Customer Reviews

In the Shadow of Denali: Life and Death on Alaska's Mt. McKinley

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read countless books of this genre, and this is one of the best of it's kind. This is an incredible book, hands down. What makes this particular book stand apart? The stories the writer tells, after all, come with the territory - hubris plagued wannabees getting stuck on the mountain and being rescued (or not); ego-driven exploites and feuds amoung climbers; the requisite bodily suffering; the more infrequent triumphs on pinnacles that are mythical to most of us. Crack open any mountaineering book and you get all of that. What you don't get in some of those other books, however, this one provides in magnificent detail - the real, human, gut reaction to being right in the middle of it all. This author does not write obliquely. There is nothing recondite about any point he tries to make. It's the stories in this book that draw you in, but it's the candour and the honesty of the writing that keep you there. Take, for example, the author's depiction of a friend's inability to reconsile himself with the modern world and his sad, subsequent demise. The author invites you to become friends with the guy yourself by revealing his small acts of kindness and his prevailing innoscense. You empathise with the guy, you like the guy, and only then do you read about his self-inflicted free-fall. Or the author's illuminating, compassionate portrayal of the "other" John Waterman. The author introduces you to this long deceased climber and his father both. He takes you into the complex intensity of their relationship and parallels it with John's equaly intense relationship with the mountains. And then he jars you with an emotional account of a false reunion between father and son. It's haunting. The best case in point, however, is the comparison the author draws between a climbing friend's nobel death inside a frigid crevasse (a death so insidious, as far as I'm concerned, that if there was ever a movie made about it I wouldn't go near the theater), versus the helicopter rescue of some gossipy dilitantes who demanded that the pilot stop for fast food on their way to being safely delivered from their own stupidity. The author doesn't just tell the tale of another senseless rescue or another tragic accident. He forces the reader to really think about it, by conjuring two situations of opposite extremes and rendering an obvious conclusion in the comparison. His unique, bipartisan involvement in both these situations made it possible to give first-hand accounts of each. Yet he's certainly far from bipartisan with his sympathies and he's not afraid to share these opinions with the reader. Any hack writer can reproduce information on paper. Waterman infuses his work with feeling. One last word - look at "A Requeim For the Bears" as a call to arms rather than just tossing the book aside when you're done. It's the real deal, and we all need to do something about it. And that's MY opinion.

"In the Shadow of Denali" is a collection of articles about mountaineering, Alaskan life, and the wilderness. It is the best collection of stories I have read since Krakauer's Eiger Dreams. Although technically about mountain climbing, the heart of this book is the effect the mountain has on the people who visit it, climb it, and live and work in its shadows. This book is not only for climbers (and armchair climbers) but for anyone who loves the wilderness. I hope Waterman writes another book very soon! I highly recommend you read this one.

A real look into the world of mountaineering that hasn't been glamorized or overly dramatized (in the case of other authors). The primary focus is Denali, but the book often shifts attention away from it, giving the reader a good look into the mountaineering career of Jon Waterman and a bit of insight upon many others. For the experienced mountaineer, they can most likely relate to many of Jon's experiences. To the less experienced, it will give a sobering wakeup call to the realities of mountaineering. I must disagree with the reader from NY listed below as stating that "The author falls into the trap of thinking that climbing is going to give him and some other fellow climbers an insight into life beyond that of the ordinary man." For anyone who has survived a truly epic climb, one does gain a bit of insight into life that they failed to notice beforehand, and that many others do not completely understand...do this regularly enough, and it can in fact change a person. The book was NOT self-indulgent in the least...merely giving a first hand account of his experiences, both good and bad. If you are planning a trip to Denali, this should be required reading....

This wonderful collection of essays explores the territory right at the perimeter of death's door. Whether by freezing, freefall, animal mauling, or altitude sickness, Waterman's heros are faced with the terror of death's domain in circumstances too extreme to admit to external melioration. These individuals are on their own as they project themselves directly into harm's way and we bear witness through the evocative writing to Waterman's total preoccupation with life lived at the edge of anihilation.

The narrative as story telling is mostly compelling but the point of the book is not to convey an action line but rather to ponder the limits at which the human organism functions in uninhabitable conditions.

At first, when Watermen is very young and sassy, he gets away with flaunting the possibility of death as he undertakes feats that beg for physical retribution . But when he matures and sets his sights on Alaska's rugged mountain terrain, he allows the forces of nature to rub reality into his every pore until he realises he has tempted fate beyond his own capacity to process the consequences.

Waterman is a phenomenolgist of death. He is also a keen observer and a talented reporter with the integrity, passion and grit to inform those interested in that domain with great cogency and wit. I found myself grateful for the opportunity to immerse myself in this world of extreme psychological states and to share via Waterman's writing in the elation, or more acurately perhaps, the ecstasy of survival in the very heart of the abyss.

Heck of a book. Kudos to Jon Waterman on putting together a terrific collection of stories related to Denali. For those not well versed in mountaineering I think you can still enjoy this book a great deal. It will give you an honest look into the experience.

In addition, Waterman doesn't try to glamorize it. Sure he'll give you a good look at the many men full of character who have risked life and limb for a chance the climb the high one (as they call Denali). Also some of the stories take place when Jon was younger and you can see how he has matured. He doesn't make any attempt to hide the brashness of his youth. Finally, the climbers themselves really make the book. Read about the 'Pirate', the other Waterman (an especially intriguing story), Wilcox, the inimitable Mugs Stump, and others. A fine book that will having you turning pages and keep your attention.

What is it about climbing that seems to attract, or create, good writers? Whatever it is, Jonathan Waterman is certainly an example. This collection of essays about Denali is beautifully written, sometimes poignant, and sometimes provoking outrage. It will please not only climbers but anyone interested in Alaska and the wilderness.

I've always been fascinated by Denali (Mount McKinley)and its lands, but most literature about the mountain is similar to most other mountain writing: dry hubristic stories that don't give the deep-down-dirty. Much to my surprise, Waterman includes those hidden details of mountain climbing and Northern life in this incredible book. This is a timeless addition to the mountain writing genre, and what I believe is Waterman's best book. If you don't have it on your shelf, get it, read it, and read it again -- then share it with a friend.

In the Shadow of Denali is a sort of compendium of life experiences on or around Denali; those of the author and people he knew or knew of. This is a book with a very strong impact.

It took this reader a couple of chapters to fall into the rhythm of the author's style of writing. It is completely narrative including, however, occasional quotes from the characters he writes of. The author does a fine job of defining the history of the mountain, and speaks in nearly every chapter his even-mannered, rich, decriptive, and entertaining prose.

Waterman delivers a testimony that is at times lonely and devastating, and at others fulfilling and even comical.

Read this book! If you have ever wondered about what drives wilderness adventurers, you should come away with a few answers. Waterman has delivered the truth from Denali.

Wonderful and compelling stories and experiences, written with an eloquence not often matched in mountaineering books, guide readers to a better understanding of why we climb mountains and why mountains and the wilderness is vital to our understanding of why we live.

Pleasure to read!

This is a fair, true account of one man's obsession with the highest mountain in North America. Waterman's prose is literate, his tales are captivating, and he gives both sides of the story. Mountaineering ain't always pretty, but it's seldom dull. Give it a read before you charter your air taxi for a trip to the Kahiltna.