No comments about The Rough Guide to India Map 1 (Rough Guide Country/Region Map).

5 comments about Island Beauty.

1. A few of the photographs are disappointing, but otherwise this is an excellent book.



2. This book caught my attention when I first saw it just glancingly
   while walking pass the New Arrival section in a library. It was
   a spontaneous purchase and I was not disappointed. As an artist
   I have an internal vision to produce works of Light and Beauty.
   This book could be refered to as its Vision Statement. Everything
   about it is an expression of the things needed in a world growing
   ever darker. If you need to revitalize your senses this is a book
   that speaks to health, beauty, the Sea and the wonder of Island Life that's breath-taking . . .
   and above all-else it is a song of Hope.



3. This book beautifully shows how to live your life the island way. There are delicious recipes in here as well as usefull info on how to make your skin flawless, the natural way. This book covers almost everything when it comes to taking care of yourself. I recommed it to all of my friends, and they love the book too.



4. This book would never have made it to press had it not been for the fact that India Hicks is the granddaughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and 2nd cousin to Prince Charles. Can we talk? The book is pure drivel. All of the information contained in this airy-fairy, pseudo-aristocratic, jet-setty, new-agey book has been written about for years. Such pearls of wisdom as: Get enough sleep. Drink lots of water. Please, spare me. While this could have been a classy book, naked photos of India Hicks, made it lose my vote. I guess I'm an old "prude", but if you are connected to the Royal family, keep your clothes on.



5. This book is written in a lovely way and is so refreshing. The photos of the people living on this Island are so beautiful and natural. Good recipes for hot days are included. Recommended for lovers of the simple, natural way.

1 comments about India, 15th (Footprint - Travel Guides).

1. My wife and I checked almost every India travel guide book that is sold in the USA. We took three travel guides with us to India but the footpring was the only one to return.
   
   Its descriptions aids the reader in visting a site. It guides you as a (semi) independent travel in exploring the sites and how to navigate through them. Other travel guides have similar descriptions of the sites, but they do not tell the travelar where to go. This works fine if you have a guide (but then why bother with a travel guide book), but is not helpful as an independent travelar.
   
   It also had great pre-prep suggestions on who to contact for booking your independent trip.

3 comments about Rajasthan.

1. Tons of fantastic pics, details of fabrics, places etc. If you like Rajastan sty;e, you will fall head over heels for ths heavy "coffee table" book!



2. When I was the in-house stylist for Style Guide I had this incredibly beautiful Indian girl with dark eyes for an intern. She wore the brightest colors to work everyday and spoke in this rich lilting voice. One day I finally asked her where she got it - "the clothes or the accent?" she asked, "Both", said I. Well, she said, the colors are from my mother's land and the accent is from my father's land. Turns out that my pretty intern's mom came from the desert state of Rajasthan, in the North Western part of India. I have since then browsed innumerable coffee table books on Rajasthan, but Pauline Van Lynden's Rajasthan is certainly a notch above the rest. The photographs are lavish, the details touching, the effect spellbinding. Royals, artisans, dressmakers, housewives - Van Lynden gives us a breathtaking glimpse into these myriad lives.
   
   Another plus is Van Lynden's tone - always inquisitive but never condescending. There might be other books which will give you a lot of information about Rajasthan but Van Lynden's Rajasthan shall remain a front runner due to its evocative prose and dazzling photographs which seem to leap off the page. I recommend Van Lynden's Rajasthan as an antidote for any colorless day.



3. I am very pleased with this book. I have been to Rajasthan and this book does a wonderful job of incorporating the vast and colorful culture of that region of India. This book does a great job of detailing the miniture details that can be easily missed in an landscape that is overwhelming to the 5 senses. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Rajasthani culture and encourage them to visit there as well.

5 comments about Born into Brothels: Photographs by the Children of Calcutta.

1. BORN INTO BROTHELS is a welcome addition to the books on color photography. Granted these shots are extracted from the award winning film, a feature documentary exploring the sad and at times sordid lives of these eight children born to prostitutes in the red light district of Calcutta, India. But what photographer Zana Briski has captured in richly brilliant colors is not focused on tragedy or the smarmy aspect of the places in which these children live. Instead she has found the beauty in the innocence of these children, living in a closed world without much hope of escape - except through the gracious ingenuity of Briski who held classes, teaching these children how to use the camera, offering a transient glimpse of a world they might never know.
   
