Annapurna: A Woman's Place

I appreciate her frank, no nonsense simple telling of this story. Was it somewhat sugarcoated? Probably.

I don't know how you can't feel the call of the mountains after reading this book. I wanted to jump on the next plane to India. An excellent documentary style book on women's relationships with each other and men, the image women hold of themselves and how others perceive us, and a moving story illustrating that women can do anything. Excellent.

This is one of the best climbing narratives I have read. Arlene Blum gives us a glimpse into each climber's strengths and idiosyncracies. We are treated to an intimate look at how each member contributes to the team as a whole. I enjoyed seeing how each member of the team overcame personal challenges with the mountain, whether it was to climb higher than she ever had before, or to make the summit. Sadly, two climbers met their challenges with the ultimate price -- their lives. I was impressed with Arlene's leadership ability and organization. By the end of the book, Arlene's growth as a leader was obvious -- she made some difficult decisions (both good and bad) and learned from each of them. Several times I was annoyed by the Sherpas' insubordination, but perhaps that was due to a clash of cultures, etc. It's wonderful to see how the times have changed in the climbing world today as compared to back then.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best books written about a specific mountain climbing expedition. This particular book is a lyrical and moving account of the the first women's expedition to climb Annapurna in the Himalayas. It provides great detail and insight into their two month odyssey in the mountain and chronicles the challenges that they faced in trying to reach the summit. The leader of the expedition authored the book and her characterizations of her fellow expeditioners are interesting and engaging. Her description of life on an expedition is filled with a myriad of detail that will enthrall all armchair climbers, as well as climbing enthusiasts. These details make for gripping reading, at times, and her descriptive narrative is always evocative of another time and place. In reading it, one realizes just how far women have come in terms of acceptance in the mountain climbing arena. Their time spent on the mountain is illustrated by photographs that beautifully resonate with the lyricism of the author's chronicle. The obstacles they overcame, their day to day travails, the bonding and alliances that formed amonst the different members of the expedition, all add to the beauty of the book. The photographs memorialize those moments in time that best evoke the nuances of what it was like on the expedition and, at the same time, give one a sense of the beauty and majesty of the mountain. The success of the expedition in terms of their having actually reached the summit, however, is clouded by the tragic loss of two of its members on a second, ill-advised attempt to reach the summit. Nonetheless, the quest of the American Women Himalayan Expedition to reach the summit of Annapurna is a testament to courage and commitment. It is also a great read.

I'm not sure if Annapurna: A Woman's Place most appeals to the part of me that is a writer, an outdoorsman, or simply a human being. In a nutshell, it's the finest and most moving book I've ever read about mountain climbing. Yet the book goes much deeper than merely being an adventure story -- which is why it captivates me on so many levels. Since I first read the book, I have been ordering copies to send to friends for special occasions. At first I just sent it to friends who also happened to be female, then realized that its message was too universal to be gender specific. The male friends I have given copies of the book to have been just as impressed, just as moved, and just as inspired as my women friends.What the climbers went through -- not just the rigors of the climb itself, but the preparation, the determination, the obstacles, and, eventually, the sadness and pain -- has a universal connotation far removed from mountain climbing that all of us can feel at some level. Like the bumblebee, who doesn't know it can't fly, these daring women never fell back on their own limitations, as most of us are wont to do when the road seems unpassable.I just can't find the words to express how much the book impressed me and what an inspiration it has been. Ms. Blum did a superb job of writing it. The book and the people come alive. I personally felt like one of her party and couldn't help but feel exalted at their success any more than I could keep from crying with them at the end.I'll never climb a mountain like Annapurna, but this book should make anyone realize that life is full of mountains and that we can climb more of them than we think we can if we don't give up before we start.

One of the best books ever written about women's climbing. The author, Arlene Blum, the group leader, has written a wonderful book about the first Americans, and the first women, to climb Annapurna. They were also the first women to climb to 8,000 meters. In 1978, this international group, from America, England, and Poland, set out to climb one of the highest mountains in the world. They helped to finance their expedition by selling 15,000 t-shirts printed with an outline of the peak, and the motto, "A Woman's Place Is On Top." Contrary to some recent highly publicized climbs in the Himalayas, led by professional guides for substantial fees from inexperienced climbers, all ten climbing members were capable climbers who led some routes, carried full packs, and entertained dreams of summiting without Sherpa support. Arlene Blum, a professor at Berkeley, was chosen as the group leader, and she tells of the struggle to raise money and organize members and e! ! quipment. Once in Nepal, she had to deal with conflicts in the group, and with Sherpas who were dubious of women's ability to climb high. One center of conflict was the desire of some members to climb for the summit without Sherpa support. Blum, ever concerned with safety, prevailed, and Sherpas supported the summit effort. (Hillary, after all, had Tenzing Norgay.) A thrilling story, and thrilling photographs. A video of the expedition exists somewhere. A must read for any one interested in Himalayan climbing.