Review by BySarahAnneCarter -- The Altitude Journals

[BySarahAnneCarter]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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“But mountains don’t give a sh*t. They will kill you the same as anyone else, regardless of your faith or fitness, experience or effort.”

The timing was the thing in the end. Facing a failed marriage and splitting custody of his two sons, David J. Mauro was invited by his brother-in-law to climb Denali. His brother-in-law would be filming a group attempting a climb. His brother-in-law believed he could do it even when his wife/ex-wife didn’t. That person believing in him gave him hope for good things to happen in his future.

While Mauro never set out to be a conqueror of The Seven Summits (the tallest peaks on each continent), one by one, the mountains called to him to come climb. For each climb he had to spend months training and several thousands of dollars in equipment and fees. He also faced challenges, health issues and danger in each climb.

The Altitude Journals: A Seven-Year Journey From the Lowest Point In My Life To The Highest Point On Earth is a very detailed book about Mauro’s personal life and how it was changed and affected by each climb. His story is fascinated as he went from a place where he felt hopeless and depressed to a place where, with people believing in him, he felt he could climb Everest. With each climb, his life is greatly affected by some vision or calling. He manages to open his heart to another relationship. He realizes how precious life is and works to mend the relationship with his father. He helps one of his sons face some hard personal challenges.

In the midst of all the details (as specific as to what he eats when and how they deal with going to the bathroom on a mountain), the reader gets a sense that this is the same story he would tell family members and friends. He did journal and blog during some of his climbs and used some of that for the book.

I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I really enjoyed learning how the climbs affected Mauro personally instead of him just telling about the climbs. I felt at some points it got bogged down with too many details, which made the chapters really long. Some of the time at the summits and the way down are written about more summarily and those were parts I would have liked more details. The book is very professionally edited and kept me engaged through the entire book.

You don’t have to be a mountain climber or even an outdoorsy person to enjoy The Altitude Journals. The book is a great read for anyone looking for an inspirational true story. It is amazing what people can do and accomplish when someone believes in them.

“I realize now that a person who believes he has nothing left to lose is a fantastic and dangerous soul.”

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The Altitude Journals
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