Rating: 
Summary: Let's Hear It For the Girls
Review: "Annapurna: a Woman's Place" leaves something to be desired as a title. This 8,000+-foot monster is not much a "Place" for any life form. It is about as stable as a bowl of jello with hardly a square foot safe from avalanches. It takes weeks (that is after you get as far as Katmandu) of walking to even get there. Annapurna is located in Nepal, near the China border.Ms. Blum led a diverse 13 woman team on an almost three month adventure on the mountain. The women's ages ranged from 20-50, their nationalities from American to Polish to British (and a few I would just label as "extremely cosmopolitan"); their abilities ranked from zero to professional level climber level. The author does an excellent job of relating her feelings, problems and insecurities as a leader. I was impressed at the cooperative spirit of all the women and their willingness to discuss emotional problems as they developed. I don't think 13 men would be as cohesive a unit. Of course, a man's team most likely would not have to worry about someone having a love affair with the cook, either! The black & white climbing photos are excellent and nicely matched with the narrative. You definitely get a sense of the struggle, the cold, and the tensions that are never-ending on such an ambitious climb. Ms. Blum imported five Sherpas as high-climbing support, hoping to ensure greater safety with their expertise. Was this a successful plan? Yes and no. The Sherpas were for the most part insubordinate (they had little confidence in female decisions) and temperamental. However, when the chips were down, they came through and displayed their much praised stamina and resolve. The triumph of the two women who summited was a rousing adventure-read and showed that their accomplishment was indeed a victory for the whole team. The two women, one British and one American, that attempted the middle summit a day later and tragically fell to their deaths is still shrouded in mystery. I cannot help but think their decision making abilities were clouded by the high altitude. The risks were far too many, and the chances of success, but slight. This is a well-told tale, one of best of the high-climbing books. It is slightly marred by some feminine defensiveness, but this was 1978, and equality still had a long way to go!
Rating:
Summary: Let's Hear It For the Girls
Review: "Annapurna: a Woman's Place" leaves something to be desired as a title. This 8,000+-foot monster is not much a "Place" for any life form. It is about as stable as a bowl of jello with hardly a square foot safe from avalanches. It takes weeks (that is after you get as far as Katmandu) of walking to even get there. Annapurna is located in Nepal, near the China border. Ms. Blum led a diverse 13 woman team on an almost three month adventure on the mountain. The women's ages ranged from 20-50, their nationalities from American to Polish to British (and a few I would just label as "extremely cosmopolitan"); their abilities ranked from zero to professional level climber level. The author does an excellent job of relating her feelings, problems and insecurities as a leader. I was impressed at the cooperative spirit of all the women and their willingness to discuss emotional problems as they developed. I don't think 13 men would be as cohesive a unit. Of course, a man's team most likely would not have to worry about someone having a love affair with the cook, either! The black & white climbing photos are excellent and nicely matched with the narrative. You definitely get a sense of the struggle, the cold, and the tensions that are never-ending on such an ambitious climb. Ms. Blum imported five Sherpas as high-climbing support, hoping to ensure greater safety with their expertise. Was this a successful plan? Yes and no. The Sherpas were for the most part insubordinate (they had little confidence in female decisions) and temperamental. However, when the chips were down, they came through and displayed their much praised stamina and resolve. The triumph of the two women who summited was a rousing adventure-read and showed that their accomplishment was indeed a victory for the whole team. The two women, one British and one American, that attempted the middle summit a day later and tragically fell to their deaths is still shrouded in mystery. I cannot help but think their decision making abilities were clouded by the high altitude. The risks were far too many, and the chances of success, but slight. This is a well-told tale, one of best of the high-climbing books. It is slightly marred by some feminine defensiveness, but this was 1978, and equality still had a long way to go!
Rating:
Summary: annapurna: a woman's place
Review: Arlene Blum brings this women's expedition to life. You really have a sense of the members both as individuals and as a team. Perhaps only a woman can write with this insight, which is coupled with a keen eye for the details of the expedition itself. It left me longing for even more details and more photos.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this book!
