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HomeGiftsInto Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review:
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 Connects to readers on an intimate, even non-hiking readers. Jul 26, 2010
I'm not huge into hiking, but the author hooked me right from the get go. It is written with such painstaking detail so as to allow the reader to fully picture the situation and what it would be like to be there.
Wow!!! Jul 26, 2010
Well by my count, there have been over 1500 reviews so I'll keep it quick. One word: Wow. I could not put this one down. Amazing, amazing, amazing. I honestly felt like I was there on the mountain. Another component of this book that I really enjoyed was the fact that I learned more than I've ever known about mountain climbing.
Another great story of survival. One you won't want to miss.....
 Man is Fallible Jul 20, 2010
This is a haunting tale that rivets the reader from beginning to end. The breadth of human motivation, action and reaction described is fascinating. This would be a great book to read if you are in the throws of "cabin fever" as it will make you appreciate your cozy, climate controlled home like nothing else!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Top to Bottom Jul 19, 2010
In an interesting twist of fate, I took this book with me on an interstate bus ride with a maniacal bus driver. For me, it helped a sense of real danger to an already incredible book. As exhilarating as climbing Mount Everest can be, the tragedies that occur in this book read like a well written novel. However, the events chronicled here may not be for the weak of heart.
It has been said that the challenge of getting down from the peak of Mount Everest is often overlooked. On May 10, 1996, a freak storm turned an already perilous descent deadly. Literally engulfed in the clouds of the storm, visibility became largely impossible in the most dangerous circumstances. Coupled with the differing expeditions and their conflicts, it was a recipe for disaster.
Though some have suggested that Jon Krakauer is exploiting tragedy in writing this book and is unwilling to accept fault for the incident, I never felt that way. Krakauer recalls facts as best as they can be told drawing from a variety of sources. It is apparent that the events on Mount Everest greatly disturbed him. While the complete story will never be known, Krakauer's work is commendable.
One side of the story Jul 16, 2010
Krakauer takes a narrative approach to describing the events on Everest in May 1996. Krakauer was a client of a commercial expedition and was part of the summit day on 10 May 1996. Krakauer struggled on Everest but made it back to camp alive and exhausted while other climbers struggled to stay alive. By the time events had played out eight people were dead and others were injured and exhausted.
Krakauer narrates the events leading up to the summit attempts and he describes many events - both those he was involved with and ones that he was not. He gives an analysis of the factors that he feels contributed to the tragic events. It's very well written and is a compelling story making for a really good read. However, Krakauer falsely accuses Anatoli Boukreev (a guide on an opposing team) of poor guiding when in fact Boukreev saved the lives of several climbers on his team who clearly would have died otherwise. Boukreev was given an award for heroism by the American Alpine Club.
For reasons known only to Krakauer he still maintains his view of Boukreev despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. To get the full picture Krakauer's client perspective and Boukreev's guide perspective you MUST read both Into Thin Air and The Climb. The Climb is written by Boukreev and his co-author DeWalt.
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