Addicted to Danger : A Memoir About Affirming Life in the Face of Death

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Summary: A climber's life - an overview
Review: Jim Wickwire's Addicted to Danger isn't an expedition book. It's the story, not of climbing, but of a climber's life, or appears to be; at any rate, it covers things other than climbing, including a quick overview of the author's early life, and some rather more in-depth coverage of the murders of a colleague and his family, as well as Wickwire's unconsummated love affair with a fellow climber. In such a book, one where climbing is explored through a single climber's story, I would hope for insight and perhaps even some answers to the big questions about climbing - you know, the ones that start with 'why.' And while there is a tiny bit of that, Wickwire skips most of it, and in so doing, impoverishes the book and deprives the reader.

The book offers just a tantalizing glimpse of one of the more interesting aspects of climbing - the way the sport affects the climber's family. It seems that for every man who does Eiger or Denali or K2, there's a Penelope working just as hard holding down the home front. In Addicted to Danger, Wickwire makes it painfully clear that his wife, Mary Lou, is even more Penelope than most. She raised their five children while he climbed mountains, yet he writes less about her, and their 35-year marriage, than he does about his brief love affair with another climber. But although he expresses some regrets about the way his hobby interfered with his family life, the results of that aren't really discussed, and no one else's point of view is heard. I got the impression that a book by Mary Lou would've been much more interesting than this one was.

Another place where Wickwire missed the chance to tell an interesting story is in the many sections that deal with the inevitable tragedies of the climbing life, the deaths of rope partners and friends. During every tragedy, Wickwire vows to stop or curtail his climbing; afterwards, he quickly retracts the promise. Just baldly stating the pattern isn't very novel - dozens, if not hundreds, of climbers have documented and discussed the phenomenom. It would've been much more interesting and revealing if Wickwire had explained the thought processes behind the pattern - the rationalizations, the struggle, whatever. He says in his introduction that he spent hours agonizing over such issues while writing the book; what a pity more of that didn't make it to the page.

However, despite the fact that Wickwire evaded all the most interesting behind-the-scenes stories, the book is still worth reading for those interested in climbing. It provides some intersting parellel views - compare Addicted's chapter on the 1975 K2 attempt to Galen Rowell's book In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods, for example - and a nice sense of balance - Wickwire is willing to show us the failures as well as the successes. He also gives the reader a look at how age and maturity affect climbers and climbing. The book might not be ideal for the armchair climber, and it certainly isn't the stuff of classic adventure travel writing, but it's a nice, light, supplemental read.

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Summary: Addicted to Danger ([e-mail])
Review: Addicted to Danger:A memory about affirming life in the face of death. Author:Jim Wickwire & Dorothy Bullitt Jim Wickwire dedicated his life to climbing in spite of a wife and children, along with being an attorney. Loving nature and the thrill of climbing, he always made an effort to reach the summit of every mountain. Wickwire is a man of courage. He climbed his first mountain in 1960 and never stopped until his age took him over. He traveled the entire world to attempt different and more thrilling expeditions and the dangerous encounters of each mountain he attempted. He suffered through bitter cold, blinding storms, many avalanches, and all of the friend that have died on these expeditions. In 1978 Wickwire was th first American mountain climber to reach the 28,250 foot summit of K2, which is the second highest peak in the world.

Addicted to Danger is for those who enjoy thrilling tales. This book is great to read. If you would like more information please feel free to email my above address.

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Summary: Suspenseful novel that kept me reading--A real page turner
Review: After attending a lecture given by a professor, I was motivated to purchase this novel. The professor only read one chapter, and after hearing it, I couldn't wait to read every chapter.

Rating:
Summary: Addicted to Danger ([e-mail])
Review: Addicted to Danger:A memory about affirming life in the face of death. Author:Jim Wickwire & Dorothy Bullitt Jim Wickwire dedicated his life to climbing in spite of a wife and children, along with being an attorney. Loving nature and the thrill of climbing, he always made an effort to reach the summit of every mountain. Wickwire is a man of courage. He climbed his first mountain in 1960 and never stopped until his age took him over. He traveled the entire world to attempt different and more thrilling expeditions and the dangerous encounters of each mountain he attempted. He suffered through bitter cold, blinding storms, many avalanches, and all of the friend that have died on these expeditions. In 1978 Wickwire was th first American mountain climber to reach the 28,250 foot summit of K2, which is the second highest peak in the world.

Addicted to Danger is for those who enjoy thrilling tales. This book is great to read. If you would like more information please feel free to email my above address.

