I am neither churchly nor a particularly spiritual person, but 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. — On May 10, 1996, nine climbers perished in a blizzard high on Mount E... more »verest, the single deadliest day ever on the peak. The following day, one of those victims was given a second chance. His name was Beck Weathers.

The tale of Dr. Seaborn Beck Weathers's miraculous awakening from a deep hypothermic coma was widely reported. But the hidden story of what led the pathologist to Everest in the first place, and his painful recovery after his dramatic rescue, has not been told until now.

Brilliant and gregarious, Weathers discovered in his thirties that mountain climbing helped him cope with the black dog of depression that had shadowed him since college. But the self-prescribed therapy came at a steep cost: estrangement from his wife, Peach, and their two children. By the time he embarked for Everest, his home life had all but disintegrated.

Yet when he was reported dead after lying exposed on the mountain for eighteen hours in subzero weather, it was Peach who orchestrated the daring rescue that brought her husband home. Only then, facing months of surgery and the loss of his hands, did Beck Weathers also begin to face himself, his family, his past and uncertain future. Told in Beck Weathers's inimitably direct and engaging voice—with frequent commentary from Peach, their family, their friends and others involved in this unique journey—Left for Dead shows how one man's drive to conquer the most daunting physical challenges ultimately forced him to confront greater challenges within himself. Framed by breathtaking accounts of his near death and resurrection, and of his slow and agonizing physical and emotional recovery, Left for Dead offers a fascinating look at the seductive danger of extreme sports, as in rapid succession a seemingly unstoppable Weathers attacks McKinley, Elbrus, Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro—before fate stops him cold, high in the Death Zone of the world's tallest peak.

Full of deep insight and warm humor, Left for Dead tells the story of a man, a marriage and a family that survived the unsurvivable. Candid and uncompromising, it is a deeply compelling saga of crisis and change, and of the abiding power of love and family—a story few readers will soon forget.

ISBN-13: 9780375504044
ISBN-10: 0375504044
Publication Date: 4/25/2000
Pages: 304
Rating:

Currently 3.6/5 Stars.

3.6 stars, based on 6 ratings

Publisher: Villard
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

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Currently 3.5/5 Stars.

Rita K. (bklyn) reviewed Left for Dead : My Journey Home from Everest on 2/28/2008

If you have read other books about the 1996 deadly season on Everest, you will also want to read about Beck Weathers personal views and experiences of the disaster. He adds some things only he could know about the story. I also found his accounts of other mountains that he climbed fascinating.

Currently 0/5 Stars.

Carol F. (chantillylace) reviewed Left for Dead : My Journey Home from Everest on 9/10/2006 + 15 more book reviews

Amazing story

Currently 3/5 Stars.

Joan L. (Yoni) reviewed Left for Dead : My Journey Home from Everest on 6/8/2006 + 189 more book reviews

I liked this book, although I wasn't fond of the writing style. Seemed to jump around too much, and I found his wife's input to be annoying (although I completely understood her feelings). I was more interested in the Everest part.

Read All Book Reviews of "Left for Dead My Journey Home from Everest"

Genres:

Biographies & Memoirs >> General
Biographies & Memoirs >> Specific Groups >> Adventurers & Explorers
Sports & Outdoors >> Biographies >> General
Sports & Outdoors >> Mountaineering >> General
Sports & Outdoors >> Mountaineering >> Mountain Climbing

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