The Novel Book Club met on Thursday, May 16 to discuss the book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. This is a first person true account of the May 10-11, 1996 Mount Everest events where 8 people died on the mountain. Krakauer, a journalist, was sent by Outside Magazine on assignment to report on the commercialization of climbing Everest. Some climbers have derided guided Everest expeditions as “yak routes,” with clients paying up to $65,000 to be almost guaranteed to summit – aided by guides and Sherpa to do all the work. Krakauer signed on with experienced climber Rob Hall’s expedition company, Adventure Consultants. Krakauer was already an accomplished climber, although he had no high altitude experience. He spent a year training to make sure he was ready for Everest. The expedition consisted of 3 guides, 8 clients and 7 Sherpa. Of those, 2 guides, including leader Rob Hall, and 2 clients died on the mountain when caught in a storm on the way down from the summit. Four people from other expeditions also died in the same storm. Into Thin Air is an excellent, and for the most part, impartial detailing of the events on the mountain and the difficulties of climbing Mount Everest. He makes it clear that it is most certainly not a “yak route,” and he emphases the effect that altitude has on the human body, especially mental capacity. At the end of the book, Krakauer goes into detail about what he thinks went wrong, the part that he played in the events, and defends himself to a rebuttal book “The Climb” by Anatoli Boukreev. This book flows very well, making it easy to read despite the large number of people involved and the complexity of the events. One thing that really stood out to me in this account was the filthy camps the climbers stayed at on the journey. Many climbers arrived at base camp weakened by gastrointestinal problems and severe coughing from breathing smoke from yak-dung fueled fires. The book also raises many ethical questions, such as leaving incapacitated climbers to die; knowing that to try to help them would likely result in your own death.
The next meeting is on Thursday, June 20 at 7:00pm to discuss “The Finkler Question” by Howard Jacobson. Pick up the book at the Library and come join us! New members are always welcome! You can also participate through our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CPLNovelbookclub/
