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.

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

This. I loved it.

It convinced me to never try mountain climbing

And definitely this.

Also, it has a "rich bitch" character that you could be catty about.

There's also the question of whether Krakauer's own presence on the team actually contributed to the fiasco: knowing Outside Magazine was covering the expedition may have led to some faulty decision-making. Because they would get great marketing press out of it! Also, the question of whether the commercialization of mountaineering is a good thing, and the use of all this high-tech equipment. Do we want just any Joe off the street to be able to summit the world's highest mountains? What's that say about exploration, if anyone can do it? Does it negate earlier expeditions without that kind of support?

Also? Nature always wins.

It'd be a great paired reading with Joe Simpson's Touching the Void, which is just as harrowing, and yet in which nobody dies (unbelievable as that is).

I don't like the cold much, and I don't have any interest in summiting any 8,000-meter peaks, but some day I wouldn't mind climbing Mount Whitney, or Mount Shasta...

I did the book talk and several boys wanted the book. Yay and thanks for your help! I gots to read that one, too. It sounds fascinating and scary.