EIGER DREAMS by Jon Krakauer

If you love being in the mountains or just like to be outdoors, I have found the perfect book for you.  Eiger Dreams by Jon Krakauer is a must read novel for anybody who is interested in mountaineering or climbing.  This book will grip your mind and take you for a ride in the high altitude of the Alps, Himalayas, and beyond. 

This book is basically a collection of articles that Krakauer wrote for the Smithsonian and Outside magazines.  All of these articles are about extraordinary mountains and the crazy men who climb them.  For example, one chapter is about one of the worst summers in the history of climbing one of the deadliest mountains in the world.  One climber who tried to make a summit attempt, went delirious just above the summit and was left for dead by other climbers.  The next day he was seen crawling down the mountain with severe frost bite and altitude sickness.  This example is just one of many found in this book that describe outragious climbers that have an extremely strong will to survive.

One of my favorite parts of this novel is Krakauer’s ability to write about these people and describe their accomplishments.  The way he writes of the things they do allows you to get “lost” in reading and become engrossed in the story being told.  Not only the way Krakauer writes about these people, but the people themselves he chose to write about are interesting.  There are hardly any words that describe the adrenaline junkies that are subjected in this book.  Their inhuman feats will blow your mind.  Krakauer definitely picked an all star line up to write about when it comes to climbing.

The way this book is organized also makes it really outstanding.  Like I said before, it’s a collection of articles Krakauer wrote for a few different magazines.  I am a big fan of this style of book because they are easy to read.  You don’t get bored with a dull plot or the same old characters because it’s a different story every chapter.

Probably my most favorite part of this book is the descriptions Krakauer gives about the experiences of the climbers in the book.  One of my favorite examples of this is a passage from the book about Krakauer himself summiting a mountain in Alaska called the Devils thumb.

“It wasn’t possible, I couldn’t believe it. I felt my cracked lips stretch into a huge, painful grin.  I was on top of the devils Thumb…The summit was a surreal, malevolent place, an improbable slender fan of rock and rime no wider than a filing cabinet.  It did not encourage loitering.  As I straddled the highest point, the north face fell away beneath my left boot for six thousand feet; beneath my right boot the south face dropped of twenty-five hundred.”

I think this passage can sum up Krakauer’s knack for making a description chilling and gripping. His use of adjectives and figurative language make you feel as though you are the one climbing a mountain.
            This book is probably one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. If I were going to rate this book I would give it a nine out of 10. It is definitely worth your reading time ,and I suggest this book to anybody who is interested in mountains and climbing.

Reviewed by Ryan Bowman

8th Grade

THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy

         Are you looking for an outstanding book?  I just read The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and “outstanding” would definitely describe this book.  If you like survival books and stories about getting through hard times, I strongly suggest you try this novel.

          This book is the story of a young boy and his dad having to journey across a post-apocalyptic country.  They are in search of a warmer place because they will not be able to survive winter with what little possessions they have.  The only transportation they have is their feet, the only food they have is some canned goods they push in a cart, and the only protection they have against danger is a gun with only one bullet.  They face danger on the road they travel almost every day.  In spite of these hopeless conditions, the man and his son persevere for the sake of each other’s survival.  This summary can’t even describe the emotions and the intense battle for survival told in this story, so you will have to read the book to get the full story.

            In my opinion, one of the most outstanding qualities of this book is the narrative voice.  The narrator frequently uses simile to explain things that happen in the book.  An example of this is:

“And the dreams so rich in color.  How else would death call you?  Waking in the cold dawn it all turned to as instantly.  Like certain ancient frescoes entombed for centuries now exposed

 to the day.”

This passage is referring to a dream one of the characters had and compares it to a fading ancient painting.  This is just one of the many great examples of figurative language the narrator uses in The Road.

            This book also has great descriptions of the setting.  The way the author uses imagery is almost breath-taking.  This paragraph is just one of many interesting examples in the book that demonstrates the way the author describes the setting:

“The blackness he woke to on those nights was sightless and impenetrable.  A blackness to hurt your ears with listening.  Often he had to get up.  He rose and stood tottering in the cold autistic dark…He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them on his return.”

As you read The Road you will encounter many more descriptive paragraphs similar to this.

            Reading this book really made me think. It is a very emotional story and you would have to be heartless for this book not to touch your feelings in some way.  The emotions, the intense battle for survival, and the loving bond between a father and his son make this book phenomenal.  If I were going to rate this book on a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 10 for sure.  I couldn’t find one thing I didn’t like about this book while I was reading it.  If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind book, you need to check out The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Reviewed by Ryan Bowman

8th Grade

**NFMH** On the Road is now a movie. Keep in mind the rating, and always have parent permission if you are under age before renting such a film :)

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

I just read a great book called Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.  It is a nonfiction survival book and probably one of the best in this genre.  This book is filled with life-or-death situations, survival stories, and controversy.  After you read this book you will be hooked on the survival genre.

            This book is set in 1992 when a young man named Chris McCandless decided he would give up on “regular” life and drift around the Western United Sates.  After he finished college, he donated his $25,000 in savings to charity, got rid of most of his possessions, and started his epic journey.  He traveled with literally nothing for a couple of years before heading to the Alaskan Bush.  He lived off the land in Alaska for a few months before he was found dead by some hunters.  This short summary is just the tip of the iceberg. This book explains what happens on McCandless’s journeys in vivid details that make this book a rapid page turner.

            The way Krakauer uses character development in this book is almost unbelievable.  Krakauer does an excellent job of describing McCandless’s life through interviews with his family and friends.  After reading this book I felt as though I knew Chris McCandless.  I think this passage from the book shows excellent character development:

“Chris was fearless even when he was little. He didn’t think the odds applied to him.  We were always trying to pull him back from the edge.”

            This is a quote that Krakauer used in the book from an interview with McCandless’s dad.  I think it shows good character development because it describes McCandless’s driven and fearless mindset.

            The structure of this book is also very interesting.  It is written almost like a report or magazine article.  It includes many of McCandless’s journal entries and a good amount of interviews with the people that knew him.  This structure helps you understand the story better and also helps you know what opinions other people have about Chris Mccandless.  In some cases this structure might make a book boring but in this case it makes it more interesting.

            I definitely rate this book a 10 out of 10.  It is probably the most interesting book I have ever read.  It is well written and will keep you turning the pages.  Into the Wild is an emotional story that will make you think about subjects you haven’t ever thought about before.  Even if you aren’t a serious outdoorsman or you usually don’t read books about survival, I suggest you give this book a try.  Into the Wild is definitely worth your reading time!

Reviewed by Ryan Bowman

8th Grade