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Reviews tagging 'Medical content'
Hidden Mountains: Survival and Reckoning After a Climb Gone Wrong by Michael Wejchert
2 reviews
perfectcupoftea's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness
lyzz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
I love mountain climbing books - especially ones where there is a rescue involved. This was an incredibly written story about two couples who suffer a devastating accident while rock climbing in the Alaska Hidden Mountains. This book does not disappoint.
The pacing of this non-fiction work is excellent. The author provides enough context about these couples as well as rock climbing for the reader to understand this world but not so much that it drags this book. The author is a friend of the two couples and includes information about his own journey as a rock climber throughout the book which makes this book feel personal.
There are two things that I love about this book in addition to the excellent storytelling. I had no understanding of the "PJs." PJs or para-rescuemen are elite Air Force trained in personnel recovery. Alaska provides an excellent environment for them to utilize these skills with the huge amount of land, geography and outdoor sports.
The second thing that I appreciated about this story was that it focused on what happens after the horrible event. I've often wondered how do people move forward after these traumatic events? Especially when climbing is something that has become part of them. Are they able to climb again? Do they suffer PTSD? What happens? Many books provide a brief epilogue or afterword that may paint an overily positive picture. This book goes into depth of how these climbers move forward that I wish more of these "mountain climbing gone wrong" books would cover. It is tender and thoughtful in this exploration that makes you think deeper about trauma and the impact on our lives.
The pacing of this non-fiction work is excellent. The author provides enough context about these couples as well as rock climbing for the reader to understand this world but not so much that it drags this book. The author is a friend of the two couples and includes information about his own journey as a rock climber throughout the book which makes this book feel personal.
There are two things that I love about this book in addition to the excellent storytelling. I had no understanding of the "PJs." PJs or para-rescuemen are elite Air Force trained in personnel recovery. Alaska provides an excellent environment for them to utilize these skills with the huge amount of land, geography and outdoor sports.
The second thing that I appreciated about this story was that it focused on what happens after the horrible event. I've often wondered how do people move forward after these traumatic events? Especially when climbing is something that has become part of them. Are they able to climb again? Do they suffer PTSD? What happens? Many books provide a brief epilogue or afterword that may paint an overily positive picture. This book goes into depth of how these climbers move forward that I wish more of these "mountain climbing gone wrong" books would cover. It is tender and thoughtful in this exploration that makes you think deeper about trauma and the impact on our lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood