Regions of the Heart : The Triumph and Tragedy of Alison Hargreaves

Rating:
Summary: TRIUMPH TOO QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY TRAGEDY...
Review: Alison Hargreaves was probably one of the most enigmatic climbers of this century. Isolated from the mountaineering community at large for the better part of her career, it was not until she climbed Everest without support and without supplementary oxygen that she got the recognition she so craved. Her solo ascent of Everest without oxygen was the first ever such summit by a woman.

Her need for that recognition was twofold. She seemed to lack personal self-esteem, as a result of her marriage to a man who was emotionally and physically abusive. She also seemed to have a lack of confidence, at times, in her innate ability as a climber, needing validation from the mountaineering community, a validation which seemed to be long in coming. Yet, it was only on the mountains that she felt in control, because her personal life was so out of control. Indecisive about what to do about her unhappy marriage, the mountains gave her hope that she would be able to secure herself and her children financially and free herself from the bondage of an unhappy union.

When she triumphed on Everest, and her future as a climber of reknown seem assured, she almost immediately set out on expedition under pressure from her husband to summit K2, leaving behind her two beloved young children. While she ultimately met with success and reached the summit of K2, she descended head long into a storm with gale force winds. Sadly, she never got off the mountain, consigned to the environs of K2 for all time.

Her death created a maelstrom of controversy at the time, over the idea of a mother with two small children having put herself so at risk of leaving them motherless. Sadly, it was women journalists who spearheaded this sentiment, threatening to destroy Ms. Hargreaves' reputation in death. This was clearly a double standard, as many who die while climbing are men who are fathers to small children. Yet, in death they are not pilloried for having left their children fatherless. Rather, they are often heralded for their daring and courage in attempting to scale new heights.

This book chronicles Ms. Hargreaves' life and her love of climbing. It attempts to paint a balanced portrait of a woman so little known to the world at large, but who made mountaineering history just before her death. It explores her personal life, not only as a wife and mother, but as a person for whom climbing was her life's blood. The author attempts to understand her approach to climbing, as well as her exploits, and ground them in the context out of which they arose. It is the story of an ordinary woman who just before her death made herself extraordinary. Although the author recounts Ms. Hargreaves' life in a somewhat prosaic manner, it is definitely a book well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: A tragic book about a driven person
Review: This book does a good job of illustrating the tragedy inherent to competitive climbing. Hargreaves appears to have been a decent, determined, moderately talented climber, who pushed herself far beyond the point where she was actually enjoying the sport because of her need to make a living and her competitive surroundings. I usually dislike biographies, but found this one quite readable. While the authors do dumb down climbing terminology, they give evocative and gripping descriptions of the sport. This book saddened me, not only in its depiction of someone whose inspiration turned into her doom, but in its revelation of pervasive sexism in the way Hargreaves was viewed. While I don't think a woman who is still breast feeding should be free soloing, as she did (under the pressure of a relationship with an utter ne'er-do-well), the media suggestion that she was somehow a "bad mother" or "bad woman" because she climbed dangerous routes while having young children at home is preposterous. She was, in fact, financially supporting her children by doing so. This is an interesting book, worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly interesting story
Review: When I first read the description of this book, I was only slightly intrigued but since I was running out of Himalayan mountaineering reading material, I decided to give it a try. As a mother, my first impression of a woman with young children risking her life by climbing was negative. This was somewhat hypocritical for me since I believe that women should be given an equal chance, particularly in athletic pursuits, and, as the book points, many male mountaineers are fathers. After reading about her circumstances and what she went through in her marriage physically, mentally, and financially, I understood her drive and came to see that climbing had become a necessity for her financially. As a working mother, I completely sympathized with her pull to provide for her family and yet have the time to spend with her children. Only for a climber, the stakes are greater. This woman suffered so many tough breaks in her personal and climbing life, and was later vilified for being a reckless mother instead of being respected for her amazing performances. With so many accomplishments under her belt, I was surprised that I'd never heard of her before. While it wasn't the best book I've ever read, I did find it hard to put down.

Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly interesting story
Review: When I first read the description of this book, I was only slightly intrigued but since I was running out of Himalayan mountaineering reading material, I decided to give it a try. As a mother, my first impression of a woman with young children risking her life by climbing was negative. This was somewhat hypocritical for me since I believe that women should be given an equal chance, particularly in athletic pursuits, and, as the book points, many male mountaineers are fathers. After reading about her circumstances and what she went through in her marriage physically, mentally, and financially, I understood her drive and came to see that climbing had become a necessity for her financially. As a working mother, I completely sympathized with her pull to provide for her family and yet have the time to spend with her children. Only for a climber, the stakes are greater. This woman suffered so many tough breaks in her personal and climbing life, and was later vilified for being a reckless mother instead of being respected for her amazing performances. With so many accomplishments under her belt, I was surprised that I'd never heard of her before. While it wasn't the best book I've ever read, I did find it hard to put down.