Review: Arlene Blum's book is the best mountain-climbing book I've ever read, by far, and as the daughter of a climber, I've read quite a few. This book excels because of its author. Her sensitivity, perceptiveness, and concern for others is evident throughout. She's also a good writer with a good story.
Rating:
Summary: A woman's "Into Thin Air" (but better!)
Review: Arlene Blum's compelling account of this historic climb of Annapurna is a valuable reminder that there was a LOT more happening in 1978 than disco fever! Now that Everest has become the ultimate tourist destination of the rich and famous, it's refreshing to read a heartfelt account of the days when 8000 m peaks were still the domain of real climbers--especially this group of tough-as-nails women. Having just read "Into Thin Air" by John Krakauer and the far more satisfying "The Climb" by Weston de Walt and the late Anatoli Boukreev (killed in an avalanche on Annapurna last December), I'd like to recommend that this anniversary edition of "Annapurna" be dedicated in part to the memory of Japanese climber Yasuko Namba--the most senior woman ever to summit Everest and a tragic casualty of the May 10, 1996 disaster. I'm still wondering whether Yasuko's gender and ethnicity didn't contribute to her abandonment in a storm on the South Col. Arlene Blum's account of how a team of ten women worked together to climb Annapurna is a precious reminder that these issues can be transcended by dedicated teamwork--something sorely missing from recent commercial expeditions. The many women who now regularly summit 8000 m peaks are testimony to the courage and leadership of Arlene Blum and her team. Her book helps one to know what such a climb is *really* like, from packing to trekking to dealing with personal amenities at high altitudes. If you know any girls (or boys!) who need some great role models along with a healthy dose of the history of feminism (lest anyone forget...), this book would make an *excellent* gift. If you've read "Into Thin Air" and are hungry for more, "Annapurna" will satisfy.
Rating:
Summary: Good read.
Review: Having read lots of the 'Boys' Own Adventures' type climbing stories, and thoroughly enjoying them, I might add, I was looking for something from the experience of my own gender. I liked the book, and there were only a few minor things that grated. The particularly 1970s type feminism, in all its naivete and idealism was amusing at times. More offensive was the at times patronising tone towards the porters and sherpas (I am looking forward to reading Sherri Ortner's book about Sherpas). The gung-ho-ness of some of the women (we don't need porters, we don't need sherpas) was interesting but a bit cringe-making. Unfortunately, at the end we had an update on the lives of the survivng members, but nothing further about the Sherpas. This is despite Blum having half-Sherpa children and spending much of her time in the Himalayas, and mention that one had divorced the Sherpa cook. So Blum one might imagine, might have had the resources to do an update on the Sherpa people on the expedition as well. Did any of the women they mistakenly involved ever make it back on an expedition? The quality of production is good. I particularly like that the photos are integrated into the text, so it comes together as a whole, with illustrations right at the point of narration, rather than the more usual photo prints gathered together as plates once or twice in a book . It does give a slighty peculiar "text-book" look to it, but I think it works well. "Ghosts of Everest" is another book that achieves this, with very high quality colour pics. I liked the pics recording every day things around the camps. All in all, a good read and enlightening about an activity in which I am an armchair fellow-traveller.
Rating:
Summary: Good read.
