Rating: 
Summary: David Breashears writes as good as he climbs!
Review: After becoming interested in mountaineering while watching the Everest IMAX film Mr. Breashears directed, I read every book on mountaineering that I can get my hands on. I really enjoy reading the books about the Everest 1996 tragedy. When I saw this book on a shelf in a book store I knew I had to read it. Mr. Breashears book takes the reader from his childhood to Everest 1997. I've found most books that go into to much of the climbers life are boring, but this one is not. I found his personal life very interesting. Mr. Breashears wasn't anybody special, yet he's climbed Mount Everest four times. It shows the reader that it really doesn't matter who you are if you put your heart to it and train, you can reach the top of the world. Through his book he made me realize that you have to be in the best of shape to climb Everest. You can't just go up there and take a little hike up the up the hill. You earn the respect of vertern climbers, such as Mr. Breashears if you go on the mountain prepared. I think reviewer, Suzanne, was right when she said that Mr. Breashears respected women climbers. Some people belive that women or girls should not be on Mount Everest. Mr. Breashears seemed to respect anyone who was trained and ready to climb a mountain such as Everest. I also agree with the climber from Canada who said that Mr. Breashears was one of the few climbers on Everest in 1996 who gave credit to Anatoli Boukreev. Though he said he thought, Anatoli, didn't do his job as a guide, he did give Anatoli the credit he deserved. He said that Anatoli went out in the storm and single handly saved several lives. Maybe Anatoli did go down way ahead of the climbers he was to guide, but if he hadn't he probably wouldn't save those lives. I belive God sent Anatoli down so he could rest and then go out and save those climbers. Anatoli was the hero on May the tenth, 1996. As I read about him as he realized his friends and fellow climbers were dying near the summit. He delt with grief and anger. He wondered how these climbers, known for there experience, could go against all the rules of climbing and head on to the summit past three in the afternoon. As he sat with the body of Rob Hall I felt Like I was sitting there with him. I felt his tears and his pain. He felt he had to have some closing with his soul about the Everest 1996 tragedy, that's why he went back to Everest in 1997. He is a climber who loved and commited his life to climbing. Mr. Breashears is a wonderful climber and a very friendly man. He is not cocky as Jon Krakuaer is. Mr. Breashears is a top notch person as well as a climber! Thank you Mr. Breashears for being a top climber, all your great films, and for being a good all around person! Your IMAX film inspired me and got me started climbing!
Rating: 
Summary: Good autobiography of a fascinating man
Review: David Breashears has had an interesting life, and we can share in it in this autobiography. From his life as an army brat moved about the U.S. and Europe (notably, Greece), to climbing and filming Mt. Everest (several times!), he culls interesting stories of himself and others. It is brutally frank at times, especially when talking about his abusive father and failed marriage. At other times, we are swept away into the mountains with him and share in his joy of climbing.One of the minor surprises of this book is that Breashears wrote it himself, and wrote it well. The narrative is smooth and well-written. There are a number of photos and schematic drawing that give us an idea of the shape, size, and routes of the mountains he's climbing. Only a very small amount of climbing knowledge is required (if you don't know what a crampon is, you'll probably not be interested in this book anyways!), so climbing neophytes like myself are never bogged down in technical terms. Especially fascinating for me are the chapters on Everest, which is the main reason I bought the book. Having seen his IMAX-format film on Everest (highly recommended; it will soon be available on DVD and VHS), I was very interested in the behind-the-scenes aspects. He also discusses his other movies, e.g., Cliffhanger (his role in this was minor) and Everest, the Death Zone (unseen by me), and it's interesting to compare the three different filming modes (documentary/standard, documentary/IMAX, and studio blockbuster). Finally, his take on the Everest disaster in 1996 is written from the point of view of someone who was on the mountain, but not in imminent danger, as opposed to the Boukreev and Krakauer accounts. Of course, it's not as detailed, but still very interesting, and a good compliment to the information that made it to the screen in his IMAX film. Therefore, I recommend this book for anyone interested in climbing or Mt. Everest. Detailed knowledge of mountain climbing is not required. The book is very well written - detailed for the climbing enthusiast without getting bogged down in technical details that would discourage the novice.
Rating:
Summary: Great Climbing book
Review: David Breashears writes a fascinating book on climbing that will appeal to those who climb, those who aspire to climb and those who live out their fantasies of climbing through others exploits. The book outlines his background and growth as a climber and describes his love for the sport from the time of his youth. He touches on many interesting aspects of various climbs he has made but they are better understood by reading the book rather than a review. The best part of the book is the story of his climb of Everest for the IMAX film and his participation in the attempted rescue of the climbers stranded there in the disaster of 1996. There are better books that describe the disaster itself (see Krakauer or Bokoreev for example). But Breashears interest isn't in describing the events of the disaster as much as it is in trying to explain the desire to climb peaks like Everest while honoring those he knew who lost their lives in the disaster. The tale is both fascinating and heart rending. This is a book that's hard to put down. While it stands well on its own, a reader who enjoys the book should take a look at the film that came out of it (Everest can be found in IMAX - it's best version - but also in a very good video version) and follow up with two different views of the disaster by two people who lived it: "Into Thin Air" and "The Climb."