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Summary: Addicted to the pursuit of perfection?
Review: This book was gripping from start to finish. Surprisingly, what kept me reading was not the anxious anticipation of whether Wickwire would summit the next peak, but weather he would be able to fill the void deep inside him that drove him to engage in such a dangerous activitiy; and what enabled him to compartment his life in such a way that he could pursue mountain climbing with an apparent reckless disregard for his wife and family, even though it is clear that he loves them very much. This book definitely leaves you wanting more. Not more summits, disappointments, adventures or tragedies, but more insight into what this drive to climb mountains is really all about. Just as Jim Wickwire's appetite for summiting Everest is never satisfied, neither is the reader's appetite to understand this strange desire to stand on top of the world no matter what the cost or risk. Although I found myself resenting Wickwire for his ability to risk so much on behalf of his wife and family, I also begrudgingly admire his refreshing honesty and frankness. This alone, makes this book worth reading. The bonus is the small snap shots we get of the true hero of this book, Mary Lou Wickwire.

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Summary: Superb
Review: This book, for the most part, was amazing. What Jim Wickwire has been and lived through amazes and inspires me. I myself am a climber but have certainly not done what this crazy, brilliant, and daring man has done. The only down side to this book (which is why I gave it only four stars) is the ending. Don't get me wrong I still strongly suggest you read this, it's an awesome story, every bit; until the end. At the very end it slows down and it did not strike me as interesting, but believe me, the rest of this true tale makes up for it.

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Summary: Brutally Honest
Review: This is one of the few books that I couldn't get enough of. I was under the impression that the movie K2 was a true story. When I learned only bits and pieces of it were true and major scenes were of complete fiction I had to read Jim's book to find out the truth. As it explains the expeditions to K2 it also covers many of his other expeditions, which included Marty Hoey, the Whittaker twins, Roskelley, Lou Reichardt and several more.
When he covers each expedition he is brutally honest. He will point out both the best and the worst of each person. Unlike Krakauer and Anatolie who easily shred others while keeping themselves on a pedestal, Jim ... has no fear in making public his own personal faults and what should be secrets in this book for the world to see. He shares in great details his triumphs and his failures along with his strengths, guilt and weaknesses as a person. I have never read a book that was so honest and interesting at the same time. I learned the most about the names of heard of for so long just from this one book. I wish that he would write more.

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Summary: Insight into an addiction to life.
Review: This books provides a rarely given insight into the mind of a mountaineer. I have read many true adventure stories about countless numbers of men and women who partake in amazingly dangerous activities and do so at great risk to themselves and their loved ones. I think the statement that can sum up that personallity best is this; To ask them to stop doing what it is that makes them feel alive you are asking them to die. I don't believe Jim Wickwire has a death wish, nor do I believe many of the other adventurers do, but they have chosen a risky profession. It is easy for us to look at their lives from the outside and comment about how terribly their families and loved ones suffer for their "selfish" interests. What isn't easy is for us to understand what it is that drives a person to continue to do these things even in the face of such difficulty and heartache caused to family and friends. Some can easily brush them off as selfish, but I wanted to know more, to get the inside story of someone living with this addiction. This book very well, I think, provides that look inside one man whose life was filled with his addiction to danger. If the reader knows the point of this book and understands that it is meant to provide just this type of insight then they will not be disappointed. Jim Wickwire bears his soul in this book and we should be thankful at the opportunity to experience his adventures from his perspective.

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Summary: Typical bio of a mountain climber
Review: This book was an interesting read. Jim's mountain climbing was definately an addiction! It was a shame he didn't give a more wholistic view of his family, and his poor wife especially! The book portrays him to be very selfish, I'm suprised the wife put up with him for that long. Anyhow, the bio on Jim Whittaker - A life on the edge... was definately better. But still, this was entertaining enough.

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Summary: Don't Waste Your Time and Money....
Review: I have always enjoyed walking on the edge when it comes to my recreational pursuits. I ride motorcycles, fly planes, race boats, skydive, scubadive and climb mountains. I did all this while a single man and knew that once I was married and had children I would stop all these dangerous activities in order to spend more time with my family and not risk leaving them alone when I died a senseless death. I only wish that Jim Wickwire would have had the same good sense...for his wife and family's sake. He is a selfish person and cares about no one but himself. Mary Lou deserved so much more than what he was willing to provide. His story about how he fell in love with another woman and relayed his feelings to his wife by having her read his journal was distasteful, disgusting and disrespectful. You are a coward Jim Wickwire...although a lucky one since such a wonderful woman chose to stay with such a poor example of a husband and father. I believe in a higher power and he/she was trying to tell you something when you kept failing during your climbing pursuits...too bad you didn't get the message.