Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air, about the Mt. Everest disaster of 1996, is a great adventure to read. He was on the trek to make it to the summit and report on it for Outside magazine and he did make it to the top. And more importantly, he made it down. Some of his companions were not so lucky. He does a good job of giving the reader a sense of what is was like during that expedition. He keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens to everyone.
Some have criticized his book as not being the whole story - but I think he covers a lot of ground with his writing. What is the impact on the mountain and the region by the surge of trekkers? Is safety forgotten in the quest to get to the summit? Are inexperienced climbers being lead to their doom? What happens when the guides are incapacitated? Is this a classic story of man vs. nature? And for some of us, we wonder why would they want to go to such a death zone anyway.
Krakauer keeps you asking this questions throughout the book. The information alone about what happens to a human body with lack of oxygen is enough to scare most away from the concept of climbing Everest. But he keeps you on the edge of one's seat til the end.
Recommended for a hot summer's day - it will definitely cool you off.
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