I was so intrigued by this book book after attending a reader's advisory that I immediately went home and started reading. This book will not let you down, will keep you turning pages as fast as you can and threaten you throughout to sneak to the end. When I had finished the book the very first thing I did was go to Google Earth to zoom in on Mt. Everest.
When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10,1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,028 feet (roughly the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly to the top, unaware that the sky had begun to roil with clouds...
Into Thin Air is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed Outside journalist and author of the bestselling Into the Wild. Taking the reader step by step from Katmandu to the mountain's deadly pinnacle, Krakauer has his readers shaking on the edge of their seat. Beyond the terrors of this account, however, he also peers deeply into the myth of the world's tallest mountain. What is is about Everest that has compelled so many poeple--including himself--to throw caution to the wind, ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense?
I cannot wait to hear what you think about this true story of disaster on Mr. Everest!
Interest Level: 9-Up
Lexile: 1320
