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As a kid, bitten with mountain climbing bug, Jon Krakauer dreamed of summitting Everest; as a young man, an able, inveterate climber, he dismissed the idea. Then in January 1996, "Outside" magazine commissioned him to write a piece on the growing commercialization of world's highest peak. So, he went and was by chance witness to the deadliest season in the history of Everest. He published his article for "Outside," but felt that there was much more to tell. "Into Thin Air," read here by the author, was written in the immediate aftermath, "in the roil and torment of the moment" and has the raw, ruthless edge of adventure and tragedy that only a fine writer who had actually lived through it could achieve. His recounting of the attempt to reach the summit, "an intrinsically irrational act," is more gripping than any piece of fiction. Eight climbers died as they attempted to descend from the 29,028-foot peak in a gale-force storm. The story made headlines, but only this eyewitness chronicle gets at the reality. Krakauer's reporting is thorough, his emotional involvement heightens rather than clouds his commentary, and the result is wrenching, powerful and totally compelling.
Sukey Howard reports on spoken word audio each month. Don't miss her audio book reviews on CNN's "Sunday Morning."
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