Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest

Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest
by Beck Weathers

Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest
List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $3.97
You Save: $4.02 (50%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Beck Weathers
Brand: Random
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-11-06
ISBN: 0440237084
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Dell

Book Reviews of Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest

Book Review: Simply the best of the Everest disaster books
Summary: 5 Stars

I've read a lot of books about Everest. I've read books about that specific Everest disaster, including Into Thin Air and The Climb. While both of those books were fascinating, they don't touch Left For Dead for one main reason: Beck Weathers was changed by what happened. He didn't just go "wow, that was close" and go onto the next mountain. Nor did he decide that it was a little too close, and put his energy into figuring out who was to blame for the deaths on Everest. Beck Weathers did something that took a lot more guts: he looked into his soul.

The book's main story is his life, how and why he had chosen that life, and how it affected his wife and children. The climb on Everest brackets that story. The first part is an honest and chilling account of the disaster; the latter part documents his recovery, and the lifelong effects it had on him.

Beck Weathers writes his story (and lives his life) with real insight and an incredible humor. He wasn't some tough, fantasy climber; he was just a man, and a deeply-flawed man, at that. But he took what happened and made it a catalyst to more than just survive, but to excel, and to change. He also puts a lot of the credit on the human support system that made this miracle possible, from the courageous pilot who rescued him, to the hurt and angry wife who found the will to stay by his side.

If you want a "he should have tightened this rope, she should have carried her own bags" story of Everest, this isn't it. If you are looking for something a lot deeper, don't miss reading Left For Dead.

Summary of Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest

?I can tell you that some force within me rejected death at the last moment and then guided me, blind and stumbling ? quite literally a dead man walking ? into camp and the shaky start of my return to life....?

In 1996 Beck Weathers and a climbing team pushed toward the summit of Mount Everest. Then a storm exploded on the mountain, ripping the team to shreds, forcing brave men to scratch and crawl for their lives. Rescuers who reached Weathers saw that he was dying, and left him.

Twelve hours later, the inexplicable occurred. Weathers appeared, blinded, gloveless, caked with ice ? coming down the mountain as a ?dead man walking.?

In this powerful memoir, Weather describes not only his escape from hypothermia and the murderous storm that killed nine climbers; he describes another journey, a life?s journey. This is the story of a man?s route to a dangerous sport and a fateful expedition, as well as the road of recovery he has traveled since.

In Left for Dead, we are witness to survival in the face of certain death, the reclaiming of a family and a life, and the most remarkable adventure of all: what we can do when we?re offered a second chance.
Left for Dead is a deeply personal story, told in first person by a variety of people who contributed to the survival of Beck Weathers during the Everest accident of 1996 that left nine climbers dead. It goes past the tragedy to discuss why Weathers got involved in climbing in the first place, his lengthy and painful recovery, and the all-important relationship with his wife, Margaret (commonly referred to as Peach). Without Peach's hope and tenacity, it's likely that rescue efforts would not have been continued, and Weathers may never have recovered from the hypothermic coma and its dreadful results. The story of their relationship--they were estranged at the time of the accident--is told from both perspectives, and his obsession with mountains seems almost like another family member. The overall tone is straightforward and conversational: children, pets, and clothing feature as prominently as reconstructive surgery and heroic rescues. But no matter how plainly they are told, the events of that climb are sure to bring tears. Rob Hall's last conversation with his wife, climbers disappearing into the storm, Anatoli Boukreev's rescuing three people, and Weathers and climbing partner Yasuko being left for dead are just a few from a long list. Still, you'll find yourself laughing just pages later, when Weathers gets his rescue team to sing "Chain of Fools" while hiking back to safety--you can imagine Peach being in full agreement of that song's appropriateness. The Everest deaths affected people around the world, and this chronicle of one survivor and his family is a hopeful reminder of the good that can result from such tragedies. --Jill Lightner

Biographies Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Biographies Books
Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story ImageCaddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story
by John Feinstein
Back Bay Books; Published: 2005-05-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.50
Price in other shops: $15.99
Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman ImageWhere Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
by Jon Krakauer
Anchor; Published: 2010-07-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.70
Price in other shops: $15.95
The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) ImageThe Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)
by Lawrence S. Ritter
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2010-04-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.27
Price in other shops: $14.99
A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez ImageA-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez
by Selena Roberts
Harper Perennial; Published: 2010-02-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.51
Price in other shops: $15.99
The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World ImageThe Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World
by Jere Longman
Harper Perennial; Published: 2001-04-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.75
Price in other shops: $14.99
Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide To Winning In Soccer And Life ImageGo For the Goal: A Champion's Guide To Winning In Soccer And Life
by Mia Hamm, Aaron Heifetz
It Books; Published: 2000-07-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.98
Price in other shops: $13.99
This Voice in My Heart: A Runner's Memoir of Genocide, Faith, and Forgiveness ImageThis Voice in My Heart: A Runner's Memoir of Genocide, Faith, and Forgiveness
by Gilbert Tuhabonye, Gary Brozek
Amistad; Published: 2007-05-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.88
Price in other shops: $13.99
Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big ImageJuiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big
by Jose Canseco
It Books; Published: 2006-02-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops: $15.99
The Last Season ImageThe Last Season
by Eric Blehm
Harper; Published: 2006-04-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.97
Price in other shops: $24.95
Hawk : Occupation Skateboarder ImageHawk : Occupation Skateboarder
by Tony; Mortimer, Sean Hawk
Regan Books; Published: 2000; Hardcover; Book
Similar Books and other products
Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest ImageDead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest
by Lincoln Hall
Tarcher; Published: 2009-05-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.75
Price in other shops: $15.95
No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks ImageNo Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks
by Ed Viesturs, David Roberts
Random; Broadway; Published: 2007-11-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.25
Price in other shops: $14.99
Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest ImageTouching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest
by Jamling T. Norgay
HarperOne; Published: 2002-05-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops: $15.99
Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival ImageTouching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival
by Joe Simpson
Harper Collins Pub; Perennial; Published: 2004-02-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.15
Price in other shops: $14.99
Into Thin Air: Death on Everest ImageInto Thin Air: Death on Everest
HORTON,PETER; Release date: 2001-05-22; Published: 2001-05-01; DVD
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops: $9.99
High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places ImageHigh Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places
by David Breashears
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2000-05-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.96
Price in other shops: $16.00
Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season ImageDark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season
by Nick Heil
Holt Paperbacks; Published: 2009-02-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.62
Price in other shops: $16.00
K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain ImageK2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain
by Ed Viesturs, David Roberts
Broadway; Published: 2010-08-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.90
Price in other shops: $14.99
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster ImageInto Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
by Jon Krakauer
Random; Anchor; Published: 1999-10-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.94
Price in other shops: $15.00
The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest ImageThe Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest
by Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston DeWalt
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 1999-07-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.16
Price in other shops: $17.99
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories