Rating: 
Summary: The Character named chris at the beginning makes the book
Review: It was a flavorful read. I believe the character chris seems to tie everything together. He is a dashing young buck so to speak. I could read about him for hours. I kept wanting to know what Chris was doing when the minor character Erik was climbing Mt. Everest. My only suggestion for improvement would be to have more of Chris in the book. Otherwise it was a dandy of a book.
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Summary: To blindly go where no man has gone before...
Review: Ok, that's not true. But Erik Weihenmayer has gone where no blind man has gone before and very few men and women with 20/20 vision will be able to follow his footsteps.
This is more than a mountaineering book: it's the life story about a child who had to grow up with a visual handicap that put him more and more in the dark. First unwilling to accept this fact, but later unwilling to accept society's view of blind people. Being a good climber he just didn't quit because of his blindness, but found new ways of reaching the top, culminating in climbing the top of the world, Mt Everest and becoming one of the few people who have climbed the "7 summits". This is an amazing story about courage, and vision in more meanings of the word. Erik has climbed Denali, Aconcagua, El Capitan and Everest amongst others. But he also moved to a new state whilst being completely blind, trained his dog, fell in love, got married on the top of a continent, led a fellow climber through the dark woods and many other things you might not expect from a blind man. Although a close relative of mine has a blinding eye disease as well, this book inspired myself personally to just go out and do it, whatever 'it' is for me. Great inspiration and entertainingly written. This new edition contains a new part about the Everest climb which was not included in the older editions.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: The author is a young, totally blind man who has climbed many of the world's tallest peaks, and in May of 2001 conquered Everest. This is quite an extraordinary story of his life thus far, and he tells the tale with wit, power, and insight way beyond his years. I especially liked his delightful treatment of his first experience in mingling with other blind youngsters; he shares both his painful and joyful moments with frankness and insight. His account of getting to know a pretty girl in the group and coming to understand her beauty as a thing of many dimensions, far beyond vision is so richly evocative and moving it'll bring tears to your eyes. Give yourself a treat and get this book.
Rating: 
Summary: NO GUTS...NO GLORY
Review: The author, who is totally blind, gives the reader his life story. Told with humor, he regales the reader with insights into his early life, when he could still see, and describes how his gradual loss of sight impacted on how the world perceived him. Fighting all his life against stereotypic notions that the sighted population has about those who are blind, the author has proven that those who are blind can do just about anything a sighted person can do. They just go about doing it in a slightly different way. It is truly amazing that the author climbs mountains, because in order for him to do so, he must climb with others in whom he can place his complete and absolute trust. To some extent, he must rely upon them for precise descriptions of the terrain which lies before him. He also sometimes requires them to direct him accurately. Often, accurate directions and descriptions of the terrain are all that lies between the author and a precipitous drop of several thousand feet. I marvel that anyone would dare to venture up a mountain they cannot see in the traditional sense. The author has nerves of steel and is blessed with a very supportive and loving family. Yet, he climbs, not for the visual beauty of the mountains, but for the sense of freedom that it gives. For him, the mountains he climbs are a reassurance that he is just like everyone else. They are also trophies. He is working on climbing the seven summits, the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents. At present, he has reached the summit of four of them. I hope that he will reach his goal. The author is a very handsome, athletic and driven young man, and I give him a lot of credit for that drive and athleticism. When one reads his book, the reader realizes just how much it took for him to be able to do what he has done. What he has accomplished has flown into the face of conventional wisdom and traditional expectations of one who is blind. His story is unique in that he alone has made it so. He is a shining example of a person who will not let others dictate the parameters of his life. Yet, at the same time, he occasionally comes across as somewhat unfeeling of others and a bit shallow. Those who read the book will, undoubtedly, know what I mean. Nonetheless, he is certainly to be credited for expanding common perceptions of what the blind are capable of achieving. Good luck, Erik, on all your future endeavors!
