Terrible title, but a good adventure story mixed with meditations
on the meaning of life and death and dying. Wickwire is one of the
world's most accomplished mountain climbers. For over 30 years he
has challenged the great summits: Everest, K2 in the Himalayas, Mt.
McKinley, and so many others. Some of these mountains he has
conquered, some have conquered him, but he has never lost his
desire to climb. The descriptions of his adventures are gripping
tales. Yet "off the mountains," the writing is unengaging, despite
the stylistic contributions of co-author Bullitt (Filling the Void:
Six Steps from Loss to Fulfillment, not reviewed). Wickwire's
family, for instance, is present throughout the book, and he's
clearly devoted to them, yet the reader does not get more than a
one-dimensional understanding of them. On the other hand, the
people with whom he climbs are finely sketched; they are real and
complex. Perhaps this is because when he's not climbing, life is,
both literally and figuratively, flat; perhaps only when he is in
danger does he truly become alive and observant. Wickwire, however,
spends little time being introspective here, until (and very
effectively) near the end of the book. Both author and reader
suddenly realize this book has been about death, the deaths of so
many friends on the slopes: fellow climbers, a young woman he
dearly loved. The brutal murder off the slopes of his law partner
causes him to question hoary cliches about adventure: Is dying
while doing what one loves any less terrible, any less terrifying,
than dying another way? Why purposely put oneself in harm's way?
Seemingly disillusioned, this aging athlete responds to his crisis
of faith in perhaps the only way he knows how: He climbs a
mountain. In the end, the reader knows little about why people like
Wickwire are addicted to danger. It may be an unanswerable
question. (Kirkus Reviews)
Adventurist Jim Wickwire, an eyewitness to glory and terror above 20,000 feet, has braved bitter cold, blinding storms, and avalanches to become what the Los Angeles Times calls "one of America's most extraordinary and accomplished high-altitude mountaineers." Although his incredible exploits have inspired a feature on 60 Minutes and a full-length film, he hasn't told his remarkable story in his own words -- until now.
Among the world's most fearless climbers, Jim Wickwire has traveled the globe in search of fresh challenges. He was one of the first two Americans to reach the summit of K2, the world's second highest peak, the toughest and most dangerous to climb. But with the triumphs came tragedies that haunt him still. During several difficult climbs, he was forced to look on helplessly as four of his climbing companions lost their lives. A successful Seattle attorney, Wickwire climbed his first mountain in 1960. Deeply compelled by the thrill of risk, he pushed himself to the limits of physical and mental endurance for thirty-five years, before facing a turning point that threatened his faith in himself and his hope in the future. How he reassessed his priorities and rededicated his life -- to his family and his community -- completes a unique and moving portrait of one man's courage and commitment. Addicted To Danger is a tale of adventure in its truest sense.
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