   The children are extraordinarily photogenic, but the dazzling colors of the cloths, jewels, streets, glitter and scents from the spices are palpable. This book stands alone on its merits of color photography: the fact that it holds the message it does makes it incredibly touching and unique. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, August 05



2. Zana Briski came up with a unique idea. Give the children in Calcutta's red-light district their own cameras and let them take pictures of their lives. The result was a documentary of extraordinary children born into the most wretched of circumstances where the girls were destined to enter their mother's trade of prostitution and the boys would join related criminal enterprises. The award-winning film documentary has now produced a unique and extraordinary coffee-table book of photography showcasing Zana Briski's own work in collaboration with these children's photography over a period of seven years. This is also the story of how Briski began holding photography workshops to instruct these children in the basics of photography from lighting and composition to editing and narrative sequencing. Some of these children became so skilled and adept that their developed and developing photography skills could eventually be the source of their emancipation from the lowest rung of Calcutta social and cultural ladder. Highly recommended reading, "Born Into Brothels" would make a stellar addition to academic and community library Photography collections, Indian Studies reference shelves, and Women's Studies supplemental reading lists.



3. After watching the DVD and looking at this book, it has compelled me to take action... It's incredibly moving and very powerful!



4. I bought this because I wanted to preserve my impressions after viewing the DVD. The DVD was exceptional as is the story of these children and how quick they were to pick up a camera and be able to do something with it. I'm still working on that. This is a nice companion to the DVD but if I had it to do over again I would probably pass.



5. Born into Brothels shows what can happen when children in desperate circumstances are given the opportunity to talk about their lives by making pictures. The pictures that the young people make provide evidence that a camera in the hands of a child can be an empowering device that provide the voice that they might otherwise not have. A powerful testament to the power of photographs and the power of pictures.

5 comments about Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle.

1. What a find! I'm amazed Dervla Murphy is not much better known. She has such an appealing vigor and zeal for adventure, combined with an acute eye for cultural observation and a rich capacity for description. Dervla takes one of the most audacious trips I've ever heard of, and undergoes some of the most harrowing and arduous of trials with non-showoff-y courage, such as when three heavy objects that turn out to be wolves fling themselves at her on a dark deserted road in the Balkans, or she is awakened in the middle of the night to find a "scantily dressed Kurd" standing over her bed. (In both instances her pocket pistol dispatched the dilemma without further ado.) Not only are these accounts riproaring, but she so warmly and affectionately describes the so-called "undeveloped" cultures she grows to know as she passes through remote stretches of Afganistan and Pakistan, that she quite awakens a First World reader to the narrowness of our outlook.



2. I first read this book in the sixties in grade school. I bought the reissued edition, rediscovering it by coincidence. Ms. Murphy's journey in the early sixties is, if anything, more fascinating to read today in light of the changes in the Middle East since she travelled there. Her independence and cheerful acceptance of different cultures is refreshing. This book was written prior to the 'me' decade, and while intensely personal, lacks the self-preoccupation that more recent writers practice.

   Additionally, unlike so many bicycle travelogues, this book doesn't focus on the author's bicycle! The focus remains on the journey, which renders it excellent reading for all, not just bicyclists.

   This is a timeless read and one that can be revisited with pleasure.




3. It was by accident I discovered this book, but how fortunate it was! Murphy did not just ride a bicycle from Ireland to India, impressive in itself, but she lived and laughed and played with the Prince's and Peasants she met through out her journey. Her descriptions of the people she meets and the ancient lands she cross are simple and magical.

   Some of her experiences seem to belong to fairy tales, other's remind's one of Arabian Nights, and at other times, it seemed Murphy was whisked into Tolkien's land of Middle Earth with fierce and gallant warriors on horseback.

   I will quote a couple of passages which highlight her sense of humor and observation.

   "...But it was worth it all to rise gradually from that fertile, warm valley to the still, cold splendour of the snow-line, where the highest peaks of the Hindu Kush crowd the horizon in every direction and one begins to understand why some people believe that gods live on mountain tops."

   "...when suddenly I came on the most unexpected sight-a playing field complete with twenty-two youths and a soccer ball. I know very little about soccer, but enough to know this is how it is not played. No one ever moved about trotting speed, no one ever tried to tackle anyone else, the referee never used his whistle, the ball was never headed and the two goalies sat crosslegged between the posts most of the time, looking abstracted. The real excitement from a spectator's point of view was caused by the fact that one side of the field had a sheer drop of 200 feet, so that the main object of all the players was to keep the ball from going into the ravine rather than to kick it between the posts."




4. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Murphy's humor, tenacity and bravery are awe inspiring. She's attacked by wolves (or possibly wild dogs), wakes up in a tent after going to sleep out in the open, fends off an attempted rapist and has many other thrilling adventures. In one instance, when there are nefarious characters about, she is advised to booby trap her inn bedroom's doorway with empty bottles. In her journal, she calmly notes that emptying bottles is the one thing she's really good at.
   
   I couldn't help feeling sad while reading this book. In 1965, when this book was published, most people were probably unfamiliar places like Kabul and Jalalabad. Now, of course, in the wake of the post-9/11 bombing of Afghanistan, Kabul is a household word. Turns out, that city was once breathtakingly beautiful, as well as the country around it. Murphy's trek takes her through Afghanistan at a time when the USSR and the US were vying for control of this country. The Russians were busy providing electricity and importing goods, while the Americans seemed to approach this ancient country with the intent to raze the traditional culture to the ground and replace it with a modern one. One wonders if, if both countries had never meddled with Afghanistan, there might never have been the Taliban? In any event, this book takes the reader back to a truly relevant experience of the not-so distant past.



5. This is an amazing book, by a wonderful author. I would highly recommend reading it.

5 comments about Taj.

1. My familiarity with the history of the Mughal Empire and the love story behind the creation of the Taj Mahal was minimal until Wilson's wonderful portrayal. She created a truly vivid and colorful diorama of that period--lifestyle and customs of the court, familial relationships and the jealousies often encountered and one of the most beautiful romances ever known. I must also say that I've not seen a more beautiful cover! Kudos to both the artist and storyteller. A great read for a friend, sister, Mom or Book Club!!



2. This work of historical fiction focuses on the reality, true love story, and high drama behind the creation of the Taj Mahal. Among other aspects of the novel, you will learn of the betrayal and rebellion that preceded the building of the great architectural `work of art.' You will follow along in shock as you see why a rich and powerful emperor was in prison the last eight years of his life. More importantly, however, and what makes this book truly a good read, is the love story. Happily, this is a love story that is not only real, but transcends the normal parameters of a romance, appealing to both men and women alike.
   
   The story of a battle between a stepmother (the Cobra Queen) who wants to run the land, against a `favorite' son who is doing his best to win the favor of his father and move onto the throne - supplies this story with all the intriguing facets of Macbeth or Hamlet. The story is solid and good, and will keep the reader's interest. But the scenery - the creativity - the vibrant descriptions of the cultures, the ostentatious ceremonies, the clothing and jewels of the `women behind the men' - is what really makes this book a stand-out. I was truly in love with the Moonlight Mahal, a paradise that the loving couple went to get away from it all. I want to find this place and never leave. Mumtaz, later called Taj by her loving husband, says that this place is the `home of her heart.' It would be mine too.
   
   There are scenes in this book that are actual `jewels.' There is a very beautiful description in the beginning of the book that focuses on an aspect of Jahan's faith: An angel rested on his left shoulder and recorded the bad Jahan has done in his lifetime. The Islamic Tree of Life holds a leaf with your name on it. When it flutters to the Earth, the Angel of Death reads your `bad deeds' and decides if you are qualified to spend eternity with Allah. In addition, there was a time when astrologers, (who were once heralded as scientists and learned men), picked when it was time to go to war, and the emperor could do nothing about it. It was the decision of the stars - the gods - and not mere mortals. It makes you think that we should bring this type of reasoning back.
   
   If you're looking for beauty, Taj will not disappoint.



3. Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (5/07)
   
   When I visited India some ten years ago, I encountered a world so different from what I was used to that I needed quite some time to sort out my feelings about it. There were sights so gruesome that I still have nightmares about them, and others so sublime that I still feel absolutely in awe that I was fortunate enough to witness them. Seeing Taj Mahal was definitely in the latter category. There really are no words fluid and shimmering enough to describe the wonder of Taj, and no words large enough to describe the impact it had on me. While there I learned about the great love between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal and I promised myself that upon my return home I would delve deeper into that fascinating story. Well, life has a funny way of interfering with even the best of plans. I returned home and although I often thought of Taj Mahal, I never managed to look deeper into the story of the two people so essential to the creation of the incomparable Taj Mahal.
   
