as he stated that the climbers shouldn't be babied. Maybe not, but the guide should be close enough to help if need be, in my inexperienced opinion. Nevertheless, Boukreev acquitted himself well later on.

The most harrowing part of this story to me was the decision to leave the two hikers, Beck Weathers and the Japanese woman, to die on the south col. I just cannot understand this decision.Krakauer states they were found the next morning, with the sun shining but the wind still blowing on the south col, not more than a few minutes from camp 4. Yet, on the recommendation of the sherpas, the choice was made to leave them there to die! Yes, they were barely alive, but they could of at least been brought back to camp to give them a fighting chance to live. The sherpas were not doctors and had no business making that decision and the guides had no business following it. We now know that Beck Weathers didn't die ,and if he could live what about the Japanese woman? I keep thinking about that poor little woman being left alone out there to die, when she easily could have been brought back to camp to have a chance to live, no matter how slim. At least she could have died in the company of others, not alone.

I can't finish this review without leveling some needed criticism at Jon Krakauer. He takes some unnecessary personal pot shots at people, I believe, based on his own political views. Sandy Pittman is one object of his scorn, basically because she is a wealthy socialite who he calls a "publicity hound". Yet, who does that invective really describe? I had never heard of Sandy Pittman before reading this book, but we sure have seen alot of Jon Krakauer haven't we? He has been on TV many times and made a lot of money out of this best-selling book. Who is he to be so contemptuous of Sandy Pittman? Despite calling her an amatuer, she had some experience, as noted in the book, of having climbed the highest peaks on several continents.Ms. Pittman ended up suffering some ridicule partly as a result of Mr. Krakauer scathing reportage of her. Her child apparently suffered as well. Did she really deserve that kind of humiliation? Also, Mr. Krakauer takes some jabs at Beck Weathers, the political conservative who seems to have bested Mr. Krakauer in debate, which left him somewhat resentful, I believe. The fact is, Mr. Weathers never asked to be written about, wasn't seeking publicity, and didn't deserve to even have these things revealed about him. It simply wasn't relevent to telling the story about Mt. Everest and only served Mr. Krakauer's desire to impose his own political views on the reader, which is distracting to the story.

Despite these criticisms, I highly recommend this book. It is a good read. I haven't seen the made for TV movie based on this tale, although I heard it didn't do the book justice. Too bad. This story really deserved a big budget theatrical production anyway.

Rating:
Summary: Totally absorbing from the first page
Review: How could this happen? I couldn't put the book down until I found that out and then I couldn't stop thinking or talking about it. Krakauer does a good job of taking you through the history of Everest attempts, comparing the challenge of Everest to other mountains, explaining the physical challenges at different altitudes, describing the route, and finally recounting the experience. The story raises serious questions about humanity. When do you decide to abandon a dying teammate so that you might survive? How can you pass dying strangers on your way to the top? Or even on your way to safety? The book helps you to understand the incomprehensible. I too noticed the lack of description of what must have been stunning scenery and the thrill of the summit -- but Krakauer missed it as well. As he says in the book, climbing Everest is ultimately about enduring pain. The author's ego aside (we get it: you were the strongest climber on the team), the book is totally engrossing.

Rating:
Summary: By Far The Best Adventure Book I've Read
Review: Into Thin Air was a supurb book, the best action/adventure book as far as I am concerned, and one of the best books ever written. It was written excellently, with accurate Everest history and amazing details. It didn't take me long to read Air, it was hard to put down. Although the major action didn't take place until the last third of the book, the rest of it was great. If you are looking for a great action/adv book, this is it. It is not hard to read, even though it is long. I am a 10th grader and I read it in one week, it was so good. You should definetly buy Into Thin Air.

Rating:
Summary: This is a fine narrative of the Mt. Everest disaster.
Review: It was very hard to put this book down. This book focuses on the mountaineering industry that guides high-income clients to the top of Mt. Everest. INTO THIN AIR provides an outstanding narrative for the sport of mountain climbing. Mr. Krakauer gives a first hand view of the "ins and outs" for climbing Mt. Everest. I was, however, disappointed that the author provided very little detail of the summit. After I finished the book, I had to go back to see if I accidently missed the account of the top....There is no description whatsoever....Maybe, this is intentional? Maybe, this is reserved for those who have conquered this peak?

