Customer Reviews

Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I have read several accounts about the 1996 disaster on Everest, and was eager to read Beck weather's version. I think the book can be divided into three parts: an account of his climb (Part I), the story of his recovery (Part II), and how the event has changed his life and given him new perspective (Part III). Part I was enthralling, although I was somewhat disappointed that it did not contain more detail as seen through his eyes. Part II was very slow and agonizing reading. I am glad that I stuck with it as I found Part III somewhat redeeming. The organization of the book is frustrating. Certainly, it was worthwhile to hear other perspectives from Beck's family and friends, but there could have been a better way to incorporate this information other than sticking quotes in places that often times seemed not to make sense. If you a a true Everest addict, this is a must read. But if you are looking for something as well written as Krakauer's INTO THIN AIR, then this is not the book for you.

Having read just about all the books that are out regarding the 1996 Everest expedition I didn't have much hope that Dr. Weathers would have anything much to add. But I was wrong, I was surprized by his openness and surprised too to hear the rest of his story. It's an amazing story in more ways than one. Dr. Weathers has a way of writing that is very personal, almost like you could hear him speaking. I enjoyed his droll sense of humor, dotted though out the book and learing how his mountaineering career got started, the training that he did. I liked the comments from his wife and kids I though they added another dimension to the story.

The first 120 pages of this book are mesmerizing. They deal with the climb from his prespective. His writing style and comments can be very humorous at times in dealing with this massive trauma he was facing. Clearly, he looked death in the eye and has come out a better man. I started this late at night and couldn't put it down until I finished this section.

The rest of the book deals with his family relationships (poor) and his early struggles with depression. There is no question this reads slower but I am still glad I read it. Clearly, his marriage was on the rocks from his noncaring attitude and he admits as much. Climbers may not like this part of the book but if you are involved in a intense personal relationship but have lived your life as an "A" type individual, read this to learn what might happen to you. At one point, he admits the accident was a positive experience for his interpersonal relationships even though he lost his hands. That's a powerful statement.

This book has something for everyone but maybe not enough for any particular type person. I applaud Beck Weathers and wish him, his wife and his kids well. I enjoyed the book but make sure you're ready for both sides of the story. Hard core climbers who are only in it for the thrill may be disappointed with Beck's life lessons.

This morning, I picked up a copy of "Left for Dead" at (a well-known book store), sat down in a stuffed chair, and read for over an hour. It was very difficult to stop. The heartfelt story of Beck's astonishing walk to Mount Everest's Camp Three; his rescue by an helicopter; his recovery; and his family. . . It was hard to keep from crying on occasion. A great story!

Unbelievable. That's all I can say. There isn't a soul on this planet that could even begin to comprehend what Beck Weathers went through high in "The Death Zone". This man literally defied death, having been left for dead 3 times and surviving by sheer force of will and his love for his family. This side of the 1996 tragedy hasn't been told until now. Several books have been written about that fateful climb, but Weathers' account delves much deeper than that deadly storm. He gives us all a look into what drives many of us to reach for such lofty and deadly goals.

To date, the books about the 1996 tragedy on Everest have told this story from the perspective of other climbers. At last, Beck Weathers tells us what happened to him as HE remembers it. If you've read other books on this subject and thought that anyone who does this sort of climbing must be a bit crazy, this book is for you. With the perspective of time, pain, and recovery, he analyzes his own reasons for climbing high and shares very personally what this addiction did to his personal life. I developed a keen interest in this story because our daughter has worked with Beck's brother at Medical City Dallas for many years. She filled us in on Beck's progress through recovery and reconstructive surgery. Also, we lost a friend on K2 about the same time. Wanting to understand what drives a person to expend the money and energy to make so dangerous a climb and to go where a human cannot exist, I began to read every book I could find about this subject. Now I've conquered Everest seven times-vicariously! However, Beck Weathers descriptions of the geographical features and meteorological quirks of the mountain refined my mental pictures. His experience is a miracle, and it will convince you that the human spirit can rise above most anything! Happy reading!

