Eduardo Santiago
There's Type One Fun and Type Two Fun; this book goes into what must be Type Eight or Nine: absolutely nothing fun about it, not even in retrospect, nor reading about it several stages and decades removed. So, don't read this for the fun aspects, unless you're one of those who enjoy HACE and frostbite and pushing beyond human endurance in alpine storms. Read it for the grit; for the determination and strength these women showed in the face of constant obstacles. By which I mean, misogyny and intentional roadblocks by males everywhere. (The mountain, in some respects, seemed gentler).
Read it for insights into leadership under pressure--and the opposite, how extreme altitude and adverse conditions can transform a poorly-performing team into near disaster. Male teams could pick and choose their members from a large pool, replace when personalities clashed. In 1970 there weren't many elite women climbers; this team didn't have the luxury of kicking out assholes. And although most of the team were good people, some were not (or, to be fair, they were not at that time) and they repeatedly imperiled the lives of the others. I was riveted by the team's decision-making processes, their mistakes and the consequences thereof, their subsequent decisions. I'm someone who is mindful of team dynamics; this book really drove home some important points that, I hope, will make me a better person.
Read it for inspiration. These women were remarkable. It's thanks to them that we now live in a world where woman have equal access and opportunity in all fields. [Ed note: this review made it back via a wormhole, from a future time in which this is true thanks to YOUR efforts. Keep strong!]
Like so many books these days, editing was lax. Repetition and padding galore: did we really need to be reminded yet again what crampons are, thirty pages before the end of the book, or (over and over) that air is thinner at higher elevations? "Arlene, Dana, Margaret, Faye, M.Y., and Grace finished packing": what ambiguity could there be in shortening to "They"? These seem like nits, but they accumulated.
There's Type One Fun and Type Two Fun; this book goes into what must be Type Eight or Nine: absolutely nothing fun about it, not even in retrospect, nor reading about it several stages and decades removed. So, don't read this for the fun aspects, unless you're one of those who enjoy HACE and frostbite and pushing beyond human endurance in alpine storms. Read it for the grit; for the determination and strength these women showed in the face of constant obstacles. By which I mean, misogyny and intentional roadblocks by males everywhere. (The mountain, in some respects, seemed gentler).
Read it for insights into leadership under pressure--and the opposite, how extreme altitude and adverse conditions can transform a poorly-performing team into near disaster. Male teams could pick and choose their members from a large pool, replace when personalities clashed. In 1970 there weren't many elite women climbers; this team didn't have the luxury of kicking out assholes. And although most of the team were good people, some were not (or, to be fair, they were not at that time) and they repeatedly imperiled the lives of the others. I was riveted by the team's decision-making processes, their mistakes and the consequences thereof, their subsequent decisions. I'm someone who is mindful of team dynamics; this book really drove home some important points that, I hope, will make me a better person.
Read it for inspiration. These women were remarkable. It's thanks to them that we now live in a world where woman have equal access and opportunity in all fields. [Ed note: this review made it back via a wormhole, from a future time in which this is true thanks to YOUR efforts. Keep strong!]
Like so many books these days, editing was lax. Repetition and padding galore: did we really need to be reminded yet again what crampons are, thirty pages before the end of the book, or (over and over) that air is thinner at higher elevations? "Arlene, Dana, Margaret, Faye, M.Y., and Grace finished packing": what ambiguity could there be in shortening to "They"? These seem like nits, but they accumulated.