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[Following is a volunteer review of "The Altitude Journals" by David J Mauro.]

The Altitude Journals A Seven-Year Journey From the Lowest Point in My Life to the Highest Point on Earth by David J. Mauro is a great read! It is about a man whose life has taken a turn for the worst and is invited by his friend to climb Denali, the highest mountain in North America. The remarkable thing is that during his years in school he had not shown any ability for sports. He was always too slow, could not run, and so he had given up that kind of thing. On this particular climb, he goes along with his friend Ty, who is a television anchor, and others as a pedestrian climber. He trains for it, and with encouragement, bests it. When he finishes climbing Dinali, he senses a calling from Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya. This is a somewhat different climb, due to the different terrain and climate. Still, it spurs him on to more climbing and he is now in the ranks of the altitude climbers. The story is about his call to climb the mountains, his training regimen, and what happens during the climbs as he advances up each mountain. During each of the climbs, he learns life lessons and grows into the person he can celebrate.

This was a great read for me. I am not drawn to non-fiction, but this author told his personal story in such a way that I could not put it down. When I first looked at it and saw all the places he had been, I was intrigued, because I had been to some of those places, or for sure had heard of them. I like that he is so open about his life and shares with his audience the ups and downs he experiences; the successes and failures which cause him to grow as a person.

I really cannot think of what I did not like. I like that when he would tell about climbing the mountain his description of it and what was happening in the climb was so vivid, I really felt I could envision everything. If he talked about the equipment used, he would explain very clearly what each was for and how the climbers would use them.. He would share with us the political atmosphere of each place if needed to get a fuller picture of what he and his team would be facing. I appreciated his respect for the other climbers and also for the native climbers they would be using as guides, such as the Serpas from Nepal.

Here is a quote from David Mauro, that to me summed up the book, and his life, as he faced the challenges of each of the mountains he climbed.
“Along the way, I learned that a person does not come to believe in himself by climbing mountains, but by facing his problems. I learned that the only way to truly experience love is to risk your heart completely. I was shown the courage to live genuinely and the power of forgiveness. My path taught me to listen, trust, and act; to place the success of others before my own; and to value the potential for making a difference in the life of a child.”

I will definitely give this book a 4 out of 4 stars rating because it was so well written and the content is so entertaining. This book would appeal to anyone, whether they prefer fiction or non-fiction. Also, it would appeal to
those who are adventurous and those who are not so very active.

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The Altitude Journals
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Like Jmar_la's review? Post a comment saying so!

I also enjoyed the book but found some sections confusing. Why did he include the part about doing improv with Ryan Stiles? That theme was never developed and felt like the author was just name dropping rather adding another layer of interest or complexity. Thanks for the review. I like to see what other reviewers have to say after I have finished reviewing the same book.

Sounds very interesting. I might just have to look into this one. Thanks for the review I am glad you enjoyed it.

I definitely want to read this book. I've read a few reviews of it now and all have good things to say about it!

Thanks for the review. This seems to be an interesting read. I too am not normally drawn towards non-fiction but seems to be drawn after your review

I loved this book.It was hard to put down. I liked that he added pictures with it. Great review!

I thought the title was "The Attitude Journals". After reading your review, I see the title is actually The Altitude Journals. I like how you said that the author shares his learning experiences and descriptions of climbing different mountains. I like the quote you mentioned:

Here is a quote from David Mauro, that to me summed up the book, and his life, as he faced the challenges of each of the mountains he climbed.
“Along the way, I learned that a person does not come to believe in himself by climbing mountains, but by facing his problems. I learned that the only way to truly experience love is to risk your heart completely. I was shown the courage to live genuinely and the power of forgiveness. My path taught me to listen, trust, and act; to place the success of others before my own; and to value the potential for making a difference in the life of a child.”