   When Sandra Wilson's book "Taj: The Woman and the Wonder" landed on my desk, I looked at the deceptively slim volume and said to myself that there was no way anybody could write about Taj in a mere 300 pages. Well, I was utterly and absolutely wrong. This is a monumental book. Yes, it looks quite slim, but in its own way it is larger than life, just like Taj Mahal itself. And just like Taj Mahal there are many sides to it. The basic story of a love between two people who happened to truly care for each other, in spite of their marriage being an arranged one, is deftly interwoven with a story of a struggle for an enormously rich and important empire. The scheming courtiers, life in Zenana, culinary delights, richness of dress, poor villagers, majestic elephants, beautiful gardens, horrible wars... all of this and much more gives the story many layers of delightful descriptions and many pages of colorful, detailed narrative. Just like the precious stone flowers inlaid in the marble of Taj Mahal walls, there are many small, seemingly not very important scenes of everyday life in Shah Jahan's household that make the characters of this book so wonderfully human and so endearing. Yes, Shah Jahan is a fierce warrior who will stop at nothing to get his throne, but when you read the passages of him catching his children, running through the many rooms of the palace; or of the intimate moments with his beloved wife Mumtaz; or even the pages where he agonizes about his spoiled relationship with his father, he becomes much more than just a great Mughal Emperor - he is a husband, a father and a devoted son. He is very human and very vulnerable. Always by his side, always unwavering in her support and love for her husband, her devotion to family and friends, is the incomparable Mumtaz Mahal. In their world of betrayal and intrigue, is it any wonder that the two are so close and so devoted?
   
   Sandra Wilson's "Taj: The Woman and the Wonder" is a wonder in its own right. I challenge you to read it and remain unchanged.



4. This book was less historical than I had hoped for. While I enjoyed the story, I wasn't compelled to care much about the characters near the end. The end felt as if it was hastily thrown together for a quickly approaching deadline. For all the time spent on leading up to the death of Mumtaz, there was really not much discussion about the monument he built to honor her.
   
   As petty as it may seem, the typos were so distracting I had problems reading it -- some editor needs a refresher course!



5. I asked for 'Taj' for Christmas because I like historical fiction and India. This is the most disappointing book I have read in the last 2 years. It lacks detail. The characters are rather one dimensional. Very little of the politics is explained. Don't waste your money. I will be taking my copy to a used book store just to free up some space on my bookshelves.
   
   To the editors: in the day of spell check, how can a book go to print with typos? For $30 an hour, I'll read the proof and correct the mistakes. That is right...you should be paying me to find the mistakes NOT making me pay for the book then finding the errors. There is no excuse for these types of mistakes.

No comments about Customs & Etiquette of Nepal (Simple Guides Customs and Etiquette).

3 comments about Travelers' Tales India: True Stories (Travelers' Tales Guides).

1. I read this book after reading the DK guide to India and Leila Hadley?s A Journey with Elsa Cloud (the latter is about a tour of parts of India in the 70s). This excellent collection of true stories really made all the places come alive and gave me a much richer and fuller sense of India than I could get from just Hadley?s book. The poverty, sexism, and daily encounters with excrement that are a part of life in India are compellingly conveyed at the same time as we come to feel the vast heavy weight of so many centuries of history, so much spiritual questing, so much diminished glory. Since I finished the book, I have found myself repeating stories to friends from the excerpts from Rory Nugent?s The Search for the Pink-Headed Duck and from Mark Shand?s Travels on My Elephant, which were particularly vivid and fascinating to me. There are a suprising number of tales featuring cyclists--evidently India is a popular place to tour by bike.



2. I'm giving this book five stars not because the individual travel stories comprising this are five star stories (though many of them are), but because the breadth of subject matter and perspectives this book offers are remarkable. From the frosty passes of the Himalayas to the bustling streets of Calcutta, from the Ganges to shores of Goa, from the rarely-visited tribal interior to the even more desolate Rann of Kutch, this book portrays a country with a topography perhaps as diverse as Europe's. From the barriers of caste to the oppression of women, this book portrays a social evolution still in progress but with roots in ancient times.
   
   Highlights for me included Rory Nugent's eccentric search for the supposedly extinct pink-headed duck, and David Yeadon's brilliant portrayal of character interactions (including an Indian interrupting his narrative digression in real time "Sir, are you hearing me, sir?"). For every traveler that timidly scratched the surface of India without real discovery (such as a particularly uptight and sheltered Oxford Fellow's first trip) there was one so recklessly bold that you're glad you could relive the experience from the safety of your own home (including one author's visit to a tribal island where past visitors had been killed). Somewhere in the middle there's bound to be powerful inspiration for a trip of one's own.
   
