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A review by oceanwriter
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Immersive, personal, and adventuresome, Jon Krakauer brings his readers to Mount Everest to recount his disastrous trek up the infamous mountain in 1996. In the style of a novel, the memoir replays the events of the trip from start to finish as the author remembers them (which is easier said than done when dealing with lethally high altitudes).
All I could wonder while reading was, 'is risking your life really worth conquering the summit?'. Apparently given how many have attempted it throughout history, the answer is yes. Simply picking up this book or those like it is a testament to human curiosity and thirst for adventure. While I am personally content to read about other people's travels when it comes to climbing mountains, there were a number of times throughout the book I envisioned myself out there in the below-freezing cold. Though this book is not short on the devastating loss of lives, I can ultimately understand why someone might find the risks and exhaustion worth it.
This was the second book by Jon Krakauer I've read and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.
All I could wonder while reading was, 'is risking your life really worth conquering the summit?'. Apparently given how many have attempted it throughout history, the answer is yes. Simply picking up this book or those like it is a testament to human curiosity and thirst for adventure. While I am personally content to read about other people's travels when it comes to climbing mountains, there were a number of times throughout the book I envisioned myself out there in the below-freezing cold. Though this book is not short on the devastating loss of lives, I can ultimately understand why someone might find the risks and exhaustion worth it.
This was the second book by Jon Krakauer I've read and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Vomit and Excrement