Rating:
Summary: Impossible to put down!
Review: Krakauer's chilling account of the utter calamity he experienced on Everest in '96 grabs you in the introduction and doesn't let go until months after completing the book. A gripping tale of hardship, death and survival at the earth's zenith. His descriptions provoke vivid imaginations that consume your thought both during the day and while you sleep. An exceptionally profound read.

Rating:
Summary: Personality Clashes on Everest Makes This Book Thin
Review: This is the first Everest Book I read in a long series, including D. Breashear's IMAX book, The Other Side of Everest, The Climb, and Climbing High. Everyone's perceptions of what happened is slightly tinged. Anatoli Boukreev emerges as the most chameleon-like.

This book is the most subjective causing personality clashes tinge the overall focus. The Krakauer-Boukreev feud, notwithstanding, the book is very well written and allows the majesty of the mountain to reign through. I do believe in Lene's comment that if you have family and commitments, you should not let the Everest fever kill your relations or yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Questionable motives
Review: While I found INTO THIN AIR a gripping story which had me quickly turning pages until I had read every line, I am left with mixed feelings about the authenticity of the account. I find thin Krakauer's claim that he wrote this book so quickly after the accident as a catharsis for his guilt. More likely the possibility to capitalize on the money to be made from such a harrowing incident was the stronger incentive. Parts of the book are unnecessarily "gossipy" such as the discussion about one of Fischer's climbing clients having an extramarrital affair on the mountain (it didn't take much discernment on the reader's part to determine the involved party). This detracted from the overall story. I also feel the account of what happened in May 1996 is skewed by pride on the author's part...Krakauer's writing is designed to ensure the reader knows he was at the head of the pack for his climbing group, and that he was forced to slow down to wait for the ones his writing shows he undoubtedly felt had no business being on Everest. He attacks an American woman climber on Fischer's team in particular. I can understand his point about wealthy people with limited climbing experience having no place on Everest, but Everest is an extremely dangerous place even for very experienced climbers! I wonder whether ANY of us has a place on Everest. Out of all the excuses Krakauer gives for not assisting other climbers who eventually died, you finish the book wishing he would have stated the obvious...they were simply scared--scared they couldn't get their own selves off the mountain alive, much less having to help severely incapacitated people. Honestly stating that everyone was afraid would have left me with a better perception of the author besides his constant finger-pointing at others and (valid) excuses about muddled thinking due to the high altitudes. His holier-than-thou attitude took away from an otherwise gripping story. Krakauer can write a good story, but I'm left with the feeling that due to questionable motives on his part, we may be getting an incomplete or even inaccurate accounting of the May 1996 incident. Readers will have to read and decide for themselves. I plan to read Boukreev's accounting of the incident next. Krakauer's book makes light of the heroic actions of Boukreev, and even treats Boukreev unkindly in places. Reading between the lines, however, it appears to me that Boukreev was the true hero on Everest that day. Could Krakauer's unkind treatment of Boukreev in his book indicate jealousy?

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: I found it nearly impossible to put this book down. I was glued to the pages from the beginning. Krakauer is an excellent author with a chilling account of the Everest tragedy. Even if you do not care about mountaineering, this book will grab your attention.

Rating:
Summary: A riveting personal chronicle of a mountaineering disaster
Review: This book is a riveting chronicle of a mountaineering disaster. Although a terrible storm was the direct cause of six deaths on Everest in 1996, Jon Krakauer describes from first experience the character of the expedition participants, and their individual circumstances, the sequence of events, and errors in judgement (some by expert climbers) leading to tragedy. The indomitable force of a mountain storm in "the death zone" at the top of the world and the various physical and emotional responses of the climbers are dramatically portrayed. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in mountaineering, the decision-making process, and human courage and emotion. The IMAX movie EVEREST, filmed by an expedition present on the mountain, forms a great visual companion, as well as the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC photography book which was made for the movie. In addition to wonderfull photographs, the National Geographic book has great illustrations which clarify the route, situation of the camps, and sequence of events. As an aside, I have also had the pleasure of seeing Dr.Beck Weathers, who survived after being givenup for dead, and was later rescued in the highest helicopter rescue ever attempted, describing his miraculous survival. He is very well spoken, sincere, and one can not only see the physical scars, but feel the emotional ones as well as sensing his moral transformation. If anyone has a chance to hear him speak, do not miss it ! There is an excellent videotape of one of his lectures, but I don't know how to obtain it. Hearing him gave me much to think about, especially since I am also a mountaineer. (I am however, NEVER attemting everest--or--well, maybe, just basecamp)