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Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See:...
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Music Books > Blind Guardian > Item 3
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Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See:...
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by Erik Weihenmayer
Sales Rank: 42251
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List Price: $16.00
$10.88
At Amazon
on 12-29-2007.
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Features
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Plume March 26, 2002
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0452282942
ISBN-13: 978-0452282940
Product Dimensions:
8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
In this moving and adventure-packed memoir, Weihenmayer begins with his gradual loss of sight as a very young child. By the time he became fully blind in high school, he had already developed the traits that would carry him to the summits of some of the world's highest mountains as well as onto the frequently hazardous slopes of daily life: charm, resilience, a sense of humor, a love of danger and a concern for others. His eloquent memoir exhibits all these traits. Weihenmayer--a thrill seeker who skydives, climbs mountains and skis--devotes the first half of the book to his adolescence, punctuated by his loss of sight, his mother's sudden death and his diligent efforts not only to pick up girls, but first to figure out which ones were attractive. With its many tales of pranks, adventures and the talents of his guide dog, this half alone is worth the price of admission. He goes on to chronicle his young adulthood, including his teaching career and his passion for climbing, seeded during a month-long skills camp for blind adolescents and blossoming on his harrowing ascent of Mount McKinley. He describes fearsome ascents of Kilimanjaro--with his fianc‚e, so they can be married near the crater summit--El Capitan and Aconcagua's Polish Glacier. Weihenmayer tells his extraordinary story with humor, honesty and vivid detail, and his fortitude and enthusiasm are deeply inspiring. With the insightful intimacy of Tom Sullivan's classic If You Could See What I Hear and the intensity of the best adventure narratives, Weihenmayer's story will appeal to a broad audience.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
An athletic youth went blind in his teens, courageously adjusted to obstacles, and took up mountain climbing. About half of Touch the Top of the World is autobiographical, and the rest recounts the agony and hardships of climbing. Weihenmayer reached the top of the highest peaks around the world, becoming the first blind man to summit Mt. McKinley. His nurturing mother calmed his early rebelliousness, but she died when he was still young and learning to cope with sightlessness. He learned to depend on other senses for his teaching career and later for those treacherous rocks, snow, and ice. He tells us frank stories about blind schools, his guide dogs, marriage on a mountain, and gross language of fellow mountain climbers, who dubbed him "Super Blind." Reader Nick Sullivan carries the narrative smoothly and distinguishes the quotations from some quirky characters. Recommended for listeners interested in climbing, blindness, and travel. Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
This review is from: Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See (Hardcover)
The author, who is totally blind, gives the reader his life story. Told with humor, he regales the reader with insights into his early life, when he could still see, and describes how his gradual loss of sight impacted on how the world perceived him. Fighting all his life against stereotypic notions that the sighted population has about those who are blind, the author has proven that those who are blind can do just about anything a sighted person can do. They just go about doing it in a slightly different way. It is truly amazing that the author climbs mountains, because in order for him to do so, he must climb with others in whom he can place his complete and absolute trust. To some extent, he must rely upon them for precise descriptions of the terrain which lies before him. He also sometimes requires them to direct him accurately. Often, accurate directions and descriptions of the terrain are all that lies between the author and a precipitous drop of several thousand feet. I marvel that anyone would dare to venture up a mountain they cannot see in the traditional sense. The author has nerves of steel and is blessed with a very supportive and loving family. Yet, he climbs, not for the visual beauty of the mountains, but for the sense of freedom that it gives. For him, the mountains he climbs are a reassurance that he is just like everyone else. They are also trophies. He is working on climbing the seven summits, the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents. At present, he has reached the summit of four of them. I hope that he will reach his goal. The author is a very handsome, athletic and driven young man, and I give him a lot of credit for that drive and athleticism. When one reads his book, the reader realizes just how much it took for him to be able to do what he has done. What he has accomplished has flown into the face of conventional wisdom and traditional expectations of one who is blind. His story is unique in that he alone has made it so. He is a shining example of a person who will not let others dictate the parameters of his life. Yet, at the same time, he occasionally comes across as somewhat unfeeling of others and a bit shallow. Those who read the book will, undoubtedly, know what I mean. Nonetheless, he is certainly to be credited for expanding common perceptions of what the blind are capable of achieving. Good luck, Erik, on all your future endeavors!
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Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See:...
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