麻豆区
Customer Review
- Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2019Like many other readers, I found Into Thin Air very depressing. It gives the impression, rightly or wrongly, that there is no fun in climbing tall snow-covered mountains, especially those that reach beyond 8,000 metres, into the so-called Death Zone, even under ideal conditions. And because conditions are rarely ideal during an entire climb, which can last several weeks, I don't understand why human beings risk exposing themselves to the kind of torture described in this book. I suppose that there are valid reasons, but to me, they cannot be valid enough when lives are in peril. The death toll was exceptionally high during this 1996 Mount Everest expedition with eight lives lost and several others sustaining life-changing injuries. The author, Jon Krakauer, was able to provide a detailed and accurate account of the event as he was a journalist tasked with reporting on the climb in addition to being himself a member of one of the climbing teams who made it to the summit.
Despite being rather slow pace 鈥 which is due to the nature of the sport 鈥 the book is well written and captivating. Although a bit confusing at times, due to the large number of people involved from different groups, each individual is identified in a comprehensive list of names and functions at the very beginning. The author also takes a considerable amount space in the book to inform about the background and experience of each participant, which allows the reader to connect with individual climbers.
I will not go into the details of the climb itself nor of the tragedy in this review 鈥 just read the book! But it may be beneficial to other readers to know that, as I was going through the second half of the book (when the going was particularly tough), I watched the movie that was made right after the events entitled Into Thin Air 鈥 Death on Everest, available on YouTube. This gave me a better perspective on the challenges facing the climbers than I would have had from reading the book alone. Therefore, I strongly recommend watching one of several movies that were made about this expedition, while reading the book or soon after!
I found the Epilogue particularly moving as it provides an account of how some of the survivors have recovered from the tragedy, many of whom will never enjoy a normal life again. But what puzzled me the most was the reaction of some of the victim's relatives, almost blaming Jon for what happened, all because he was cautious enough not to let himself become a casualty. Particularly disturbing is a letter from the sister of Scott Fisher, one of the team leaders who died on his way down from the mountain. The letter, which is reproduced in the book, throws all kinds of accusations that Jon acted selfishly in total disregard to those whose lives were in danger. This coming from a person who was thousands of miles from the scene when the drama unfolded is outrageous, to say the least. I admire Jon for having had the honesty and the courage to include these accusatory statements in his book.
