I bring reading materials into the bathroom and GF hates it.

When I worked at the bookstore people would try to bring reading material into the bathrooms there, which is just too icky. Luckily there are alarms, so most of the time, we could stop them.

I'm going to booktalk Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer this morning and I haven't read it yet. I looked at the description on Amazon so I have some info. Any details anyone can add to "sell" the book to teenage boys?

Well, there is danger and harrowing death. Complete with dying phonecalls to a beloved wife all the way in New Zealand.

Also, terrible frostbite.

Incredible stupidity and uh. . . yeah, that's all I remember.

It convinced me to never try mountain climbing, but I can't remember any details.

t /failing to be helpful

There's also a remarkable rescue of someone given up for dead. Lots of adventure. Lots of altitude sickness. Lots of "the people who do this are completely psycho." It certainly has discussion material. What would you go through to achieve a goal? What goal would you give up to save someone else's life? Is being able to talk to your wife on a satellite phone when both she and you know you are doomed a good thing?

Also - discussion of how Everest has been environmentally compromised by all the trips up there now. How the popularity of climbing Everest has added to the danger because the window of opportunity is so small.

Great details, guys! Thanks so much!

It's also really gripping and a pretty quick read, if that helps!

There's also some discussion of how the sherpas get to the top all the time but never get credit and how guiding idiot climbers has become their main source of income.