Hugo Fonck - Into Thin Air

Hugo Fonck
Title of the Book: Into Thin Air
Author: Jon Krakauer
# of Pages: 301
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Review:
Could you handle climbing Mt. Everest? At over 29,000 feet above sea level, the human body cannot survive for an extended period of time, even with significant acclimatization. At that altitude, you are leaving the troposphere behind and at an altitude where the air is just 1/3 as thick as it is at sea level. Blood runs dangerously thick through your body as it tries to carry as much oxygen as possible. This is the cruising altitude of jet traffic - and the highest peak in the world. This fact has driven hundreds in modern history to try and stake their claim on top of the world. Many have died in their attempts, and 'Into Thin Air' explains a personal account on a tragedy that unfolded high on the mountain and the first ever of its kind in May of 1996.

This non-fiction novel follows the events surrounding the May 1996 Mt. Everest disaster, where many climbers perished during a breakdown of communication, leadership combined with a harrowing late-day storm high on the mountain. This book is explicitly non-fiction because Krakauer was there - he was a member of a commercial climbing team that was attempting Everest that year. He was taking the challenge himself to write a story for Outside magazine on the perils of high-altitude climbing. However, the story ended very differently as a disaster unfolded with the other members of his team after Krakauer successfully completes his summit attempt.

This emotional experience takes readers through a destructive tapestry and brings them to the forefront of the tragedy that unfolded tensely at the top of the world. Krakauer's unique style of creating connections, deep self-analysis and flawless reconstruction of events allows readers to see into the tragedy beyond what Krakauer simply saw on the mountain. His perspective allows readers to realize the truth and circumstances of what went wrong.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy a thrilling story of tragedy and survival in one of the most desolate places on Earth. This book is eye-opening into the true power of motivation and the drive of the human mind to achieve what most rational thought would rule as impossible.