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Summary: This Book Has Changed My Life
Review: There are few books which really change the way you think about how you approach your life. This is definitely one. In his youth, Erik encountered two losses which would devastate most of us, gradually losing his sight and, just when he seemed to be starting to fight his way through that trauma, losing his mom to a car accident. Amazingly, he collected himself, with the help of his teachers and school counselors, and the very strong support of his family. His dad encouraged him to join the wrestling team, and a blindness school offered up a program in rock climbing, and Erik was on his way. He began to shape a vision for his life which would guide him to this day. He wanted to live an independent life, live by his own rules. He wanted to cast aside the limitations which others imposed on him, and rise to the level of his own God-given potential. And he wanted to live an extraordinary life, not just an ordinary one. He lives with this uplifting view of life. The glass is always half full. Blindness is just a nuisance. He can't play baseball, but he can climb, so it doesn't matter. When he cannot do something at first, he doesn't attribute his failure to blindness, but to the fact that he hasn't discovered YET the secret system which will help him accomplish his goal. These uplifting messages are told through his unbelievable and sometimes outragous tales, with humor that has you laughing out loud, even if you're in a crowd; and with both victories and defeats which keep your emotions on a rollercoaster ride. Keep a handerchief handy. This is one of the best books I have ever read, and it has encouraged me to live my life with even more zest and adventure. Once you start, you won't be able to put it down. Wow!
Rating: 
Summary: kept my attention but not outstanding
Review: This book is a combination of an adventurer's autobiography and a climbing book, which has become a genre unto itself. The author's determination and fortitude are admirable. Being a hang glider pilot, I can relate to his drive as well as the all-consuming passion that pushes everyone else you love to second tier at best. Nonetheless, that part is not admirable. In other ways, he is just contradictory. While simultaneously insisting he wants to just be seen as a good climber, not singled out as a blind climber, he also demonstrates repeatedly that that part of the recognition holds at least as much appeal. At one point, he becomes frustrated and annoyed that the locals doubt his blindness because of his awareness. When he can't stand it anymore, he pops out a prosthetic eye to prove his disability. I didn't find that distateful in itself, but I prefer the honest nature of consistency in autobiographical works. He also just sounds like an all-around jerk. Arrogant (beyond the pride he is surely entitled to for his accomplishments) and shallow. I might have expected this book was written before 1950 when I read that he reluctantly finishes a date with a woman whose company he had enjoyed earlier after a friend gives him the secret "she's ugly" handshake. At least he is honest in that. I was glad to read his history of becoming blind, learning about that, living with it, and pushing through obstacles. Visual descriptions of his climbs are cursory, but they are unfortunately not enlightening as they could have been with rich tactile or other sense descriptions. I found the post-epilogue chapter on his Everest summit most captivating - it gave a great picture of the Khumbu ice fall leading to Everest. The rest of the text was hum drum. Despite my distaste for him personally and the bland writing, the book kept my attention well enough, so I boosted other impressions to give it an average rating overall.
Rating:
Summary: Up to the top
Review: This book was GREAT! It really captured what it must be like to be blind. Erik Weihenmayer's triumph over blindness is just amazing. Whoever thinks that blindness makes you unable to do things really should read this book. It tells of his journey through life blind, and how hard it can be. He climbs mountains, disproves, stereotypes, and teaches, all at the same time. He is an amazing man and should have his story heard by all...
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Summary: Touch the Top of the World
Review: This is a fabulous book. One minute you are laughing out loud and the next, tears are pouring down your face. The tears are not of sadness but of joy for all the wonderful experiences Erik has had; his relationships with friends and family, his adventures among the cracks and crevices. With great wit, Erik expresses his triumphs along with his challenges. My son has been blind for two years. He lost his sight to genetics, but we had no cue that the family had the gene until his sight started going three weeks before his nineteenth birthday, it only took those three weeks. He just turned 21 on August 2. Unlike Erik, Larry does have the talent of music and travels with his band, Jepetto, around the East Coast. He even has gone back to taking Classical piano lessons. Like Erik he found no encouragement in what his abilities would do for him. TOUCH THE TOP OF THE WORLD really helps you understand the the feeling of blindness, not of the limitations the world puts on you, but of the heights to which you can arise. Please read it, you will not be sorry you did, only sorry if you hadn't read it. I am donating a copy to each of my son's schools.
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Summary: Inspirational
Review: This is a fantastic book! It is refreshing to come across a "sports" figure that can actually write well. Erik Weihenmayer has a gift for storytelling and I found myself immersed in his story within the first few pages. There were times I chuckled out loud and other times that I held my breath until I turned the page. This is a book for anyone who loves the outdoors and who wishes that they too could climb to the top of the world.
Rating:
Summary: Touch the top of the world
Review: This is a heart warming story about Erik's struggle to overcome life's challenges. His spirit and persistence are awesome. He faces adversity with a strength that goes beyond most of us. His descriptions of mountain climbing fill the reader with awe as he ventures to more places than the average person would even attempt. Erik Weihenmayer is a true hero. This is a must read!
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