(#29) / Into Thin Air / by Jon Krakauer / (Book)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

Into Thin Air / by Jon Krakauer

ISBN: 0-385-49208-1 / Anchor Books  

p. 378 / $14.54 (Amazon)

1997

Body of Content

Summary: Jon Krakauer writes a first-hand account of the tragic events that unfolded in 1996 while climbing the world’s tallest peak.  Krakauer – who always possessed an interest in mountaineering – worked for Outside magazine at the time.  His employer arranged for him to travel to Nepal and write a feature story about various business ventures – how companies guided clients to the top of the Everest.  Krakauer finds himself at base camp – at elevation of over 17,000 feet – an elevation above his previous mountaineering experience.  At this height, the dangers are real – from bad weather to avalanches – from depleted oxygen level to sleep deprivation –from the severe cold to a lack of emergency medical aid.  But as Krakauer sets out in a guided attempt to the summit, the journalist comes to realize the most dangerous threat yet – human hubris.  

Critique: The novel speaks about – and at many times, against – the commercialization of Everest.  The first summit of the mountain occurred in the 1953 – and over subsequent decades, the mountaineering endeavor stands as a physical feat aided by a booming business that pairs wealthy clients with guides – in an effort to assist the clients’ ascension of the mountain and, in their opinion, ascend to a high level of human achievement.

The tourism fees alone – numbering tens of thousands of dollars that both Nepal and China require – demonstrate the willingness of many Western climbers to shell out monies for their attempt.  The book also speaks about the environmental effects – as Westerners leave their trash and oxygen bottles littered at base camp and along the mountain as well.  Such a practice stands in sharp contrast to many of the local peoples – who regard the mountain as sacred. 

But the consumerism and commercialism of the Westerners is painted in a different light, too.  The cost of the expeditions is not only in money – but in lives lost.  It is that dual nature of the book – painting the economic costs alongside the loss of human life – that creates a noteworthy commentary on adventure-seeking mountaineering.  For as the book unfolds, the two costs – of monies and lives – are directly tied together – they become difficult to separate: as the business guides reply on successful summits, they must take chances with human lives to do so. 

Into Thin Air provides a raw account of a survival story; but it contains social commentary – and leaves the reader with a rhetorical question: Is the payoff worth the cost?        

Teaser: A journalist gets the mountain climbing opportunity of a lifetime.  But as he ascends Mount Everest, more than a few stories develop from the journalist’s pen.

Information about the Author: Jon Krakauer is a journalist – whose early writing focused on outdoor activities in general and mountain climbing in particular.  Into Thin Air is the writer’s second novel, while another outdoor title (Into the Wild) is his first work.  Since his early works, Krakauer branched out into other journalistic-style novels – looking at Mormonism in the book Under the Banner of Heaven and researching military tales in his book about Pat Tillman titled Where Men Win Glory (Wikipedia, 2011).    

Supplemental Material

Genre: Nonfiction / Adventure

Curriculum Ties:  History – geography, commercialism, cultural customs  

Booktalking Ideas: 1) How much money would you spend – if you wanted the opportunity to climb the highest mountain in the world? 2) What is the highest elevation that you have personally visited – and how does it compare to the elevation of Everest’s base camp?

Reading Level: The reading level rests with older teens – likely 16-19. Younger readers may like mountain climbing tales like Banner in the Sky where less people die.

Challenge Issues and Defense: The book tells a raw and poignant account of mountain climbing.  Some language and general premise hamper the book – but not to the level of hamstringing it.  The book is well-written and the book’s popularity helps it – if ever challenged.

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: The book takes the romanticism away from mountain climbing and thrill-seeking in general.  I believe that I liked the book – because it provided a cautionary tale against human hubris – against blind ambition.

Last Thoughts

References:

Wikipedia. (2011). Jon Krakauer [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Krakauer

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Brooke Fraser / Album – “Flags”