http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:41:40 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/26/074038.php#comment-740289 Being a connoisseur of human folly, I'm a fascinated spectator of high altitude mountaineering stories. And on a mountain that, by it's very nature, seems to attract an inordinate proportion of sociopaths & narcissists, I'm not really surprised when I realize some mountaineer I'm reading about seems rather self-centered, emotionally immature, and/or lacking the normal social connections & human motivations most of us tend to have. And I'm afraid this author/climber seems to be among those. I sensed the "detached" thing from the get-go. It was as if he was describing himself as a larger than life, suave, fictional character. I couldn't even force myself halfway through the book because my stomach was turning at the intense vanity. And I'm glad I didn't bother, because it sounds like, from this review, from his perspective, he didn't experience any type of substantial relationships with other climbers, good or bad. It's very disappointing, because by the title, I would've expected a bit of self-deprecating humour, at the very least. And the fact that Andrew Brash calls him "friend", I'd assumed he had some measure of humility & gratitude about the importance of other people to him. But I guess not. The book portrays someone who fails to really see & connect to other people. It's like other people are meaningless props, and even the wife & children seem to be portrayed as little more than prized possessions, existing to worship the supposedly suave brave character. The humanity you find in the books by Krakauer & Kodas seems to be completely missing in this book. I sensed more spirit & connection in the most dry examples of Dave Hahn's technical prose. Andrew Brash's 2 line quotes in news articles had more depth & feeling regarding the escapade. And as for the author's professed (arrogantly pushed) religion... a religion of humility supposedly. It seems like he's missed the forest for the trees and has some pretty weird attachments to desires that even most non-Buddhist materialistic people wouldn't be fostering. I'm assuming the people who gave this book rave reviews either have a personal stake, or had just a very narrow interest in the specific climbing aspects of the incident... and a very strong stomach for someone shamelessly massaging their own ego. 740289@blogcritics.org Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:41:40 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/26/074038.php#comment-723834 Hi Cheryl- Thank you so much for the recommendation! I took a look at the back cover, and it looks very interesting. I will go pickup a copy. 723834@blogcritics.org Thu, 5 Jun 2008 11:59:55 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/26/074038.php#comment-723762 You should really read "The Will To Climb" by my husband Richard Harris, it tells the real story of Lincoln Halls Everest expedition. Take a look at <a href="http://wwww.australianyoungadventurers.com">the backcover</a>. 723762@blogcritics.org Thu, 5 Jun 2008 06:05:11 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/26/074038.php#comment-713629 A better Everest book to read is 'Into Thin Air' by John Krakauer. You should also read 'Endurance' by Alfred Lansing-it's about Ernest Shackleton's voyage to Antartica in which their boat sank, they ate penguins and sled dogs, and finally got rescued one and a half years later on Elephant Island. The last paragraph will make you cry. 'Kon Tiki' by Thor Heyerdahl is another must read. He's the fellow who built a balsa raft and floated from Peru to Polynesia. 713629@blogcritics.org Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:24:00 EDT