Into Thin Air: A Personal Account
of the Mt. Everest Disaster
by Jon Krakauer
Completed May 2001
I liked Into Thin Air, but had my "usual" reaction to books about extreme mountain-climbing. I can't understand the motivation. As one who is very goal-oriented (and loves hiking up "reasonable" mountains), I feel as though I have some of the same desire as the protagonists of this book, but I can't make the leap that they do. They put their lives -- and the thing which really baffles me -- the lives of their loved ones on the line for a physical accomplishment which is entirely personal and, as far as I can see, has little or no redeeming societal value. Why? Why risk your life, the happiness and livelihood of your wife and children, not to mention your Sherpas, just to say that you climbed a mountain?
All that having been said, Krakauer writes a great story. His structure, story-telling and auto-biographical insights are so believable. They are raw and first-hand. I read the book in a day -- literally found it difficult to put down. One of the things I liked best is that Krakauer is clearly torn up by the self-absorbtion of these climbers, and by his self-absorbtion in particular. This is a really good read.