Go “Into Thin Air” for a Thrill
If you love a good suspense novel OR if you like non-fiction OR if you’re into mountain climbing, you will love “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer. It’s the true story of an expedition to Mt. Everest that went horribly wrong. Jon went on the expedition as a writer for a sports magazine about people who were paying $10,000 per person to have a guide “get them” to the top of Everest.He was there to see if it made sense for people to buy their way to the top of the world, especially given that some of the people had very little climbing experience. He didn’t know what he was in for.
By the end of the expedition, several people would be dead and their bodies deserted on the side of the mountain (I never knew that they just left the bodies up there, but I guess it makes sense, who can try to carry it down?!? It’s kind of crazy hard to get up there). It’s thrilling, horrifying and fascinating all at the same time.
I also liked “Under the Banner of Heaven” about the Mormon church (Warning: Mormons probably won’t enjoy it). Krakauer’s most popular book “Into the Wild” was actually my least favorite of the three. I just didn’t find it as compelling.
Best for: people who love the outdoors, people who love a good mystery/suspense novel, people who dream of Everest, people who don’t get altitude sickness.
If you like “Into Thin Air”, you’ll also enjoy “Touching the Void” by Joe Simpson. If you just love survival stories, I’d suggest “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” by Aron Ralston. While Aron’s book isn’t that well written, the guy did cut his own hand off to survive, so it has a novelty that many other books lack.
Posted in Non-Fiction, Suspense