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sarakomo 's review for:
Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer
2021: STOP SLEEPING ON THIS ONE AND READ IT NOW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So this is my first Krakauer and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on more. Well, technically what I mean, is I simply can't wait to actually take the time to read all of his books that I've been accumulating from the secondhand bookstore for years but never made time for. Into Thin Air sits in the same category as [b:The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics|16158542|The Boys in the Boat Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics|Daniel James Brown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1354683116l/16158542._SY75_.jpg|21998925] for me - I knew how the story ended, but I was absolutely RIVETED getting there.
I've read quite a few *adventure* books now, including a lot about the Appalachian Trail and thru hiking and overcoming crazy challenges. Krakauer is the rare exception (aside from good ol' [a:Bill Bryson|7|Bill Bryson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578597522p2/7.jpg]) who is a writer before he was an adventurer. The prose is beautiful and the narrative is absorbing and I was utterly engulfed by the journey. The tension begins so early on and it just. does. not. stop!
It was a thrill ride from beginning to end that I am so glad I made time for. Honestly, I can't believe it's taking me this long, but I'll tell you what, it certainly knocked "climbing Everest" several pegs off my bucket list. It was never really on, it's too crazy, but reading about this journey *in particular* solidified that this adventure is not for me. Also, just the effects of being at such a high altitude and your brain cells LITERALLY dying. Man, I've lived at (or below) sea level my whole life, I don't think I'm cut out for that.
If you know me, you know I love nerding out about plans and logistics and the operational challenges of this endeavor are even more insane than I originally could picture. It's no wonder that the mountain is literally covered in shit and empty oxygen containers. The logistics planning here is a delight and I'm sure it's only gotten worse since this book was published in 1997.
If I had to get nitpicky, I will say that it took a long time to be able to keep track of all of the main players. I completely understand that this was a work of non-fiction, so of course the term "character development" is inappropriate, but it was pretty hard to know who to focus on and who to keep track of during the first half of the book. I'm sure when this book was published (and following up on all of the attention that both the climb and the Outside article had recently received) everyone could follow it easily. But I could have used a little more "get to know the climbers" in the book.
I feel like I've been hitting a good streak of books in the back half of 2021 here. Let's keep this going!
So this is my first Krakauer and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on more. Well, technically what I mean, is I simply can't wait to actually take the time to read all of his books that I've been accumulating from the secondhand bookstore for years but never made time for. Into Thin Air sits in the same category as [b:The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics|16158542|The Boys in the Boat Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics|Daniel James Brown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1354683116l/16158542._SY75_.jpg|21998925] for me - I knew how the story ended, but I was absolutely RIVETED getting there.
I've read quite a few *adventure* books now, including a lot about the Appalachian Trail and thru hiking and overcoming crazy challenges. Krakauer is the rare exception (aside from good ol' [a:Bill Bryson|7|Bill Bryson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578597522p2/7.jpg]) who is a writer before he was an adventurer. The prose is beautiful and the narrative is absorbing and I was utterly engulfed by the journey. The tension begins so early on and it just. does. not. stop!
It was a thrill ride from beginning to end that I am so glad I made time for. Honestly, I can't believe it's taking me this long, but I'll tell you what, it certainly knocked "climbing Everest" several pegs off my bucket list. It was never really on, it's too crazy, but reading about this journey *in particular* solidified that this adventure is not for me. Also, just the effects of being at such a high altitude and your brain cells LITERALLY dying. Man, I've lived at (or below) sea level my whole life, I don't think I'm cut out for that.
If you know me, you know I love nerding out about plans and logistics and the operational challenges of this endeavor are even more insane than I originally could picture. It's no wonder that the mountain is literally covered in shit and empty oxygen containers. The logistics planning here is a delight and I'm sure it's only gotten worse since this book was published in 1997.
If I had to get nitpicky, I will say that it took a long time to be able to keep track of all of the main players. I completely understand that this was a work of non-fiction, so of course the term "character development" is inappropriate, but it was pretty hard to know who to focus on and who to keep track of during the first half of the book. I'm sure when this book was published (and following up on all of the attention that both the climb and the Outside article had recently received) everyone could follow it easily. But I could have used a little more "get to know the climbers" in the book.
I feel like I've been hitting a good streak of books in the back half of 2021 here. Let's keep this going!