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Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: Incredible tragedy! The writing made it so easy to understand and "see" what was unfolding that fateful trip! Thought processes at 8000 meters are so impaired, I wonder how anyone lived! He does a great job at revealing the type of leaders & the type of people who attempt this deadly feat, and it's a real eye opener! Please remember this though, this is Krakauer's version of the trip, his awesome experiences & traumas. A great book!
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Summary: Jon K. creates vivid images with his words.
Review: The author is very skilled in the craft of writing. He truly paints a vivid picture of climbing Mt. Everest. I couldn't put this book down.
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Summary: This is the greates book I have ever read.
Review: This is definetly the best book I have ever read. John Krakauer truly shows the raw emotion and difficulty of climbing Mt. Everest. Before this book I thought that climbing a major peak was just like climbing up a steep hill, but now I know how much preperation is taken and how the altitude takes affect on a climber. I absolutely recommend this book, especially if your not into mountaineering.
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Summary: Riveting, descriptive, educational, a cautionary tale.
Review: This book presents a clear picture of what it is like to climb peaks above 17,000feet, the effects high altitude has on the human body. Such information can only come from a book. The television reports in 1996 did not do the tragedy described in this book justice. In addition to describing a disasterous climbing season. I have imaginined what it would be like to do some things I have yet to try. This book disabused me of any notions I had of getting into mountain climbing. Activities where the best in the world, the experts, can get killed are to be avoided by novices and the inexperienced. This book is simply riveting.
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Summary: Riveting account, with some flaws.
Review: Jon Krakauer's book is an exciting account of the tragedy that took place on Mt. Everest in 1996. This book is very well written and Krakauer should be commended for his talents as a writer. The biggest controversy of the book seems to be Krakauer's criticism of the Russian guide, Anatoli Boukreev. While acknowledging I have no experience in mountain climbing, it does seem to me that Krakauer has a legetimate, if debatable beef with Boukreev's decision to hurry down the mountain. If you are going to shell out $65,000 for a guided expedition, isn't it reasonable to expect your guides to keep a close eye on you? Boukreev didn't think so, as he stated that the climbers shouldn't be babied. Maybe not, but the guide should be close enough to help if need be, in my inexperienced opinion. Nevertheless, Boukreev acquitted himself well later on.The most harrowing part of this story to me was the decision to leave the two hikers, Beck Weathers and the Japanese woman, to die on the south col. I just cannot understand this decision.Krakauer states they were found the next morning, with the sun shining but the wind still blowing on the south col, not more than a few minutes from camp 4. Yet, on the recommendation of the sherpas, the choice was made to leave them there to die! Yes, they were barely alive, but they could of at least been brought back to camp to give them a fighting chance to live. The sherpas were not doctors and had no business making that decision and the guides had no business following it. We now know that Beck Weathers didn't die ,and if he could live what about the Japanese woman? I keep thinking about that poor little woman being left alone out there to die, when she easily could have been brought back to camp to have a chance to live, no matter how slim. At least she could have died in the company of others, not alone. I can't finish this review without leveling some needed criticism at Jon Krakauer. He takes some unnecessary personal pot shots at people, I believe, based on his own political views. Sandy Pittman is one object of his scorn, basically because she is a wealthy socialite who he calls a "publicity hound". Yet, who does that invective really describe? I had never heard of Sandy Pittman before reading this book, but we sure have seen alot of Jon Krakauer haven't we? He has been on TV many times and made a lot of money out of this best-selling book. Who is he to be so contemptuous of Sandy Pittman? Despite calling her an amatuer, she had some experience, as noted in the book, of having climbed the highest peaks on several continents.Ms. Pittman ended up suffering some ridicule partly as a result of Mr. Krakauer scathing reportage of her. Her child apparently suffered as well. Did she really deserve that kind of humiliation? Also, Mr. Krakauer takes some jabs at Beck Weathers, the political conservative who seems to have bested Mr. Krakauer in debate, which left him somewhat resentful, I believe. The fact is, Mr. Weathers never asked to be written about, wasn't seeking publicity, and didn't deserve to even have these things revealed about him. It simply wasn't relevent to telling the story about Mt. Everest and only served Mr. Krakauer's desire to impose his own political views on the reader, which is distracting to the story. Despite these criticisms, I highly recommend this book. It is a good read. I haven't seen the made for TV movie based on this tale, although I heard it didn't do the book justice. Too bad. This story really deserved a big budget theatrical production anyway.
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Summary: Totally absorbing from the first page
Review: How could this happen? I couldn't put the book down until I found that out and then I couldn't stop thinking or talking about it. Krakauer does a good job of taking you through the history of Everest attempts, comparing the challenge of Everest to other mountains, explaining the physical challenges at different altitudes, describing the route, and finally recounting the experience. The story raises serious questions about humanity. When do you decide to abandon a dying teammate so that you might survive? How can you pass dying strangers on your way to the top? Or even on your way to safety? The book helps you to understand the incomprehensible. I too noticed the lack of description of what must have been stunning scenery and the thrill of the summit -- but Krakauer missed it as well. As he says in the book, climbing Everest is ultimately about enduring pain. The author's ego aside (we get it: you were the strongest climber on the team), the book is totally engrossing.
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Summary: By Far The Best Adventure Book I've Read
Review: Into Thin Air was a supurb book, the best action/adventure book as far as I am concerned, and one of the best books ever written. It was written excellently, with accurate Everest history and amazing details. It didn't take me long to read Air, it was hard to put down. Although the major action didn't take place until the last third of the book, the rest of it was great. If you are looking for a great action/adv book, this is it. It is not hard to read, even though it is long. I am a 10th grader and I read it in one week, it was so good. You should definetly buy Into Thin Air.
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Summary: This is a fine narrative of the Mt. Everest disaster.
Review: It was very hard to put this book down. This book focuses on the mountaineering industry that guides high-income clients to the top of Mt. Everest. INTO THIN AIR provides an outstanding narrative for the sport of mountain climbing. Mr. Krakauer gives a first hand view of the "ins and outs" for climbing Mt. Everest. I was, however, disappointed that the author provided very little detail of the summit. After I finished the book, I had to go back to see if I accidently missed the account of the top....There is no description whatsoever....Maybe, this is intentional? Maybe, this is reserved for those who have conquered this peak?
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Summary: Impossible to put down!
Review: Krakauer's chilling account of the utter calamity he experienced on Everest in '96 grabs you in the introduction and doesn't let go until months after completing the book. A gripping tale of hardship, death and survival at the earth's zenith. His descriptions provoke vivid imaginations that consume your thought both during the day and while you sleep. An exceptionally profound read.
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Summary: Personality Clashes on Everest Makes This Book Thin
Review: This is the first Everest Book I read in a long series, including D. Breashear's IMAX book, The Other Side of Everest, The Climb, and Climbing High. Everyone's perceptions of what happened is slightly tinged. Anatoli Boukreev emerges as the most chameleon-like. This book is the most subjective causing personality clashes tinge the overall focus. The Krakauer-Boukreev feud, notwithstanding, the book is very well written and allows the majesty of the mountain to reign through. I do believe in Lene's comment that if you have family and commitments, you should not let the Everest fever kill your relations or yourself.
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