Even if you have never climbed in your life( like me) but love a great adventure story that is told straight from the heart with no B.S., then read this book. It is about the '96 Everest tragedy, told by one who was there and aware the entire time (the man below, Anatoli Boukreev) . It refutes the plethora of lies and misconceptions that were told in Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air. I actually read Krakauer's book first, formed opinions,( wrong ones, it turns out) and then read this one and was enlightened as to what REALLY happened on that fateful day that occurred 10 years ago on May 10th.
I have never climbed, and hey let's face it, probably never will. I don't have it in me, but maybe that is what makes reading of expeditions to the world's highest peaks so fascinating to me, and helps to foster the immense appreciation I hold for Mr. Boukreev, who tragically perished while climbing in Nepal in December 1997, and for others who conquer also, if not the world's highest summits, then their own personal fears and limitations.