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational
Review: High Exposure by David Breashear, is about his life experiences that indulged him into attempting and doing the impossible. Breashear's passion for mountain climbing and hiking is described through his adventures in Colorado, Tibet and other parts of the world.
Breasher's book is really good for people who are interested in reading inspirational books. David describes how he pushed his mind, body, and soul to its limits through his hikes and climbs around the world.
One thing about High Exposure that wasn't eye catching dealt with David's childhood and what influenced him to climb. In his book he explains what made him develop a passion for climbing but with little detail. It makes the reader wonder why didn't he use the amount of detail described in his experience across Tibet? Overall the book was very motivational. After reading the book, you'll just want to overcome any obstacle in life.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational
Review: High Exposure by David Breashear, is about his life experiences that indulged him into attempting and doing the impossible. Breashear's passion for mountain climbing and hiking is described through his adventures in Colorado, Tibet and other parts of the world.
Breasher's book is really good for people who are interested in reading inspirational books. David describes how he pushed his mind, body, and soul to its limits through his hikes and climbs around the world.
One thing about High Exposure that wasn't eye catching dealt with David's childhood and what influenced him to climb. In his book he explains what made him develop a passion for climbing but with little detail. It makes the reader wonder why didn't he use the amount of detail described in his experience across Tibet? Overall the book was very motivational. After reading the book, you'll just want to overcome any obstacle in life.
Rating:
Summary: An armchair mountainclimbing adventure....
Review: I am not a book critic, but I was glued to this book!
If you find adventure appealing to you, this is a must read---you will enjoy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Breashears is a bit much.
Review: I developed a passion for reading true accounts of climbing Mount Everest when my brother accidently left his copy of "Into Thin Air". I then bought "Left for Dead" and "High Exposure". David Breashears' account is not what I was looking for in a book about Mt. Everest. He writes with passion about that which he knows best...himself. This is more an autobiography and discription of his life than adventure story. What I didn't like is his failure to explore why he climbs. He doesn't drag the reader into the kind of madness that propels you to the top of the world, it's more like he sits you in his living room and shows you his slides. If you want something more Jack London, read Jon Krakauer's books, all of them.
Rating: 
Summary: It's All About David
Review: I was gripped by Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and wanted another viewpoint on the 1996 tragedy. There is a bit in here about that but it is mostly All About David -- the autobiography of an intensely self-focused individual. When he meets his future wife, his thought is, "this is the perfect partner for me" -- and that, to me, says it all. It is also poorly edited. I do not recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Mountain Stories, So-so Other Stories
Review: In my opinion, there are three main genres of mountain books: Those that compile stories of expeditions and summits, like Mike Groom's book. Those that are an emotional tale of a man's life with mountain stories in between, like Jim Wickwire's. And those that have an outstanding mix of the two, like Jon Krakauer's. Like Jon Krakauer's, I feel Mr. Breashears' book was an attempt to be a mix of the two. Mr. Breashears' book did an outstanding job at writing about expeditions and summits. However, when it came to the emotional side, he was a little off target. This was evident in the stories about his father and "perfect" wife. I wanted some closure on these story lines but didn't get any. This does not mean I don't recommend the book highly. It was very well written, considering it was Mr. Breashears' first book and I am extremely happy to have read it. He's lead an exciting, and amazing life and having insight into it was a privilege.
Rating:
Summary: Much more than just the Everest disaster
Review: Many have written about the accounting in this book of the 1996 Everest disaster. While David Breashears was there, and he shares his perspective on it, this book is really his autobiography, and contains so much more than just that one incident.
David Breashears is a rare individual in this day and age. He is an adventurer and an explorer. But even more than that, he is a remarkably honest individual. I have read many autobiographies in my life, and this is the first one I have ever read where the author made a serious attempt to document the facts of his or her life without any "editorial slant." More than once Breashears points out where he was wrong without attempting to make excuses or explain it away. That kind of honest self-appraisal is rare and refreshing. And in the case of his failed marriage, it is bittersweet. Perhaps there is something about the nature of alpinists and mountaineers; at high altitude it is necessary for their very survival to view reality for what it is, rather than what they would like it to be. Some have paid a heavy price for wearing rose-colored glasses on the mountain. But I think there is also something about David Breashears that is unique, his ability to face the truth without fear or flinching. And that is what makes this book worthwhile.
If you have an interest in mountain-climbing or high-adventure, this book will thrill you. But even if you don't, if you admire people who can look back on their own lives without pretense, this book will move you.
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