Gross-interest

If you are interested in campaign finance, then this is a must read. It is very informative and the authors obviously know a lot about the subject.

Money Matters is a very important and thought- provoking analysis of campaign finance reform. No matter what your specific opinions about this issue are, I certainly recommend that you read this book.

I was gripped by Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and wanted another viewpoint on the 1996 tragedy. There is a bit in here about that but it is mostly All About David -- the autobiography of an intensely self-focused individual. When he meets his future wife, his thought is, "this is the perfect partner for me" -- and that, to me, says it all. It is also poorly edited. I do not recommend this book.

David Breashears has had an interesting life, and we can share in it in this autobiography. From his life as an army brat moved about the U.S. and Europe (notably, Greece), to climbing and filming Mt. Everest (several times!), he culls interesting stories of himself and others. It is brutally frank at times, especially when talking about his abusive father and failed marriage. At other times, we are swept away into the mountains with him and share in his joy of climbing.

One of the minor surprises of this book is that Breashears wrote it himself, and wrote it well. The narrative is smooth and well-written. There are a number of photos and schematic drawing that give us an idea of the shape, size, and routes of the mountains he's climbing. Only a very small amount of climbing knowledge is required (if you don't know what a crampon is, you'll probably not be interested in this book anyways!), so climbing neophytes like myself are never bogged down in technical terms.

Especially fascinating for me are the chapters on Everest, which is the main reason I bought the book. Having seen his IMAX-format film on Everest (highly recommended; it will soon be available on DVD and VHS), I was very interested in the behind-the-scenes aspects. He also discusses his other movies, e.g., Cliffhanger (his role in this was minor) and Everest, the Death Zone (unseen by me), and it's interesting to compare the three different filming modes (documentary/standard, documentary/IMAX, and studio blockbuster).

Finally, his take on the Everest disaster in 1996 is written from the point of view of someone who was on the mountain, but not in imminent danger, as opposed to the Boukreev and Krakauer accounts. Of course, it's not as detailed, but still very interesting, and a good compliment to the information that made it to the screen in his IMAX film.

Therefore, I recommend this book for anyone interested in climbing or Mt. Everest. Detailed knowledge of mountain climbing is not required. The book is very well written - detailed for the climbing enthusiast without getting bogged down in technical details that would discourage the novice.

After becoming interested in mountaineering while watching the Everest IMAX film Mr. Breashears directed, I read every book on mountaineering that I can get my hands on. I really enjoy reading the books about the Everest 1996 tragedy. When I saw this book on a shelf in a book store I knew I had to read it. Mr. Breashears book takes the reader from his childhood to Everest 1997. I've found most books that go into to much of the climbers life are boring, but this one is not. I found his personal life very interesting. Mr. Breashears wasn't anybody special, yet he's climbed Mount Everest four times. It shows the reader that it really doesn't matter who you are if you put your heart to it and train, you can reach the top of the world. Through his book he made me realize that you have to be in the best of shape to climb Everest. You can't just go up there and take a little hike up the up the hill. You earn the respect of vertern climbers, such as Mr. Breashears if you go on the mountain prepared. I think reviewer, Suzanne, was right when she said that Mr. Breashears respected women climbers. Some people belive that women or girls should not be on Mount Everest. Mr. Breashears seemed to respect anyone who was trained and ready to climb a mountain such as Everest. I also agree with the climber from Canada who said that Mr. Breashears was one of the few climbers on Everest in 1996 who gave credit to Anatoli Boukreev. Though he said he thought, Anatoli, didn't do his job as a guide, he did give Anatoli the credit he deserved. He said that Anatoli went out in the storm and single handly saved several lives. Maybe Anatoli did go down way ahead of the climbers he was to guide, but if he hadn't he probably wouldn't save those lives. I belive God sent Anatoli down so he could rest and then go out and save those climbers. Anatoli was the hero on May the tenth, 1996. As I read about him as he realized his friends and fellow climbers were dying near the summit. He delt with grief and anger. He wondered how these climbers, known for there experience, could go against all the rules of climbing and head on to the summit past three in the afternoon. As he sat with the body of Rob Hall I felt Like I was sitting there with him. I felt his tears and his pain. He felt he had to have some closing with his soul about the Everest 1996 tragedy, that's why he went back to Everest in 1997. He is a climber who loved and commited his life to climbing. Mr. Breashears is a wonderful climber and a very friendly man. He is not cocky as Jon Krakuaer is. Mr. Breashears is a top notch person as well as a climber! Thank you Mr. Breashears for being a top climber, all your great films, and for being a good all around person! Your IMAX film inspired me and got me started climbing!