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Summary: A powerful, descriptive account of Mt. Everest in 1996.
Review: In 1996, two expeditions led by Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, two mountaineering legends, encountered a massive disaster. For many reasons, the expedition went horribly wrong and many climbers died. This book is a personal account of that expedition, as related by Jon Krakauer, one of the climbers. Through his journalist skills, he is able to recount most of the tragedy for the world. He explained each of the climbers feelings as best he could, but unfortunately, most members were not able to confirm or support his story. I view this as an excellent piece of work, but there are (as in everything) a few flaws. As Krakauer composed the book almost entirely from the memories of himself and other climbers. At the altitude that Everest is at, the oxygen deprivation can result in loss of memory. If Krakauer had been taking notes instead of trying to remember, it would have made the book all the better. Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in mountaineering, human emotions, or anything in general. It is a vital piece of education for any person, and should not be passed up if given the opportunity.
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Summary: The book was extremely well writen
Review: I think that the Book Into Thin Air was extremely well written ad very well portrays the tragedy of the 1996 Everest expedition. He really gets into some on the thoughts and feelings of his teammates. He shows how all of the mistakes put together caused the problems and not just on thing went wrong it was a group of things. Some parts I think should have been edited out such as the references to Scott Fischer's cannabis addiction. He also could have done without the reference to him "smoking a fatty." One other thing that could have been left out was the profanity it is completely unnecessary. Overall the book has been on of my favorites and was extremely heart felt. I have red the book twice now and am still amazed at what happed and how little problems on Everest turn into big problems quickly. In my opinion this book should be read by every body and should be in the schools curriculum.
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Summary: The book was fantastic- a real thriller!
Review: Reading Jon Krakauer's novel,Into Thin Air, was the experience of a lifetime. Jon Krakauer is able to captivate the reader and make them feel as if they were there. The book is an outstanding mixture of anguish, perils, and joys. Jon Krakauer is an intriging writer. In his book he writes about climbing Everest. He explains the disaster of the Everest climb in 1996. With Jon Krakauer's extensive vocabulary he is able to keep the reader on his or her feet. The book contained a sense of adventure that is appealing to everyone. He helped explain some of the questions that one has about climbing a mountain. Jon Krakauer attempts to explain why one would want to climb the mountain, even though the risks were so high. He also explains extensively about what it felt like to climb the mountain. The book was mainly good, but there were parts that weren't that great. I thought the book was somewhat boring in the beginning. From the start, the author mainly talked about the history of the mountain. All of the history subtracted from the overall adventerous outlook of the book. Overall the book was great. It posessed great quality that is hard to find. The book is outstanding, and I highly recommend it.
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Summary: A well-written novel on the hardships suffered on Everest
Review: The book, Into Thin Air, I thought was very informative and interesting. There was a lot of good detail when Mr. Krakauer was describing the different situations up on the mountain. If you like 'action/informative' books this is the one for you. The whole novel was fascinating and kept me thinking of how much will, and stamina it would take these people to climb the tallest mountain in the world. But there were some points that I didn't like as well as the rest. For example, the whole beginning of the story is filled with pretty much nothing but past information on the different subjects that are brought up, such as the Sherpa culture, other climbers backgrounds, and past expeditions. These were all, I'm sure, needed to work up to the climax but some if it was definitely. . .not worthless, but you know. I thought that the detailed descriptions of climbers conditions, different camps, and weather was extremely well done and it really made me feel as if I was there witnessing the whole disaster. Jon Krakauer also wrote this novel in a way where he left it up to me to determine what was going through other climbers heads. He mentioned all of the careless mistakes that could have helped lead up to the horrible catastrophe that killed 12 people in 1996. Like too many people on the mountain and too much money. Over all, my favorite part was the quotes/explanations at the beginning of each chapter. These really helped me to see why exactly someone would want to go through all of the agony just to stand on the highest point in the world for 5 minutes. I personlly have absolutely no desire to climb Everest but by reading this book I can kind of get a feel for what exactly it was like and what "curve balls" the mountain can throw at you at any given time.
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Summary: By portraying this story, Krakauer takes you to Everest.
Review: "Into Thin Air," by Jon Krakauer is a book writen to tell the triumphs and the hardships of those who were on Everest the year of the disaster. Krakauer gets your interest at the very begining by starting off at the top of Everest. Then he takes you back down to start from the begining of his adventure. He also gives you background of some of his teammates, as well as the history of the mountain itself. Krakauer's word usage and description actually seemed to take you along the journey; it seemed as though you were there and you didn't even have to leave your chair. "Into Thin Air" kind of lets you learn the easy way of how much life should be appreciated, and not take things for granted as much. Over all, the book was good, but it didn't have quite the same contents of your average action/adventure book. It was almost as though he had a hidden reason for actually writing this book. I thought that he might actually have been trying to make it up to the families of those who died on the mountain partly due to his own mistakes. By publishing this book, he could make it known to the world what actually happened that year when so many died or came close to death on the mountain. Although, in this book, there are many issues and "facts" stated that are very controversial compaired to the opinion of others who were up there. I feel that Krakauer should have gotten all of the facts straight before publishing his book. Other than all that, I liked the book.
