The Altitude Journals: A Seven-Year Journey from the Lowest Point in My Life to the Highest Point on Earth by David J Mauro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the easy-reading element of this book. Mauro uses language that is easy to digest, and with the entire novel being under 500 pages, it is a great size for a holiday read.
While Mauro comments that he does not climb for the love of mountains, as some of his climbing companions do, he clearly does have an emotional connection to the places he visits; shedding tears at numerous summits, and scattering the ashes of his brother atop six of the Seven Summits.
The novel is very present-tense; Now we are here, now were are doing this, etc. While it at times made the story appear overly simplified compared the magnitude of the accomplishment, it also encourages readers to follow the journey along with him; to live the story as he does – in real time.
I would recommend this book to other readers who are interested in climbing in a simplistic way – David’s accomplishments are amazing by all accounts, and the novel presents itself as a nice book to read, though perhaps not a technical manual or overly-specific memoir.
