Review by AnorakFr0st -- The Altitude Journals

[AnorakFr0st]

[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 was a very inspiring book, this book is non-fiction and follows the story of a man named David J. Mauro, who is recently divorced and starts climbing the tallest summits in the world. He has experienced a rough childhood, living in poverty and having his father leave him at a young age. He always carries this weight with him, his demons always near.

After divorcing from his wife, because they weren’t truly in love, he accepts his brother-in-laws offer to climb Mount Denali in Alaska. This mountain is around 20,000 feet above sea level and is the tallest mountain in North America. The journey is very tough for Dave, because he certainly is not a climber at this point, and he struggles a lot up this mountain. However, when he reaches the top, he realizes that the destination was worth the journey. He also realizes that he has been taught a lesson by the mountain, in which wounds don’t heal up high, you cannot simply run or climb from your demons, you must face them in order to find inner peace with yourself.

Nature keeps calling Dave, and he answers, climbing summit after summit, learning lessons that help him heal and deal with his past. He ends up being called to all seven summits of the world, and answers them all, becoming one of the few that have climbed all seven summits. He makes many friends along his seven-year journey, from all different places. In this, he learns to trust and make friends with the people closest to you, because you never know when they might help you out or when you can help them out. This also helps Dave find peace with the fact that he is a climber, since many people back home disapprove of his decisions to go on these dangerous journeys.

Overall, this book has been very inspiring to me personally, as I’m sure it has to everyone who reads it. I myself, travel a lot and have hiked up mountains, but have not summited any. Reading this book, has inspired me to get out into nature more and possibly attempt a summit. The entire time I was reading his journeys up the mountains, I was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, waiting for the next event to take place. Books like this, that completely suck me in and make me feel like I’m on the expedition, climbing each of the seven summits, are amazing, I love books like this. When I stop reading, I only want to go back to reading this book, because the detail and method of writing is so well done, that I feel like I’m there, listening to the conversations, and looking out at the beautiful terrain before me. I’m inspired to connect more with myself and with nature, to go outside and really appreciate the beauty.

In conclusion, I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I did not, not like anything about this book, every piece of it was a true masterpiece. It was funny, exhilarating, terrifying, sad, and very inspiring. This book deserves four stars, because it was well edited, well written, and very much enjoyed.

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The Altitude Journals
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