Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
I wanted a book about getting stuck on Mt Everest. I wanted the painstaking details about bitter cold, frostbite, desperate survival, the whole nine yards. I did not want to listen to some dude be a dick to his wife & then be sad when she wanted to leave his dumb ass. I don’t mean to be harsh, but I feel like this book bamboozled me & when it didn’t meet my expectations it just annoyed me.
Stopped reading about a third of the way through for a number of reasons, mainly because I had suspected Beck weathers was a bit of a jerk and he confirmed it by blithely confirming his absolute ignorance of his own privilege when talking about how great it was to have such cheap Japanese servants during his families time in Japan during the war. Jesus Christ man. Aside from that, while I am sure he is a skilled orator, he is not a great writer. I grew anxious to get past the barely detailed time on the mountain when it became clear that what he really wanted to write about was his redemption story with his family. Maybe then he'll come into his own, I thought. However, I just don't think I like this guy. So I don't really care how he sorts out his marital problems. I'm going to to read Into Thin Air again!
adventurous
challenging
I very quickly read the first half of this book. I was very interested in the author's experiences on Everest, and felt like even though this story has been told many, many times, it was cool to get this man's singular perspective. I even liked throughout the first half hearing about the difficulties Beck and his family had due to his depression and his attempt to battle his depression with mountain-climbing. But as we entered Part Two of the book, the story took a huge turn into his marital problems, and essentially became an autobiography, starting with childhood and into his post-Everest years. I ended up feeling deceived by the title of the book, and did not get out of it what I was looking for.
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
sad
slow-paced
The Everest journey was great; but the remaining story of a narcissist’s life was sad and frustrating.
I found the mountaineering aspects of this book fascinating. The biographical section seemed a bit too long.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
90 pages in, the narrative leaves the mountain and much of Left for Dead follows Beck Weather’s family drama and his depression in the years before he climbed Everest. Not necessarily what I thought this book was going to be but once I accepted it I found the perspective sort of refreshing. So many Everest books take place on the mountain in isolation, it’s interesting to read about the life and sacrifice surrounding that. Especially in Beck’s case where it was actually announced that he had died on Everest - seeing his family go through the worry, anger, fear and shock of the entire Everest expedition, that’s a different viewpoint.
Still, I feared for Beck, not so much because he was suicidal- that obviously was a concern- but because he couldn’t feel our love. I felt enormous sadness that he didn’t like himself, and felt he had to prove himself. He couldn’t just go out and enjoy the sunrise and sunset. He couldn’t enjoy the little things. Beck could only proceed from goal to goal. That makes for a very unhappy person.
I liked the fact this book had sections of writing from the people around Beck, and at some points was even a back-and-forth. Seeing Beck and Peach’s differing recollections of the same discussions and situations, the endurance they both had, those were powerful real life moments. Beck is not nice in parts of this book and I respect him for including that in his memoir. This is a very personal account of Everest. Some parts I found powerful, others I didn’t gel as much with. Glad I read it definitely.
It was about then that I realised I needed to do a couple of things. One was to not fall apart. I had to find something to live for each day, to think about.
Still, I feared for Beck, not so much because he was suicidal- that obviously was a concern- but because he couldn’t feel our love. I felt enormous sadness that he didn’t like himself, and felt he had to prove himself. He couldn’t just go out and enjoy the sunrise and sunset. He couldn’t enjoy the little things. Beck could only proceed from goal to goal. That makes for a very unhappy person.
I liked the fact this book had sections of writing from the people around Beck, and at some points was even a back-and-forth. Seeing Beck and Peach’s differing recollections of the same discussions and situations, the endurance they both had, those were powerful real life moments. Beck is not nice in parts of this book and I respect him for including that in his memoir. This is a very personal account of Everest. Some parts I found powerful, others I didn’t gel as much with. Glad I read it definitely.
It was about then that I realised I needed to do a couple of things. One was to not fall apart. I had to find something to live for each day, to think about.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts
After I finished reading Into Thin Air for the second time, I decided to read some of the accounts of the others who survived the 1996 Everest disaster. This book is vastly different from Into Thin Air. Not a typical mountaineering book as such, and lacking the detail of Krakauer, this book focuses more on the personal struggles of Beck Weathers and his family. The first 3rd of the book deals with what occurred on Everest, and his miraculous escape from death. The remainder of the book details his childhood, his relationship with his wife and kids and his deep depression that led to his obsession with mountaineering. I'd only recommend for those really interested in that piece of Everest history.