Graham G. (Foucault) reviewed Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster on + 27 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
What an amazing book! It should be mentioned that there are other perspectives to this disaster (some which can be read in this Salon.com series of articles), and other books have been written about it, but this does not affect the fact that this is an incredibly well-written book. It reads like a suspense novel. It's just so tragic that you have to keep reminding yourself that these people were real. Real lives were lost.
In 1996, when this book is set, I was living in my home country of England, and I don't remember the story at all, so unlike some who read this book, I never saw the news stories flying about at the time. I would not normally read a book about mountaineering, but this is a book about the people involved and the narrative reads so well, that even those without any interest in the subject should find it gripping.
In 1996, when this book is set, I was living in my home country of England, and I don't remember the story at all, so unlike some who read this book, I never saw the news stories flying about at the time. I would not normally read a book about mountaineering, but this is a book about the people involved and the narrative reads so well, that even those without any interest in the subject should find it gripping.
Christina W. (CuriousChristina) reviewed Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I picked this book up as a tonic for the hottest days of summer and found I had to put it aside several times as the story felt so immediate and personal. The desire to reach the fullness of the story was in direct opposition to a palpable sense of dread that grew with each chapterâ"the writing is that good.
Helpful Score: 5
A fairly gripping nonfiction account of tragic events during the author's ascent (with a group) up Everest. I enjoyed this, although I found it a bit self-indulgent, and the author has admitted since that he probably wrote it too soon after the event--he said he got some details wrong, and his story was affected/distorted by the emotional aftermath. But definitely worth the read. I liked Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven and Into the Wild as well.
Other books about climbing that I recommend more strongly than this one are "K2: A Woman's Place is on Top" and "Touching the Void". For other nonfiction books on extreme sports: "To the Edge" is a phenomenal book about ultramarathoning and "Winterdance" is a terrific account of the Iditarod sled race, and "Shadow Divers" is just a wonderful book about deep wreck diving.
Other books about climbing that I recommend more strongly than this one are "K2: A Woman's Place is on Top" and "Touching the Void". For other nonfiction books on extreme sports: "To the Edge" is a phenomenal book about ultramarathoning and "Winterdance" is a terrific account of the Iditarod sled race, and "Shadow Divers" is just a wonderful book about deep wreck diving.
JENNIFER M. reviewed Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster on + 32 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Very gripping non-fiction read. Krakauer's writing style is easy, engaging and illuminating. Highly recommended.
Janis K. (scrapbooklady) reviewed Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster on + 472 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
"Into thin Air" is a brilliantly written adventure saga that ends in tragedy. Jon Krakauer takes us step by shivering step, on his journey up Mt. Everest, during the notoriously deadly expedition of May 1996, where 4 of 11 climbers lost their lives. Barely escaping with his own life, journalist Krakauer remembers the team members and friends left on the mountain.