Into Thin Air

Jon Krakauer

Into Thin Air

Recommendation inspired by:
Run, sail, or hide? How to survive the destruction of Pompeii - Gary Devore

Why we love this book:

From the opening pages of Into Thin Air, there's a kind of tension. A mix of fear and excitement that draws you deeper into the story, where you find an even more compelling tension driving the prose. Krakauer's book is full of fascinating, well researched history about humanity's quest to conquer (and subsequently commercialize) the planet's tallest peak. But it's also a deeply personal book, written to memorialize his own disastrous trip to Everest and honor the memories of his fallen fellow climbers. Written side-by-side, these two approaches transform Everest into something larger than life. A strange, unknowable, unbeatable force that our hubris just can't ignore, generating an endless cycle of triumph and tragedy.

Recommended by:
Daniel Kwartler, TED-Ed Team

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