Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See

From Publishers Weekly In this moving and adventure-packed memoir, Weihenmayer begins with his gradual loss of sight as a very young child. By the time he became fully blind in high school, he had already developed the traits that would carry him to the summits of some of the world's highest mountains as well as onto the frequently hazardous slopes of daily life: charm, resilience, a sense of humor, a love of danger and a concern for others. His eloquent memoir exhibits all these traits. Weihenmayer--a thrill seeker who skydives, climbs mountains and skis--devotes the first half of the book to his adolescence, punctuated by his loss of sight, his mother's sudden death and his diligent efforts not only to pick up girls, but first to figure out which ones were attractive. With its many tales of pranks, adventures and the talents of his guide dog, this half alone is worth the price of admission. He goes on to chronicle his young adulthood, including his teaching career and his passion for climbing, seeded during a month-long skills camp for blind adolescents and blossoming on his harrowing ascent of Mount McKinley. He describes fearsome ascents of Kilimanjaro--with his fiancx82e, so they can be married near the crater summit--El Capitan and Aconcagua's Polish Glacier. Weihenmayer tells his extraordinary story with humor, honesty and vivid detail, and his fortitude and enthusiasm are deeply inspiring. With the insightful intimacy of Tom Sullivan's classic If You Could See What I Hear and the intensity of the best adventure narratives, Weihenmayer's story will appeal to a broad audience. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Weihenmayer is an extraordinary individual, adventurer, and athlete. On their own, his exploits as a mountain climber would be sufficient material for an exciting book, but there's an additional element Weihenmayer is blind. He began to lose his sight as a child, owing to a degenerative eye disorder, and was totally blind by his teens. Added to this trauma was the death of his mother in an automobile accident. The onset of blindness and the loss of a beloved parent might have destroyed a less resilient individual, but Weihenmayer has been able to turn his frustrations and fears into positive accomplishments. He has scaled the 3000' wall of El Capitan in Yosemite, made it to the top of Argentina's Aconcagua, climbed the vertical ice wall of Alberta, Canada's Polar Circus, and plans an ascent of Mt. Everest in March 2001. Oh, yes, he also married his longtime sweetheart on the Shira Plateau of Mt. Kilimanjaro (which he summited) in 1997 and became the father of a daughter in 2000. Weihenmayer recounts all of these climbing experiences as well as his childhood struggle to deal with the onset of blindness and his efforts to obtain employment. This inspirational story is highly recommended for all public libraries. - Janet Ross, Sparks Branch Lib., NV Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Here's an exciting, one-of-a-kind memoir that should appeal to lovers of man-against-nature adventure stories. The author has jumped from airplanes, bicycled distances that tested the limits of his endurance, run a marathon, and scaled some of the world's highest peaks. As if that weren't enough, he has been blind since he was a teenager. To reach the summit of Mount McKinley or El Capitan is achievement enough; it seems almost inconceivable that a blind man could do so. But the author is clearly a remarkable man, and he makes us believe that we, too, can do the virtually impossible, if we're determined enough. He looks back on his life, on his struggle to do what most of us could not summon the bravery to attempt, and we cannot help but admire him. He never presents himself as a hero, but his accomplishments speak for themselves. The word inspiring is used far too often in book reviews, but here is one case where it really is appropriate. David Pitt Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved ...an obvious inspiration to other blind people...you have also inspired plenty of us folks who can see just fine. -- Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air Erik Weihenmayer is a world-class athlete: acrobatic skydiver, long distance biker and marathon runner, skier, mountaineer, ice climber, and rock climber. Erik lectures professionally to over 40,000 people a year on the importance of living your dreams no matter the obstacles. Read more