   Reading this book was not only satisfying, but served as a launching point for future reading of the complete works from which these tales were excerpted (David Yeadon's Back of the Beyond and Jonah Blank's Arrow of the Blue Skinned God seemed particularly interesting to me).



3. I agree with the above reviews. There is such a variety of subject matter and types of writing collected in this book and I found myself saving so many pages with great information about places in India that I had not yet heard about but wanted to make sure I visited now when I plan my own trip!

5 comments about K2, The Savage Mountain.

1. A riveting read, this book chronicles the 1953 Third American Karakoram Expedition. The authors, members and integral part of that illustrious team of eight expeditioners, regale the reader with their account of the tragic circumstances with which they were faced while attempting to summit K2, a five mile high mountain, second only to Everest in height but infinitely more perilous to ascend.

   The book recounts the myriad of detail which went into the formulation of that expedition, from the selection of its respective team members to the type and quantity of supplies necessary for such an ambitious endeavor. The book, in fact, includes a series of appendixes which lists in minute detail a day to day travel chronology of the expedition, a list of all equipment necessary, the breakdown of the various foods taken, the medical supplies needed for the venture, and a list of financial costs and transport requirements. In short, it provides everything one may have ever wanted to know about what goes into mounting an expedition. Nostalgia buffs, as well as climbing enthusiasts, will revel in the plethora of information!

   The book also grounds the reader in the historical, as well as geographical, pedigree of K2 and the challenges which it has presented over time. It recounts the previous reconnaissances and expeditions which had traveled to the environs of K2. Interestingly enough, on this expedition, unlike prior ones, Hunza mountain porters from a small border state in northern Pakistan, rather than Sherpas, were employed, due to the prevailing political winds of the time.

   The journey of the expedition over the remote and primitive reaches of the then infant country of Pakistan is a death defying venture in and of itself. Imagine the expedition with its hundred and twenty five native Balti porters, each carrying sixty pound loads, crossing raging rivers in ancient barges said to be similar to those used by Alexander the Great in leading his armies across the same river! At other times, they crossed turbulent river waters, using rafts made up of inflated animal bladders which were lashed together. They traversed across wide gorges over bridges made of woven willows and twigs. These so called bridges had an alarming tendency to turn upside down, promising to send the hapless traveler to a certain death below! Fortunately, the expedition was able to avert death at this stage of its journey.

   Upon reaching Base Camp, an assault upon K2 was quickly launched. With the assistance of the Hunzas and a stretch of good weather, Camps I through III were established with a minimum of fuss. The Hunzas, however, did not progress beyond Camp III, as the expedition members felt it wiser to ascend without them, given the Hunzas' limited high altitude experience and equipment. From then on, the expeditioners, eager for a summit bid, did all the loading and carrying work up the mountain, ultimately establishing Camp VIII at an elevation of about 25,500 feet. It was there that the beginning of the end took place.

   While at Camp VIII, all eight members of the expedition found themselves storm bound for seven days. Despite being buffeted by hurricane force winds, driven snow, lack of sufficient food, drink, and sleep, all while trapped in the death zone without supplementary oxygen, they still clung to their summit dream.

   That dream ended abruptly when one of them became desperately ill with thrombophlebitis, and needed to be evacuated. Their nightmare had begun. Though it was seemingly impossible to lower the ill climber down the face of K2, this group of brave men would not abandon their fallen comrade. A break in the storm, a desperate plan to save their friend, and they started off with him in tow only to have their escape aborted by the potential for avalanche. They retreated back to Camp VIII and by the next day were ready to execute an alternate plan of evacuation.

   Once again, they began the grim descent with their now catastrophically ill and courageous comrade in tow, this time during a storm with driven snow and gale force winds. Braced upon snow swept ridges, they began the arduous task of carefully lowering their friend down the relentlessly steep slope of K2. There, two of them survived a skirmish with an avalanche. Despite the peril, they continued down the mountain with great fortitude. Suddenly, one of them lost his footing, however, and five of them went tumbling down the mountain side, only to have their fall abruptly checked by an amazing belay executed by the youngest member of the expedition. Despite illness, injuries and frost bite, the eight man team was still intact.

