Imagine being stuck deep in a crevasse all alone in the middle of the Andes trying to fight against all odds for your life with a broken leg. That was the predicament of Joe Simpson, the author of the book, Touching the Void. This book is a detailed account of the disastrous climbing trip of Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates who decided to summit Siula Grande in the Andes. On their descent back to base camp, a terrible accident occurred where Simpson suffered a severe broken leg. After many dangerous attempts to relay Simpson down the mountain and edging closer and closer towards death, Yates was at a crossroad and decided to sever Simpson’s rope. Thought to have died by everyone, Simpson managed to climb out of the ominous void of the crevasse that he had fallen into and struggled single-handedly for three days without food and water. This book which is mainly written by Joe Simpson and accompanied with commentaries by Simon Yates is an extraordinary mountaineering novel that shows the strength of one man’s spirit to live. The main focus that the author is trying to convey is that even under horrific circumstances, the sheer will of survival can be strong enough to help you carry on even when death seems to be certain. Simpson’s passion for survival overturned all feelings of fear and thoughts of quitting every instance that it arrived which helped him crawl forward to his way out and back to camp. Simpson also encourages the reader to not get run down by life and by circumstances that occur because no one experiences a perfect hand in life. Touching the Void is definitely a book that is recommended for survival enthusiasts and those who enjoy true accounts of miraculous occurrences. This inspiring book had many points that made it such an enjoyable read such as captivating pictures and chapters that will keep one glued to the book for hours. However, it can be a bit of challenge to understand the book with many unusual mountaineering terms. In order to aid in understanding, the author has included a glossary which is definitely a plus. The only other weakness of the book is the opening points leading up to the climax being a bit dull but that does not last long whatsoever. Touching the Void is a respected addition to all biographies because of the inspiring nature of Simpson’s solitary quest for survival even in spite of excruciating pain and certain death. It is a valued and treasured story by all in not only the climbing community but is treasured by people all over the world. Yates and Simpson’s unusual story was so astonishing that the book has been made into a movie. Simpson’s story and passion for life is extremely remarkable and should be cherished and learnt from by all.
Imagine being stuck deep in a crevasse all alone in the middle of the Andes trying to fight against all odds for your life with a broken leg. That was the predicament of Joe Simpson, the author of the book, Touching the Void. This book is a detailed account of the disastrous climbing trip of Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates who decided to summit Siula Grande in the Andes. On their descent back to base camp, a terrible accident occurred where Simpson suffered a severe broken leg. After many dangerous attempts to relay Simpson down the mountain and edging closer and closer towards death, Yates was at a crossroad and decided to sever Simpson’s rope. Thought to have died by everyone, Simpson managed to climb out of the ominous void of the crevasse that he had fallen into and struggled single-handedly for three days without food and water. This book which is mainly written by Joe Simpson and accompanied with commentaries by Simon Yates is an extraordinary mountaineering novel that shows the strength of one man’s spirit to live.
ReplyDeleteThe main focus that the author is trying to convey is that even under horrific circumstances, the sheer will of survival can be strong enough to help you carry on even when death seems to be certain. Simpson’s passion for survival overturned all feelings of fear and thoughts of quitting every instance that it arrived which helped him crawl forward to his way out and back to camp. Simpson also encourages the reader to not get run down by life and by circumstances that occur because no one experiences a perfect hand in life.
Touching the Void is definitely a book that is recommended for survival enthusiasts and those who enjoy true accounts of miraculous occurrences. This inspiring book had many points that made it such an enjoyable read such as captivating pictures and chapters that will keep one glued to the book for hours. However, it can be a bit of challenge to understand the book with many unusual mountaineering terms. In order to aid in understanding, the author has included a glossary which is definitely a plus. The only other weakness of the book is the opening points leading up to the climax being a bit dull but that does not last long whatsoever.
Touching the Void is a respected addition to all biographies because of the inspiring nature of Simpson’s solitary quest for survival even in spite of excruciating pain and certain death. It is a valued and treasured story by all in not only the climbing community but is treasured by people all over the world. Yates and Simpson’s unusual story was so astonishing that the book has been made into a movie. Simpson’s story and passion for life is extremely remarkable and should be cherished and learnt from by all.