A personal account of the Mount Everest disaster. Into Thin Air is a firsthand account of the tragic commercial expedition to Mount Everest in 1996 in which eight climbers died. Krakauer, a mountain climber and journalist from the United States, balances the views of the ego-driven mountain climbers, the underappreciated Sherpa guides and the inexperienced amateurs' desires to reach beyond one's limitations. Krakauer investigates the catastrophe and what went wrong on the summit the day of the storm. It would be interesting for students to compare Into Thin Air with The Climb and Touching My Father's Soul.--Ministry of Education website.

English language arts grade 9 (2009). Originally published: New York : Villard, c1997.