Into Thin Air

Into Thin Air Review

If one in every twenty people died on a trip that you were going to go on would you do it? It’s possible, but what about one in four or five? Those stats are a little more threatening, those are Mount Everest’s stats. The top of the world doesn't just let anyone conquer it. You have to want it, you have to be in tip top emotional and physical health. You can be the strongest climber but you don’t have the head for it then you turn around or Everest gives you the boot. The climb is the ultimate test of mental and physical endurance and only the strongest make it. 

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a book that gets your heart racing. It felt as if I was watching a movie when reading it because of the vivid detail by Krakauer. The book starts at the summit of Everest. For a book about climbing one would think that the summit is the climax! But not here, the summit is actually probably the most anticlimactic part of this book. The second and third chapter touch on the history of the mountain and the indigenous people that surround it. Finally it seems like the story actually starts around chapter four. Krakauer explains how he ended up taking this job to go write a article about the commercialism of Everest and how the gig started out with him remaining safely at Base Camp but evolved into him going on an expedition to attempt the summit. He then moves on to who will be in his own expedition as well as those that will be in others that will also be attempting the summit.  He shares his concerns or how sorely underprepared his fellow climbers. Once the characters have been touched on the acclimatization process starts. This takes place during the weeks before the climb and consists of the clients making series of ascend and descend’s. Back and forth from Base Camp to camp 1 and back, then back up the camp one and onward to camp two etc. This proves allows the clients to adjust the the severe lacking of oxygen in the thin atmosphere. I feel as if the rising action begins when Krakauer sees his first body on the slope and doesn't climax until the descend. During which there are many complications, some that were unavoidable and just Mother Nature’s way of testing the climbers but some that could have been prevented entirely. Once finally off the mountain and back to Base Camp, Krakauer tallies the dead and presumed dead. For a couple years that expedition held the title of the highest body count ever recorded in one summit attempt. Krakauer writes about how he came to his decision to expand on his assigned article and turn the experience into a full blown book. He stresses the fact that he felt this was what he was meant to do. He believed he was meant to write this book so people knew what happen on that mountain. So they knew the heroics some people showed in their last moments and even the mistakes.

I think the book was unique because of how he started it. The first four or so chapters are not in chronological order. He jumps right in to what would seem to be the most exciting part of the book, the summit, but it wasn’t intriguing or climatic. And I think he did this to show immediately that this was not gonna be just anther climbing book. This was not gonna be a climbing action on the ascend, climax at the summit, and falling action on the descent. No this was going to be something entirely different, the most exciting part of the book is when they are on their descend after reaching the summit or being forced to turn around. The authors tone was impressively neutral most of the book. If it was me that had encountered the rudeness of the South African leader than there would have been less sugar coating. Krakauer did a good job and simply pointing out the decisions that were mad and not passing judgement on them. If he had taken clear sides while writing then he would have gotten a lot more upset family members. It was wise to just lay down the facts and let the reader determine what he or she thinks what could have been done. A memorable moment would be when he told his wife “I’m not going to die, don't be so melodramatic” because I’ll bet he got one heck of an earful when he got home barely in one piece! Another would be the multiples times that total disaster was heavily foreshadowed. I would absolutely recommend this book to someone, it was an easy read and didn't take a quarter of the book for you to get engaged in it. 

Title: Into Thin Air  Author: Jon Krakauer  Number of Pages: 291  Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆  Review: I think this book was great. It kept me wanting to not put the book down and I haven't read a book like that in a while!