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A review by kristianawithak
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
5.0
I have the hardest time reviewing books I really enjoyed. My "reviews" devolve into gibberish, hyperbole and exclamation marks. I will try to keep those at bay. OH MY GOODNESS THIS WAS SUCH A GREAT BOOK! Just kidding.
I really enjoyed Into Thin Air. I in no way expected to consume and embrace it with such abandon. It was a perfect post Harry Potter book, because I was equally captivated by the story and relieved to be reading something not geared for a high school student. If you haven't heard of it, John Krakauer (you know, they man who wrote Into the Wild) wrote this book after his trip participation in a Mt. Everest climbing expedition. Everything I previously knew about Mt. Everest was learned from an episode of Sports Night, season one, episode nine, "The Quality of Mercy at 29k". Many a quotation has come from that episode. Anyway, Krakauer was on assignment for Outside magazine and was going to write a piece about the commercialization of climbing Everest. Sadly the expedition went terribly wrong and he was involved in one of the worst climbing seasons on record.
The book begins with the tragedy and is instantly engaging. The book does not suffer from a strain of foreshadowing or an annoyingly self aware narrator (the same can not be said for The Tragedy of Arthur, a painful book I had to stop reading). It is a brutal account of the tragedy, still tying in a clear picture of the reality of what it is like to attempt the summit of Everest.
I had to refer to maps and pictures of Mt. Everest to try to fully understand the climbing and terrain, but Krakauer does an exceptional job explaining things. I believe my vocabulary grew immensely from this book. It was superb. As soon as I was finished I looked up Mt Everest movies on Netflix. Seeing the mountain helped a lot. I might be watching a reality tv show about Everest, and it might be fantastic. Also, that episode of Sports Night makes SO much more sense now. I understand the 'spirit of the hill' and the risks so many climbers are willing to take to pursue a dream. The forward and afterward both help frame the book immensely.
Each chapter begins with a quote from different books about Everest and climbing in general. Some of the deepest ideas I took from the book, came from those quotes. The idea that the drive it takes someone to think they can do something so unbelievable is both what allows them to accomplish it and what could potentially lead to their death. I have no desire to climb Mt. Everest, but I have a great amount of respect for the mountain.
I really enjoyed Into Thin Air. I in no way expected to consume and embrace it with such abandon. It was a perfect post Harry Potter book, because I was equally captivated by the story and relieved to be reading something not geared for a high school student. If you haven't heard of it, John Krakauer (you know, they man who wrote Into the Wild) wrote this book after his trip participation in a Mt. Everest climbing expedition. Everything I previously knew about Mt. Everest was learned from an episode of Sports Night, season one, episode nine, "The Quality of Mercy at 29k". Many a quotation has come from that episode. Anyway, Krakauer was on assignment for Outside magazine and was going to write a piece about the commercialization of climbing Everest. Sadly the expedition went terribly wrong and he was involved in one of the worst climbing seasons on record.
The book begins with the tragedy and is instantly engaging. The book does not suffer from a strain of foreshadowing or an annoyingly self aware narrator (the same can not be said for The Tragedy of Arthur, a painful book I had to stop reading). It is a brutal account of the tragedy, still tying in a clear picture of the reality of what it is like to attempt the summit of Everest.
I had to refer to maps and pictures of Mt. Everest to try to fully understand the climbing and terrain, but Krakauer does an exceptional job explaining things. I believe my vocabulary grew immensely from this book. It was superb. As soon as I was finished I looked up Mt Everest movies on Netflix. Seeing the mountain helped a lot. I might be watching a reality tv show about Everest, and it might be fantastic. Also, that episode of Sports Night makes SO much more sense now. I understand the 'spirit of the hill' and the risks so many climbers are willing to take to pursue a dream. The forward and afterward both help frame the book immensely.
Each chapter begins with a quote from different books about Everest and climbing in general. Some of the deepest ideas I took from the book, came from those quotes. The idea that the drive it takes someone to think they can do something so unbelievable is both what allows them to accomplish it and what could potentially lead to their death. I have no desire to climb Mt. Everest, but I have a great amount of respect for the mountain.