Dr. Weathers who is quoted in the title of this review is many things. His ability to joke about the damage he sustained is unusual. Perhaps surviving such an ordeal grants perspectives to those who live through them, whether the experience was begun by choice with terrible results, or an equally terrible random accident.

Ever since the events of 1996 I have become almost preoccupied by the stories of that expedition as well as others. I have read all the books, and probably have more volumes than a non-climber would be expected to have.

This book is unique, as the author does not point fingers or make judgments about what happened or the individuals that were involved. There is one exception but that is my opinion only. Dr. Weathers does a better job than others of paying tribute to those who survived and those who did not. He often would make a comment on how an individual should be remembered by using positive memories as opposed to apportioning blame as previous books have.

One "professional review" described this expedition as a "fiasco". Dr. Weathers would probably let this affront to those who survived, those who died, and the families left behind, as a comment made by a writer in need of a dictionary.

Anyone who has the courage to climb one of these mountains is many things, but they are not planners or participants in fiascoes, or as Oxford states "a ludicrous event". They are adults who make they own decisions and attempt what few ever have or will do. This does not make them better, but it certainly does not open them to ridicule that oozes from ignorant writers of insipid book jacket reviews.

This is a very very personal account of what Dr. Weathers and his Family and friends went through. This is not a moment-by-moment recounting of the Everest trip, rather a reflective look on his life that is painfully candid, together with equally personal comments from his family.

This is completely different from previous books; it extends way beyond the confines of one author's attempt at spin control, to include the extended group of people that wait thousands of miles away during these assault attempts. It includes the hellish weeks for families and friends, and the type of relationships that can survive this extreme sport.

These people choose to go where they climb, and they take the associated risks. Is every decision on every assault perfect, no more than any other day in any other life. The real climbers are of the same "right stuff" that can be found in other high-risk professions. The fact that for most climbing is not a career, does not mean their judgement is questionable.

As I have read all of these books, my fundamental respect for these people as a group has grown. Are they perfect, who is? Before anyone throws out a word like fiasco, let him or her attempt that which is almost impossible. Until they do maintain your ignorance in silence, it looks pathetic when published.

Great read, amazing men and women climbers, and the families and friends who support them.

Beck Weathers' account of the tragedy on Everest offers something that the others do not: a picture of the dedication and self(ish) sacrifice demanded by the "big" climbs. The value of this account is the hardship that Everest claims on the families of climbers before, during and after the expeditions. I would recommend this book to climbers and their families as a tale from a man who had it all, and didn't discover it until he was left for dead.

After reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, I wanted to read more about the disaster on Mt. Everest. I found this book, although not what I expected, to be a very telling book about Beck Weathers. He was a very selfish, self-absorbed man who had to go through near death to appreciate what was around him, a.k.a., a family who loved him, a good medical practice and friends who liked and cared for him.

Is it an exciting read from the perspective of an adventure enthusiast? Somewhat. Is it an exciting read from the perspective of a man reclaiming his life and learning to appreciate the simple things? Absolutely. I enjoyed it.

Beck Weathers story could be the most incredible individual survivor-story in the history of Mt. Everest and possibly in history. The first-person account of what he went through is worth the purchase price of the book. One definitely learns a few things about the various participants that tragic season that aren't in the other published accounts. Like most people have said in their review of the book, the last half was BORING. It's a fairly entertaining read right up to the point that he is in a Kathmandu hospital and then he manages to bore us to death with his family life. The thing about it is that this is such a recurring theme in mountaineering. A climber's first love is the mountains. Everything and everyone else take a back seat to the climb. Basically, this was Beck Weathers' problem and he was only able to see the value in his family when he thought he would die. I mean, you're somewhat happy for the guy that he has re-evaluated his life and discovered what's most important to him, but it's difficult not to think that if he hadn't have been such a selfish bastard to begin with, none of it would have ever happened. Like I said, the parts of the book that detail his experience on Everest were riveting, but the rest of the book could have been left out.