Review by Tom Axel -- The Altitude Journals
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Review by Tom Axel -- The Altitude Journals
Family and marriage life can sometimes get bitter and distressful. It reaches a point when it irretrievably breaks down beyond repair. The novel The Altitude Journals by David J Mauro is a book about the author’s struggles to deal with the pains and disaster of losing loved ones and family. The author narrates his experiences in a broken family and how he struggles with the post marital stress. He is married to Jenny and together they have two wonderful kids. However, years into their marriage, they are always in constant fights, sometimes arguing in front of their kids. They ultimately decides to end their union. The author is traumatized and distraught. He had big dreams for his family and kids. All that is in the past now. He must deal with the societal stigmatization of having failed in marriage just like his father, who had before deserted them for another woman. To cool of his mind of his stresses, he decides to take part in mountain climbing following an invitation from his brother in law, Ty, who is filming a documentary on mountain climbing experience. Mountain climbing proves to be a source of stress relief and a good way of making him forget his troubles. He finds the sport interesting and decides to embark on a journey of climbing the tallest mountains in all the seven continents of the world.
David J Mauro story is really inspirational. The author discusses his experiences in marriage and how he struggles to deal with the stress of a broken home. He is left traumatized following his separation with his wife Jenny and embarks on the journey of mountain climbing in the hope that it would help him forget about his life difficulties. He is unconcerned about what lies ahead but knows a bigger purpose lay in the horizon. True to his belief, the sport is a big comfort to him in the dark moments, helps him to forget about his troubles and to discover his greater life purpose. That was lovely and a source of inspiration to readers. It teaches readers to see challenges and setbacks as opportunities for self discovery and pursuing greater life purposes.
I loved the themes discussed by the author in the novel. The author discusses themes like family and marriage life, effects of drug abuse, online dating and means of coping with stress. These themes reflects the society we all live in. The author by discussing such themes shows his sensitivity to the happenings in the society. The themes are educative on how to go about such matters in the society.
Another feature I loved in the novel is the awareness it creates on the dangers of mountain climbing. In as much as the author discusses the positive aspects of mountain climbing as a sport, he does not shy from informing readers that the sport is a risky adventure. A person could fall while on top of the mountain. Additionally, the temperature at the mountain top is hazardous to our health. People died of excess fluid accumulating in the lungs. He thus calls for caution and proper training before embarking on mountain climbing adventures. Such awareness is useful to readers and helps in making informed decision before undertaking such adventures.
I had no issue with this book. It is exceptionally well edited and has no topographical errors. I rate it at 4 out of 4 stars. It has an amazing content on tackling various social mattes. I highly recommend it to all persons coming from broken relationships and homes. It offers useful information on dealing with such situations. Better still, I cannot advise anybody against reading this book. We all go through low moments and need an helping hand at times. This book might be the helping hand you need.
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The Altitude Journals
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