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A review by knod78
Beyond Possible: One Soldier, Fourteen Peaks — My Life In The Death Zone by Nimsdai Purja
4.0
I almost didn't read this book, because I watched the movie. However, through the reviews, I learned that he goes into more detail than the movie shows. And I'm glad I read the book, too, because there was more details and information and drama than the movie explored.
This book is easy to read and follows a good timeline. The lessons he used from his military were amazing and things you can use in your own life even if you aren't climbing Everest. This book does reinforce my lack of desire to climb any of these mountains. The litter and the hiker politics are enough for me. I see it in other sports and I couldn't handle that, plus, I hate crowds and would prefer to just hike the unpopular mountains with pretty views.
There is repeated information and sometimes I got a bit lost on what mountain I was at, because he would hit three mountains in a row and also reflect on other mountains. I felt like a good organization of the chapters was in order. Like, this chapter is this mountain and so forth. Also, he wanted to put more spotlight on the Nepalese climbers on his team, but the book has just him and it's about his journey. I guess I found some contradictory statements. I can also see why people in the beginning turned him down. Not that he was crazy to have this idea, but I have to wonder about his pitch. In the book, I felt like he was scattered about why he was doing this and it kept changing. Was it about showcasing the Nepal climbing community? Was it about climate change? Was it for his own glory? I never really got the sense of his why. Throughout the book, he says it, but then says, no it's about this.
With that, this book is wonderful and inspiring and makes you look beyond what is possible. I recommend reading this book even if you have no desire to hike the big ones. You can also watch 14 Peaks on Netflix, which is amazing.
This book is easy to read and follows a good timeline. The lessons he used from his military were amazing and things you can use in your own life even if you aren't climbing Everest. This book does reinforce my lack of desire to climb any of these mountains. The litter and the hiker politics are enough for me. I see it in other sports and I couldn't handle that, plus, I hate crowds and would prefer to just hike the unpopular mountains with pretty views.
There is repeated information and sometimes I got a bit lost on what mountain I was at, because he would hit three mountains in a row and also reflect on other mountains. I felt like a good organization of the chapters was in order. Like, this chapter is this mountain and so forth. Also, he wanted to put more spotlight on the Nepalese climbers on his team, but the book has just him and it's about his journey. I guess I found some contradictory statements. I can also see why people in the beginning turned him down. Not that he was crazy to have this idea, but I have to wonder about his pitch. In the book, I felt like he was scattered about why he was doing this and it kept changing. Was it about showcasing the Nepal climbing community? Was it about climate change? Was it for his own glory? I never really got the sense of his why. Throughout the book, he says it, but then says, no it's about this.
With that, this book is wonderful and inspiring and makes you look beyond what is possible. I recommend reading this book even if you have no desire to hike the big ones. You can also watch 14 Peaks on Netflix, which is amazing.