Review by Lee-Ann20 -- The Altitude Journals

[Lee-Ann20]

[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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“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 memoir of overcoming obstacles, both physical and emotional. The subtitle really speaks for the book, there is no hidden agenda here. At the worst moment in a man’s life, he decides to go mountain climbing, almost on a whim, and discovers some life lessons.

I really liked the dichotomy of this book. When Mauro is not climbing he seems to be at odds with himself, for the most part. He has marital problems, he goes through job growing pains, his family changes. The only place that he seems most comfortable is on stage during improv, a place where you really have to let go and trust yourself and your fellow actors. Mauro seems grounded and seems to trust in himself and abilities on the mountains, a place of harsh beauty that really does break down a person’s insecurities to the most basic level.

The one negative thing that I would have to say about this memoir is that there was not too much exploration about the monumental decision to go mountain climbing to begin with. Mauro seemed to just accept his brother-in-law’s invitation without much hesitation or sou -searching. The reflection does happen on the mountain and during the climbs, but that seems like a rather big decision to make out of the blue. In all, it was not a big problem, and did not detract from the manuscript a great deal.

This book was very well edited and I did not find any grammatical mistakes. The language felt true to men hiking mountains, so there were some instances of swearing, but nothing that felt overly forced or to be too much for the circumstances. While Mauro writes about spirituality on the mountains, there is no discussion of any one religion in particular, so I do not feel that there would be any offensiveness due to religion.

I would give “The Altitude Journals: A Seven Year Journey from the Lowest Point in My Life to the Highest Point on Earth” by David J. Mauro a 4 out of 4 stars. The story he told was engaging and not bogged down with too many details. The manuscript was well edited. There was even a minor celebrity name drop. This book had death-defying adventure, love lost and found, and life affirmations. It really has it all.

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The Altitude Journals
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[MustaHarleen]

A man can fight his demons anywhere but I love that Mauro chose the highest points of the world as his battlefields. This is an amazing book. Thanks for a wonderful review.