Into Thin Air Review

Title of the Book: Into Thin Air
Author: Jon Krakauer
Number of Pages: 333
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Review: John Krakauer, a journalist who is living his childhood dream of climbing the most dangerous mountain of all, Mount Everest. He is hired by Outside magazine to write a brief about Mount Everest. Krakauer joins a climbing group called Adventure Consultants, guided by Rob Hall. He is joined by other members of the group as well. The climb is structured in different stages: Base Camp, Camp One, Camp Two, Came Three, Camp Four. The strategy is to spend a couple days at one camp to get used to the air and altitude before moving to the next camp. As they climb Krakauer observes and writes down the details of the expeditions, his thoughts, his senses, his teammates, and his guide. He writes them in a timeline format, keeping track of the date and times. Over several weeks they are facing blizzards, brutally cold weather, high altitude, and coming face to face death defining situations. Finally, he reaches his lifelong goal and climbs to the summit of the mountain. 

This book is unique in so many different ways. One way is it’s a journal or diary where he writes what he sees and feels down instead of a normal story. This really engages the read and creates a vivid image in the reader's head. As you’re reading the book you can see exactly what Krakauer is describing and you can feel the cold that is being described. For example, he describes his frostbite and you can almost feel the pain he is feeling and imagine how cold it really is. You can also feel the excitement and the relief he feels when he finally reaches the summit. Another way is that keeps track of specific times and days to show the reader how long each stage of climbing the mountain takes. Lastly, in the book Krakauer puts an asterisk or symbol next to a word which he later explains down at the bottom of the page. This makes it easier and more convenient for the reader to understand what the word means and it was important in the sentence. 

Krakauer’s writing style is a journal/ diary like style. He narrates the book. He narrates in an objective way but still includes personal thoughts and feelings. His words are respectful towards his guide and teammates but not so much towards other expeditions. At the end of the book his tone shifts to a more guilt and terrified tone. Krakauer uses clear and straightforward words to get his ideas across. He also includes technical terms and climbing terminology. 

I would not recommend this book to everyone. Especially for the book who enjoys nature and hiking, this is a great book and is right up your alley. If you can handle a slightly more darker book that includes many gruesome events and aren’t easily scared then I would recommend this book to you. If you are easily scared and can’t really handle gruesome events but can bare it then I still recommend this book to you, however you might want to read it during the day rather than at night, right before bed. Overall this book is really good, filled with a detailed and thrilling adventure that really grasps the reader's attention and creates an “on the edge of my seat” feeling.