[Listopia] Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer - 5*

[Elise]

In spring of 1996 Jon Krakauer, reporter for Outside magazine and avid mountain climber, signs up to climb Mount Everest as part of Rob Hall’s team. We follow the teams (because Hall’s team is not the only one trying to summit Everest that spring) from Base Camp, through their weeks and weeks of acclimatization, all the way up to the summit on May 10th. While they’re up there at 29K feet, a severe storm hits, killing ten climbers, and forcing the survivors to stage elaborate rescue plans, for themselves and for stranded climbers who might still be alive.

This book was kind of a gut punch. How can you read this and go, “oh, climbing Everest sounds like an awesome thing to do!”? I had no idea it was so hard. You always have the romantic idea that when people reach the top, they jump up and down, take millions of pictures, bask in joy for a few hours. But no, they haven’t slept in ages, they’re freezing their asses off, they have to keep a vigilant eye on their oxygen levels, and basically they just want to go back down. Humans are mysterious creatures.

I loved how he focused at different moments on different people, giving us a little overview of their life, of what they were like and what they were doing there. And it always felt natural, not like he was pushing in the direction of “X biography time.” And since we know from the beginning who isn’t going to make it off the mountain, sometimes it’s hard to read about someone’s plans for the future, knowing they’ll never happen.

It also warmed my heart to see all the altruism going around. The guides and sherpas helping people who weren’t on their team. The IMAX team giving the survivors all their oxygen without a second thought. The helicopter making a dangerous flight twice to save two people. (Although I can’t be the only one who was seriously PISSED when I saw that Ian Woodall survived -_-)

[Ellen]

Loved this one!

[Ladyslott]

I read this one in 2000, I was reading every chance I got. I remember all the publicity surrounding this event, it was heartbreaking.

[Booknblues]

This was one of the books which got me started reading more nonfiction books. Before this point, I was almost exclusively reading fiction and this was such a compelling read, I began mixing in nonfiction to my reading.

[Anita]

This book got me hooked in mountaineering books and non fic

[Anita]

omg I hate the app. As I was saying, this book was my entre to mountaineering books and non fiction. I still go around recommending it.

[Joy D]

This book is one of my favorites. 5 stars from me as well.

[Jason]

What timing for reviewing this book. At the end of The Perfect Storm, the author mentions this book favorably, saying Krakauer proved that non fiction could be exciting. Apparently, it came out about the same time as The Perfect Storm. I have read one Krakauer book and loved it. Adding to TBR.

[Ladyslott]

Jason wrote: "What timing for reviewing this book. At the end of The Perfect Storm, the author mentions this book favorably, saying Krakauer proved that non fiction could be exciting. Apparently, it came out abo..."

Into Thin Air is one of the best non-fiction books you will ever read.