To Be Brave

by Royal Robbins

To Be Brave is the first volume of Royal Robbins' autobiographical series entitled My Royal Robbins. Robbins' adventurous life story stands as a beacon of inspiration to those who ever pondered how to reach higher by reaching within. In To Be Brave, Robbins details his historic solo ascent of the overhanging face of Yosemite's Leaning Tower, chronicles his birth in West Virginia and growing up in Los Angeles, and, of course, his introduction to climbing. Discover how the young Robbins transformed himself into the master climber that he is today. For Robbins, the real adventure is the inner one. By focusing upon the minds, emotions and spirits of those involved, he relates climbing escapades in terms everyone can understand.

Genres: Climbing, Biography

221 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Robbins was a pioneer of American rock climbing who completed an impressive list of first ascents throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. Many of these were in Yosemite Valley, and included major classics such as the Northwest Face of Half Dome (1957), the Salathé Wall on El Capitan (1961), the North America Wall on El Capitan (1964) and Tis-sa-ack on Half Dome (1969).

Robbins' climbing ethics were also pioneering, as he championed the cause of "clean" (i.e. hammerless) climbing in an era when the use of pitons and bolts was regarded as standard practice.

Reviews

[Alex Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robbins is a bit of a hero of mine - I grew up rock climing in Africa and dreaming of Yosemite and being like the hard men (nearly all men) who were opening up the big walls of the Valley. Robbins was one of the early pioneers, and I'd been holding out for his bio impatiently. And then this was published - the first of apparently 7-10 books on the life of Royal Robbins.

I enjoyed it enough to give it 3 stars, mostly because of my personal interest in Robbins, climbing & Yosemite. But it really is a bit of a vanity project, and of limited interest to non-climbers. I think he would have been better served to find a good editor who could pull the material into one book - I fear that the project will never be finished, and think this book could have been condensed into a couple of chapters of a better bio

[Alex Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this account of Robbins' early years, as I've long respected him as one of the fathers of modern climbing. The book is written in a straightforward, painfully honest style, and provides a lot of insight into his character. But the thought of this being the first of a 5-7 book autobiography is ludicrous - Robbins was no Churchill - and I certainly won't be buying any more of them.

[sendann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, hilarious, probably a bit embellished but that is the nature of climbing lore. This is an awesome beginning to what promises to be a very worthy story. I was put off by the whole 'multiple volume memoir' thing at first, but it is worth it. The binding and font as well as a healthy chunk of photos and illustrations make it a quick read. I can't wait to read the next installment!

[Clara Mazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il primo di sette volumi dedicati alla sua autobiografia (eh? Ma davvero? Sette? Ebbene sì, questo è il progetto, anche se sul mercato si trovano solo i primi due) racconta dell’infanzia fino alla tarda adolescenza di Royal Robbins (1935-2017) il climber californiano dalla vita travagliata (finisce persino in riformatorio) ma che scopre per caso (grazie agli scout) l’arrampicata e grazie ad essa riesce a dare un senso nuovo alla sua vita e ad uscire da brutti giri.
Capostipite (involontario), insieme a Warren Harding, della clamorosa storia dell’arrampicata a Yosemite, Royal Robbins traccia un affresco interessantissimo della vita della lower class bianca americana (e californiana) ai tempi della Grande Depressione e poi della Seconda Guerra Mondiale attraverso quella che è stata la sua toccante esperienza di vita: figlio di un matrimonio andato male fin da subito, accompagna la madre (alla sola età di 3 anni) in un secondo matrimonio che è ancora peggio del primo. La madre, dopo un bel po’ di anni, riesce a lasciare anche questo secondo marito, ma deve trovare lavoro per mantenere sé e il figlio e sono anni durissimi perché di lavoro praticamente non ce n’è. Tra mille difficoltà, i due si barcamenano: si scorrono pagine toccanti, in cui Royal racconta delle sue grandi difficoltà personali, vittima non solo della povertà estrema ma anche di genitori e insegnanti che gli hanno instillato una profonda insicurezza, perché l’hanno sempre giudicato un arretrato e un poco di buono, facendo di lui un ragazzo che non aveva la minima fiducia in sé stesso e che di conseguenza non aveva la minima velleità di impegnarsi per il suo futuro. Royal poi fa veramente fatica a scuola – mentre adora stare in natura. La madre intuisce che forse gli scout possono essere un buon ambiente per suo figlio ed in effetti è proprio così: è grazie a loro che Royal scopre l’arrampicata e fin da subito capisce che quello è il suo mondo. Royal Robbins (che farà donazioni agli scout per il resto della sua vita) prende poi la decisione che era meglio lasciar perdere la scuola e trovarsi invece un lavoro che gli permettesse di stare a contatto con la natura: il suo primo impiego è presso una stazione sciistica, lavoro che gli permette anche di imparare a sciare!
Royal Robbins diventerà poi paradossalmente l’”intellettuale” di Camp4, quello sempre con un libro in mano (!), ma soprattutto diventerà il padre dell’arrampicata libera. Un personaggio molto pieno di sé (in parte comprensibilmente, visto che ha dovuto recuperare profonde ferite infertegli nei suoi anni formativi) e che continua a non catturarmi umanamente, è comunque riuscito a raggiungermi molto meglio dell’unico altro libro a lui dedicato (quello di Pat Ament).
Se siete degli appassionati del tema, questo libro è un must read.
Quanto agli altri sei volumi: beh, io ho trovato in commercio solo il secondo (Failfalling – a prezzi esorbitanti), ma degli altri cinque non vi è traccia… Che li abbia poi scritti veramente?

