Brotherhood of the Rope: The Biography of Charles Houston

Charles Houston is best known for his failed attempts to summit K2 in 1938 and again in 1953. The latter climb involved a dramatic rescue attempt of climber Art Gilkey and featured probably the most famous belay in history when Pete Schoening single-handedly kept the entire team from sliding off the mountain. Climbing was an important part of Houston's life and McDonald's biography of him does an excellent job covering his career. Beginning with his discovery of the French Alps and the confidence climbing gave him in his awkward teenage years and continuing to his Alaskan and Himalayan expeditions, Houston's mountaineering life makes for great outdoor reading. But what makes this biography so enthralling is the attention it devotes to the rest of Houston's life, in particular his medical career. Houston was a pioneer in high altitude medicine working first for the Navy and then later with the High Altitude Physiology Study (HAPS) on Mt. Logan in Canada. In between, he had organized the Peace Corps in India, founded the doctors unit of the Peace Corps, researched artificial hearts, taught at universities, and was one of the founders of group medical practices in the United States. In all it was an outstanding career and one that deserves recognition far beyond what he has received for his climbing adventures. But Houston's life also saw many setbacks. Ever an idealist and a visionary, he could be difficult to work with. He certainly never mastered the political skills needed to be successful in Washington. Indeed, towards the end of his remarkable career, a college friend suggested he make a graduation speech. His perseverance in the face of a lifetime of failures, a friend suggested, would make a good message for contemporary graduates. Grudgingly, Houston agreed, and accepted the commencement address offer. This volume includes a DVD with footage from some of Houston's more dramatic climbs. It adds a nice touch to the book. I would recommend the book for climbers and armchair afficiandos of the sport. (I am in the latter category). But I think the book also summarizes a significant contribution to the history of American medicine and deserves a wide academic audience for those interested in that field.

In 1953 Charles Houston participated in what may be the most famous--and most admired--failed attempt on a mountain, when he and his fellow expedition members turned back on K2. Their decision to try to save the life of their climbing partner, Art Gilkey, by lowering him progressively down the mountain--despite the altitude, despite the storm and the danger of avalanches, despite their complete exhaustion and despite the ensuing accident that nearly killed them all--reflects a heroism whose scope may be nearly unimaginable today. Bernadette McDonald's book, Brotherhood of the Rope, takes the premise that Houston's "entire life had prepared him for this moment [the rescue attempt], and the choice he made was the culmination of the values instilled in him by his family, his traditions, his friends and his experience." As she retells the stories of his childhood, climbing and medical practice, she builds up, layer by layer, the rich experiences of what created the potential for Houston's selfless courage. Despite her clear admiration for her subject, the end result is not a hagiography, but a humorous, lyrical and compassionate record of a climber, a time and a genuine human being. In the process McDonald does a great service to the climbing world, to historians and to the larger public by preserving the memory of an era and its values that go against today's talk-show-style focus on "personal journeys"--on summits and self-fulfillment at all costs--and by reminding us that the greatest accomplishments take place within the web of connections and responsibilities that form our human community. Her book is also a great read. McDonald's richly textured prose recreates a time before crowded base camps and normal routes when the highest peaks were still unclimbed and seemed just at the edge of possibility, when any expedition represented an exploration of lands that, to many Westerners, were still largely unknown. The book gives us more than just the external details of a life, it reveals the inner world of someone who has always looked at his surroundings--whether the Himalaya or Exeter or Aspen--with unceasing wonder. The author's extensive use of Charles Houston's own spoken words makes the book serve as an oral as well as a written history. By the end, we feel as though we've taken part in a long, deeply affectionate and honest conversation between friends, who, like all good storytellers create a world that somehow seems richer--both brighter and darker--than our everyday life. Katie Ives

The literary and mountaineering worlds beware. Bernadette McDonald has found her muse with the new Mountaineers Books `Legend and Lore' series. It seems as if I just shelved "I'll Call you in Kathmandu" when, to my amazement, Bernadette McDonald releases yet another great biography "Brotherhood of the Rope." What an adventure. What a man. Charles Houston's life is a life that has truly been lived, a life full of adventure, scholarship, compassion, and deep friendships. What I most admire about Mr. Houston is his dedication and unrelenting passion for all of his many pursuits. I felt goose bumps when I read of his early expeditions to Alaska, deep sortie's and climbs in the Himalaya, his medical practice, and naturally his unforgettable K2 epic. And, I must admit, a real sense of jealousy when reading of his treks across Afghanistan and the Middle East. I'm half tempted to jump on a plane this very minute to sit at Charles Houston's side and listen to his endless supply of yarns. I can only imagine what he has done, seen, and felt in his long and well lived life. He is a living legend in my mind. And...Bernadette McDonald captures his extraordinary life so well in her writing; it is obvious that she truly understands Charles Houston's importance in the mountaineering and medical world. Also, she has the unique ability to "open up" her subject matters, a rare gift that serves her well and allows for a story authentically told. Bravo Bernadette McDonald!!! I await your next book with palpitating anticipation. - Rob Torkildson