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 Adventure! Oct 05, 2009
Within reach by Mark Pfetzer is an amazing book. The book takes place in the highest mountains of the world. It's an informational book about mountain climbing. Mark Pfetzer is a young teenage who sets a personal goal to climb Mt. Everest. Mark has all the support from his parents and from his school to proceed with his dreams. Thor Keiser is Mark's personal trainer and his guide on the mountains. Thor is a middle aged man who loves helping others who have the same passion that he does.
My favorite part of the book is how realistic Mark Pfetzer makes this book. He includes all of the real life experiences of mountain climbing. I really enjoyed how Mark Pfetzer talked about his climbing partners on a personal level.
Although I enjoyed this book very much I wish there was more explanation of the climbing. For example Mark would talk about being at a camp and then just arriving at the next camp.
I would recommend this book to people who like the outdoors and adventure of mountain climbing.
Tim Dunn
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Schlepping the Clients Up the Mountain Mar 15, 2009
My Everest Story is the account of Mark Pfetzer, who at age thirteen decided he wanted to climb the world's highest mountain. Three years later, in 1996, he made it to 26,000 feet before having to abort after the tragic storm that cost the lives of eight climbers as chronicled by Jon Krakauer in Into Thin Air.
Why this kid wants to do this is never really explained. The closest we get is "God this is fun" (doesn't sound much like a thirteen year old) and "I like working on a goal, making it happen".
OK
One reason the book seems disconnected and lacking authenticity is the ghostwriting of Jack Galvin, a local schoolteacher who contacted Pfetzer on his return from Everest. This appears to be his only published work, for good reason.
As a result of Galvin's clumsy handling of the story, Mark seems weird rather than interesting. We never get beneath the surface, beyond comments such as, "Lots of good looking girls in Mendoza...so many girls I'd love to talk to, if only I had the guts!"
The narrative deals with Mark's learning to climb, his initial experiences trekking in Nepal and climbing several South American mountains, as well as his two attempts on Everest and his ultimately successful summiting of Cho Oyu, an 8,000 meter peak in Tibet.
This could be a source of inspiration for unfocused teenagers, were it not for the goofy tone of the writing.
For me, the most interesting aspect of the book was the picture it paints (probably inadvertently) of the dysfunctional world of paid adventure expedition climbing. When the primary qualification of the members of a climbing team is the ability to pay a fee it becomes inevitable that tragedies such as that of May 1996 on Everest will ensue.
Sir Edmund Hillary said that a sixteen year old had no business being on Everest. He may be right, but the same applies to a majority of the clients on paid commercial expeditions.
Positive Role Model for Kids Dec 04, 2008
This is an amazing story of a very motivated young man who is focused and determined in his efforts to climb mountains. It reinforces all the positive things we keep saying to our kids about the payoff when they set their minds to doing something. It is an engaging story that my son loved, and from which he, hopefully, absorbed some of the lessons about focus, persistence, and self motivation that I'd like him to know.
A TEEN TAKES ON EVEREST AND LIVES TO TELL THE TALE... Dec 05, 2006
This is a terrific book for teens, young adults, and, yes, adults about a Rhode Island teenager, Mark Pfetzer, who makes his dreams come true. The book is written as if it were a personal journal, and in it Mark takes the reader on a journey into his young life. He shares with the reader how his interest in climbing developed, as well as his early climbing experiences.
Mark, mature in many ways beyond his years, is not your typical teenager. Clean cut, intelligent, fit, and not given to peer pressure, he is a bit of a loner with a dash of entrepreneurial flair. As his climbing experience increases, so does his desire for snow capped peaks. This desire motivates him to get sponsors for his world wide travels that take him to the vast mountainous regions around the globe. Mind you, he begins his world wide travels, unaccompanied by his parents, at the ripe old age of thirteen.
While one may question the wisdom of letting someone so young travel around the world to do high altitude climbing, it does not diminish the pleasure one derives from reading about a young person who derives such joy from his travels and climbing. While at times Mark seems a little full of himself, one must remember that, notwithstanding his achievements, he is still a teenager, and, like most teenagers, he has his moments.
Still, his chronicle makes for a very interesting read. His endeavors on high altitude peaks, including Everest, are noteworthy, notwithstanding that he climbed with guided expeditions. While towards the end of his journal he may appear to be suffering from trophy mountain madness, it does not diminish the palpable love of climbing that permeates the pages of the book.
Mark is, without a doubt, a son of which any parent would be proud. I am sure that he will continue to live his life to the fullest. I look forward to reading about any future adventures that he may commit to paper. Dream on, Mark, and may all your dreams come true.
1 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 this book sucks Mar 25, 2006
this is the worst excuse for a book that i have ever been forced to read. its hard to follow and stuff. it sucks.
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