[vikash kumar · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you are not a rock climber, do not buy this book

I was disappointed with the book and I don't get the idea of narrating his life in so many different volumes. For the same reason it gets really boring because he is explaining his adventures in so much detail that someone who does not follow climbing will get lost in the book. Like who cares what your wife prepared for you to eat when you are spending the night in the ledge by yourself. Even if someone cares why spend two pages explaining that. Not going to spend my money on other volumes for sure.

[Andre Chiquito · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Words from a book were not enough. I needed to take upon myself the responsibility to think through what I was doing. ... My life was in my own hands; it was up to me to take good care of it."

"Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are naught without prudence and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end." - Edward Whymper

Pg 163

[Timmy Fearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Robbins story was to me like receiving a cherished gift. Being in the coterie of folks who at a young age came across his rockcraft books, I was so gladdened to have a view into his own coming of age years. The style of writing is at once inviting and immersive, causing me to excitedly walk home from work to get an afternoon read in for the duration of his story.

[Michael LaDue]

very interesting. good story telling. I love that they used to give each other handshakes when they summited a mountain.

[Alexis (Lexi) Dutko · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I felt in my natural element. My calling was whispering to me in a soft voice, but I couldn't yet hear what it was saying."

I think this quote perfectly nails the theme of this first book about Robbins' early life. It's so beautiful because you get to see all the struggles Robbins faced as a child, teen, and ultimately young adult that brought him time and time again to the rocks. I finished this book in just one day. I couldn't put it down, I found myself laughing out loud while reading some parts and utterly shocked while reading others. The book is well written, and easy to read, you might be surprised to find how you can relate to or cannot relate to experiences in his early life. Robbins is not a man who just woke up and was popular and good at everything and had a perfect life. He is brutally honest about his struggles and the people and organizations that pulled him back from a dangerous ledge. Robbins struggles make his successes on the rock even sweeter.
A wonderful read for new climbers and old pros! I do think in order to enjoy this book you must find some passion in rock climbing.

"For ten year Yosemite has given me everything. It's been a playground and a battleground, calling forth my best efforts, showing me what lies within. For this I left a steady job with a secure future. Today I know that step into the unknown was the right choice."

[Eugene Miya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Royal has written all his autobiographical volumes for adolescents: Boy Scouts, in particular because he was one (but for Girl Scouts, too). Brave was his youth up to his discovery of climbing. I recognize some of the climbs at Stony Point near Los Angeles (have done them like both sides of the A-frame), Tahquitz, and later his Yosemite and Sierra climbs (later volumes).

Royal is the undisputed father of modern big wall climbing. Salathe being the grand father of 3 major routes.

Royal took a lot of flak for his early writing style, trying to be intellectual. He's trying to be a realistic role model for kids.

Year read was the year of first publication. 2011 is just a place holder here.

[Richard Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Royal Robbins commences his life story sandwiched between an account of his solo ascent of the Leaning Tower in Yosemite National Park. It is the first part of a seven book account of his life and covers his childhood and the events in his life that ultimate led him to become one of the premier climbers of his generation.

[Seth Neilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting start to a 7-part autobiography from Royal Robbins. Not as much climbing as I'd have liked, but thinking about the book in the context of a "first chapter" rather than by itself, it works out fine. It was nice to read something good about the Scouting program...

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for climbers, particularly those based in California. I personally connected with many of the settings discussed in the book. It was inspiring to read about Royals transition from broken household to climbing pioneer.

[Royce Aldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read. I enjoyed Robbins' description of his spiritual journey as he advanced to the summit. I was also intrigued by the tales of his youth & his introduction to rock craft.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome account of Royal's famous climbing history. It is a memoir, so not an exciting read per se, but the journey that brought him where he is today is remarkable.