   Unfortunately, it was not to remain thus. Shortly after, a heartbreaking and tragic accident occurred, resulting in a death which will move the reader to tears. The book culminates in a remarkable and harrowing descent by the remaining survivors, many of whom were incapacitated by the injuries and frostbite incurred along the way. Their survival is a testament to the indomitable human spirit and its enormous will to live.

   The story of the 1953 Third American Karakoram Expedition is one of the most amazing and spellbinding in the annals of mountaineering history. Gripping in its telling, it is a must read for all climbing enthusiasts and for all who simply love a great read.




2. Houston, Bates and Bell's account of their "53 attempt to reach K2 is absolutely through in its coverage. If this wasn't enough, they manage to allow us to share this epic struggle not only through their clear descriptions of the events but also by giving us their honest emotions. It was truly a well-chosen team who deeply cared for each other. How noble of them to attempt to save their dying fellow climber Gilkey when most would have thought it folly and how miraculous the survival of their big fall. I have a feeling that a weaker team would not have gotten back off the mountain. Excellent book.



3. At 28,250 feet, K-2 is the world's second highest mountain, 800 feet less than Everest. Mentally add 6,000 feet to K-2 for sheer meanness. Everest is considered a "snow" mountain; K-2 has everything. Snow, ice, rock, constant avalanches, loose shale and a generally evil disposition.

   In 1953, an eight-man American team attempted to summit K-2. The book tells us of their meticulous preparations, financing and outfitting. I was struck by the fact the cost estimate for the entire 8-man expedition was $25,000. I recently read the cost for one ~person~ to join an Everest expedition is $80,000!

   The two authors come across as fine, honorable, decent men. The entire team's bravery in adversity is inspiring. After a spell of fine weather during the first part of their ascent, all their luck went against them. One team member became seriously ill and a bitter storm locked them in their "camp" for seven days. The camp was a mere outcropping on a rocky ledge. The wind almost blew them off their fragile platform. They were determined to carry out their dangerously ill member. The task was almost impossible to contemplate, let alone carry out. They were not successful only because the storm was so unrelenting.

   I will not spoil the book for you by describing their descent. The authors will astound you with their story. Highly recommended




4. A 1953 climb still translates in 2002. This is a detailed account cowritten by two of the climbers and is very detailed including the long walk in. I was surprised how little mountain climbing had changed although it did appear distances traveled daily were less as they required 8 campsites to get to the peak. I find books on mountaineering expeditions very interesting although the climbs themselves contain long periods of boredom. This expedition is no different as a brutal storm stops the climbers just short of the summit. The book does a great job detailing how high altitude can effect a climber's body. One of the writers was a doctor.

   Needless to say, the long, unforgiving storm takes it's toll on the men placing them in ultimate peril. Getting down from the high altitude, steep face carrying a wounded member led to the most incredible living disaster I have ever read. Well, living for most of the climbers

   Read this book for adventure and historical climbing perspective.




5. Although I have nothing but the utmost respect for these reknowned climbers and their worthy attempt to summit K2, I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as some of the other climbing epics out there today.

   It is interesting to see the difference in climbing narratives written back in the 50's as compared to those written in the last thirty years or so. It seems like there was a different attitude toward climbing in the 50's and before, one that was more supportive of teamwork and cooperation, whereas many of today's narrations are more reflective of each person being responsible for taking care of him or herself only (such as the '96 Everest disaster). As in the case of Art Gilkey's emergency situation, the entire team without question (at least in this rendition of the story) made the effort to get him off of the mountain.

   I was somewhat bored by this narrative though (except for storm and the famous Pete Schoening team-arrest) and it's one-dimensional portrayal of the team members. It made me wonder if Houston and Bates were telling it like it really was. They were always very complimentary toward everyone on the team. But in extreme, stressful conditions (both mentally and physically) like these, don't people sometimes become short-tempered, or even withdrawn? But perhaps the authors' objective was not to give insight into individual team members and how they interacted with one another, but rather to just tell of their adventure and how, through remarkable teamwork, they were able to survive K2 against the odds, and live to tell about it.

   I also would have liked to see more detailed maps of their route throughout the book, so it would be easier to follow them on their ascent and descent.

   I won't deny that this book deserves a place with the other classic mountaineering epics, due to the extraordinary events that this team lived through. However, I prefer narratives that really tell it like it is, "warts and all." I want to get a true sense of the struggles (to feel like I am really there in the bitter cold), and come to understand each person who makes up the entire team.