Review: Having read lots of the 'Boys' Own Adventures' type climbing stories, and thoroughly enjoying them, I might add, I was looking for something from the experience of my own gender. I liked the book, and there were only a few minor things that grated. The particularly 1970s type feminism, in all its naivete and idealism was amusing at times. More offensive was the at times patronising tone towards the porters and sherpas (I am looking forward to reading Sherri Ortner's book about Sherpas). The gung-ho-ness of some of the women (we don't need porters, we don't need sherpas) was interesting but a bit cringe-making. Unfortunately, at the end we had an update on the lives of the survivng members, but nothing further about the Sherpas. This is despite Blum having half-Sherpa children and spending much of her time in the Himalayas, and mention that one had divorced the Sherpa cook. So Blum one might imagine, might have had the resources to do an update on the Sherpa people on the expedition as well. Did any of the women they mistakenly involved ever make it back on an expedition? The quality of production is good. I particularly like that the photos are integrated into the text, so it comes together as a whole, with illustrations right at the point of narration, rather than the more usual photo prints gathered together as plates once or twice in a book . It does give a slighty peculiar "text-book" look to it, but I think it works well. "Ghosts of Everest" is another book that achieves this, with very high quality colour pics. I liked the pics recording every day things around the camps. All in all, a good read and enlightening about an activity in which I am an armchair fellow-traveller.
Rating:
Summary: Skill, talent, determination....Inspiration
Review: I am amazed at the extreme level of skill, talent, determination, desire, and ultimately, success "Annapurna: A Woman's Place" describes. I have never been so encouraged by one single book. the expedition Arlene Blum led offerred many advances for women in climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, et cetera. the photos, detailed chronology of the expedition, from beginning to end, and the wonderful craft by which it was written explains why this book is an all time great. it is truly inspiring! "As our plane flew on and on, crossing the dateline and time zones, the sun rose and set-or did it? Aiports came and went. Time and space were changing so rapidly, I felt as if I could get off the plane anywhere in the past, present, or future-Athens during the Peloponnesian War, Mars, or back home in Berkeley." Page 12
Rating:
Summary: Getting up the mountain was only one of the challenges.
Review: I was happy to see that many others enjoyed this book as much as I did. There are many mountaineering narratives such as this one but I think this one has been perhaps the most enjoyable. This is far from a...we came, we saw, we conquered story. Rather its a moving story of how ten women (plus the base camp manager & film crew) came together in the face of adversity to achieve a common goal. Its told with a far more human perspective than you see in some mountaineering literature. The expedition leader Arlene never presents herself as all-knowing or commanding. Instead she constantly is trying to find the best way amidst all the challenges that the team faces. As I stated in the review title, climbing Annapurna was but one of their challenges. The mountain rained down daily with one avalanche after another, with no warming or predictability. In many respects this peak is more difficult than everest. Climbing the mountain may have been the toughest physical obstacle but many other more complex problems had to be overcome. For one you had ten women who didn't all know each other well, finally come together as a team. Given the wide variety of nationalities (american, british, polish, etc), ability levels, cultures, and approaches that existed its a miracle that they did come together. They had numerous problems with the Sherpas, equipment, weather. Couple that with the entire world scrutinizing their every move because it was an all-womens expedition and you are in for a truly special story of triumph and tragedy.
Rating:
Summary: Getting up the mountain was only one of the challenges.
Review: I was happy to see that many others enjoyed this book as much as I did. There are many mountaineering narratives such as this one but I think this one has been perhaps the most enjoyable. This is far from a...we came, we saw, we conquered story. Rather its a moving story of how ten women (plus the base camp manager & film crew) came together in the face of adversity to achieve a common goal. Its told with a far more human perspective than you see in some mountaineering literature. The expedition leader Arlene never presents herself as all-knowing or commanding. Instead she constantly is trying to find the best way amidst all the challenges that the team faces. As I stated in the review title, climbing Annapurna was but one of their challenges. The mountain rained down daily with one avalanche after another, with no warming or predictability. In many respects this peak is more difficult than everest. Climbing the mountain may have been the toughest physical obstacle but many other more complex problems had to be overcome. For one you had ten women who didn't all know each other well, finally come together as a team. Given the wide variety of nationalities (american, british, polish, etc), ability levels, cultures, and approaches that existed its a miracle that they did come together. They had numerous problems with the Sherpas, equipment, weather. Couple that with the entire world scrutinizing their every move because it was an all-womens expedition and you are in for a truly special story of triumph and tragedy.
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