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Summary: Great adventure book with lots of detail and good facts.
Review: John Krakauer wrote passionately about his personal experiences on Mt. Everest. It was very detailed and full of information about the mountains history and the disaster in 1996. I found the book quite boring at times especially when he talked about the history of the book. His discrepancies in the book about Lopsang, Boukreev and what happened with them on the day of the disaster really bothered me, he should have all the facts straight before writing a book of this nature. I also had a hard time getting into it because he continuously switched from the history of the mountain to the story. Other than that the book was gripping and a real page turner. I also enjoyed Krakauers choice of words and his detail, you feel like your up there on the mountain. I enjoyed the book, I think it would have been better if it didn't drag at some points and Krakauer kept all the facts straight. I would recomend this book to people who enjoy adventure books but warn them beforehand, i's good but slow.
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Summary: I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it
Review: The book Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer gives a "personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster" of 1996 that resulted in more than 8 deaths. This novel is a great account of the disaster, giving the reader insight into particular events that lead up to and followed this historical occurance. Krakauer is able to capture the event remarkably, interviewing surviors and learning and writing from their experiences. The book also has more information then the disaster itself, but also the conditions at the camps, high altitude mountain sickness and a great description of the Sherpa culture and their roles in the success of the expeditions on Everest. Another great aspect of the book is that we are able to learn a great deal about the history of Everest and why commercial climbing has become an intensly populated sport. Into Thin Air describes the main details that added together to formed the outcome of the 1996 Everest climbing season. Krakauer also does a superb job of introducing the nonfictional climbers to the reader by explaining past experiences and personal reasons for accomplishing the task of climbing Everest. The book was written wonderfully, with one major drawback, the many discrepencies. How can Jon Krakauer be a reliable source if he was unable to identify Andy Harris? And why were there so many differences between the book and other sources written by other climbers? But other than these drawbacks, I feel Into Thin Air is a remarkable piece that engulfs the reader into a story about the perils of the 1996 Everest disaster. I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking about getting involved with mountain climbing, anyone already involved in mountain climbing, or to anyone remotely interested in learning more about the 1996 Everest disaster.
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Summary: This was a captivating, well written novel.
Review: I thought that Into Thin Air was an excellent book for the most part. It did, however, have its parts that did not appeal to myself. Before reading this book, I knew very little about Mount Everest and had little interest in climbing. After reading this captivating novel, I have found myself intrigued with the many mysteries of Nepal, Tibet, and Everest. I have also become more interested in the sport of mountain climbing. I have become interested in climbing, but not to the extent that I am packing my bags and flying to Kathmandu to risk everything for "one shot at the summit." I felt that Into Thin Air had some very strong, well-illustrated sections. As I read through the sections when they were descending from the summit on May tenth and eleventh I was very captivating and could almost feel the wind pelting the ice against my face. As Anatoli went out into the blizzard to find his lost clients, and Andy Harris made his epic attempt to supply Rob Hall and Doug Hansen with precious oxygen when they were stranded above the Hillary Step, I could not put down the book. I thought that the adventure and passion contained in this book made it an excellent novel. I thought that, despite the discrepancies between what Jon said and what actually went on were compensated for with the in depth descriptions of the places, people, and the events that occurred on Everest in May of 1996.
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Summary: An astounding thriller that's bound to captivate you!
Review: INTO THIN AIR was an exciting novel robust with a sense of danger throughout it's pages. It is a historical documentation of tragic happenings, and as you read, it is hard to believe the events have actually occured to real life people. The most astounding aspect of INTO THIN AIR is it's intricate descriptions. Krakauer made you feel as if you were actually ascending Everest's powerful face.
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Summary: The plot was interesting, but something was missing.
Review: Jon Krakauer's novel, "Into Thin Air", was a good read. It is Krakauer's eyewitness account of the tragedy that occurred on Mount Everest in 1996. He recounts the two months he and his team, the Adventure Consultants, spent on the unforgiving mountain acclimatizing to the oxygen deprived air. Although the book was exciting, something was lacking. It was almost as though Krakauer missed the point of his own book. He was trying to hard (or not hard enough) to say something that he never quite got out. It seemed to me that he was trying to make up to the families of the victims for discrepancies in the article he wrote for "Outside Magazine." Instead, he spent more time pointing fingers at people (himself included).
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