Jon Krakauer published a book in 1997 called Into Thin Air. It was his personal account of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster that killed 8 people and left several more stranded in a life-threatening storm. The novel described the guide-agencies on Mount Everest and how they were paid big bucks to help climbers reach the summit. My husband (just a boyfriend at the time) LOVED Into Thin Air, citing the heroic circumstances and how they risked their lives for each other. I read the book because I liked him and wanted share his enthusiasm but I found more hubris in it than heroism. I thumbed through passages about people struggling to survive and wondered “Why were they up there in the first place?” Continue reading →