Touching The Void [Paperback]

Joe Simpson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Perennial / Harper-collins; Later Printing edition (2004)
• ASIN: B001HUZYKI
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #610,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most incredible survival story I've ever read, May 1, 2009

By 

John D. Mattson "adventure writer" (Nederland, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Touching The Void (Paperback)

A bad fall destroys Joe Simpson's knee near the top of a very difficult mountain in the Huayhuash range of central Peru. The story that follows describes an incredible will to survive against ever increasing odds. The total intensity of the situation is reflected by a writing style that I found compelling. The book made me feel like I was sharing his ordeal, and I stayed up most of a night to finish it.Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wow, Can He Really Live?, February 23, 2009

By 

Matthew Morine (Castle Rock, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Touching The Void (Paperback)

Recently, I have been into reading books about extreme mountain climbing. This book was excellent as it recounted a unbelievable story of survival. The book talks about two climbers in the mountains but one ends up breaking a leg. The two work together to get down the hill as quickly as possible, but in the end the healthier partner must cut the rope to save himself. The other partner falls but does not die. He begins to travel back to base camp with a broken leg. He somehow crawls to his camp and is still alive in the end. This does not happen on huge mountains. The book is written from both mindsets or partners in this adventure. One is eaten up with guilt and the other is doing everything possible to live. These books are interesting to me because of my desire to climb Pike's Peak in Colorado. They are inspirational as well as interesting.

5.0 out of 5 stars The reaches of what is humanly possible, December 30, 2009

By 

Masa K. Maeda "Lean-Agile consultant" (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Touching The Void (Paperback)

I read this book shortly after it was published because as a climber myself I knew about this event before Joe Simpson even started writing it. Hope this review will be useful to those who haven't read it yet although it was published many years ago.

The story is very compelling because it shows:

- A moral controversy that created lots of discussions within the climbing community, either in favor or against Simon cutting the rope (with Joe himself being in favor. And I as a climber am also convinced that Simon made the right decision).

- The successful climb in itself and the struggle to get out of the mountain was already worth writing about it.

- Joe's decision making and determination are nothing short of admirable, and a great lesson for all to learn in life.

- Joe's journey psycological and physical went beyond what most of us would've considered humanly possible.

This book is a must to all kinds of people.