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Summary: A breathtaking account of how far people can push themselves
Review: In his gripping account of an unavoidable disaster on the worlds tallest peak, Krakauer hauntingly goes back to the mountain in words and pictures. Written with such sensitivity and detail, I felt as if I ascended the mountain with the ill fated expedition. Krakauer reflects on why people push themselves so hard in the quest for a summit and how common sense goes out the window at high altitude. A must read for anyone who watches the documentaries and wonders, "what is Everest really like?"
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Summary: An absorbing tale that pushes you to the top of everest.
Review: More then a climbing book, it pulled me into what this tradgey was really like. Although not a perfect book, I could not put it down and was shaken by the events and the exellent prose. It is not an easy task to write a book in which everyone knows the outcome, but Krakauer did a wonderfull job of bringing the tale together. After reading it, I saw the IMAX "Everest" film and the book put the film in a different light (reccommended also!) I have also read "Into the Wild" and found that book very thought provoking and well worth the read.
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Summary: a must read !
Review: The subject didn' t interest me until I read the book. Now I' m hooked on mountaineering stories. I can't get enough. But most surprising of all is that Krakauer is an excellent writer and now I want to read all of the books and stories he has written. His caring, passion, and skill show through his writing and I felt truly involved in this tragedy.
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Summary: More money and ego than sense!
Review: Well written (albeit one-sided)account of the tragic disaster on Mt Everest. Need to read "Climb" by the Russian guide Boukreev (sp) for another perspective. My overall impression is that Beck Weathers was saved by the grace of God for a definite reason.
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Summary: BREATHTAKING, and SPECTACULAR!!!
Review: It is a very interesting book, once I started to read it, I could hardly put it down. The book was very well written and very detailed. I plan on reading more novels on Mt Everest. A 100 degrees below zero? I can't imagine!
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Summary: I real pitiful statement on how self centered people are.
Review: This was a very disappointing read. I have absolutely no sympathy for the author Mr. Krakauer. Any angst or guilt he lives with for the rest of his life is insufficient for his lack of actions. This is definetly a 90's book about what it like to be so into oneself that there's no time to think of others including those on the climb as well as family memebers left behind. This was a climb about fame at all cost becuase of the perceived bounty that would be recieved. This book hits the nail right on the head showing the two motivating factors behind money. They are greed and fear. In this book greed untimately won, even though fear might have saved lives. They had absolutely no chance of working or functioning as a team. To do this you must be able to put someone's else's interest before your own. It is a story about "I" and "me" and how distructive self centered behavior can be. I'm sorry I wasted my time reading a book about so many people who went all out for themselves. There are many other adventure stories worthy of reading before this one.
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Summary: What drives people's ambitions and the price to be paid.
Review: This is not a book about "normal" people. It is a book about driven people. I was most impressed by the focus the author made to the individual participants in the context of the actual events. It provides normal people with an explanation of why some people are willing to risk their lives in persuit of goal. It also shows us that these people value the success of others in reaching that same goal. I have met a couple of successful Everest climbers in business situations and they are definitely leaders not followers. Although Everest and other challenges like it will continue to take their toll, the line of driven people waiting to test themselves will not diminish.I have experienced high altitude situations in my life and can identify with much of the physical sensations described in the book. I have not seen the IMAX movie being filmed during the time of the books actual events; however, I think I would have enjoyed the book even better had I seen it first. Although I understand the movie is mostly void of the ugly side of the Everest experience explained in the book such as trash piles and frozen human remains, the book has a hard time describing the magnatude and majesty of the experience. I thank the author for providing a description of the good, the bad and the ugly side of the Everest experience.
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Summary: The emotion is palpable, and that makes the book great.
Review: ITA is not a superbly-written book..one reviewer hit it right on the mark by saying it felt like a long magazine article. Well, that's what Mr. Krakauer does for his job - write magazine articles. He is writing a story where he is as responsible for the tragedy as any one person - and is blasted by it for life. The incredible cascades of raw, nerve-wracking emotion are what make this book one of my all-time favorites. I hardly slept the night after I read it. Buy it and read it - a great portrayal of what life can throw you,
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Summary: Morbidly Compelling
Review: The tragedy of Everest fascinated me in much the same way as some are attracted by auto accidents. I had an almost voyeuristic curiosity to try and understand why these people would dare such a stupid thing. Is it to bring some kind of meaning to their lives? Krakauer answers some of the questions, but this book is more confession, an attempt to exorcise his own demons. He owns up to his own blunders heroically and resists the urge to point out those of the other climbers. He tries desperately to redeem all of them, to not criticize, only lapsing briefly if at all. It points out his essential humanity, but it is a failing for him as a journalist.
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Summary: A Cautionary Tale of Technological Hubris
Review: Part of our charm as a species is our unwillingness to heed cautionary tales. We are often overly optimistic in our risk-taking. At the turn of the century, we built an unsinkable ship that sank on its maiden voyage. In the latter half of this century, we put a public school teacher on the space shuttle, only to be reminded that space travel is still very dangerous. An at the end of this century, we put a reporter, a socialite, an assortment of doctors, lawyers and other Type A personalities on a tour-guided mission to the summit of Mt. Everest. Why should we be surprised when that, too, proves to be very dangerous. The families of the dead may complain, and Mr. Krakauer may have his own devils to answer to, but this story needed to be told. The best memorial to those who died is to have their story told as honestly as possible by someone who was there who can do a professional job of reporting. Jon Krakauer did us all a service by making this story easily understood outside the elite community of high altitude mountaineers. This is a very readable and worthwhile book.
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