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More copies of this ISBN:High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greedby Michael Kodas
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:In 2004, journalist Michael Kodas joined local mountain climbers from home on an expedition to Mount Everest. He anticipated an exhilarating and arduous adventure among a group of like-minded idealists that he could report to his readers back in Connecticut. But on the Himalayan mountain, he discovered thieves, prostitutes, con men, and blackmailers. There were people who would do anything for a quick buck, or a guarantee of reaching the top. And some of them were on his own team. Thieves stole equipment on which the team's lives depended, Kodas's life was threatened by one of his teammates, and a climbing partner was beaten unconscious by another in Base Camp. He returned from the Himalaya disillusioned. But a plea for help from the daughter of a mountaineer who vanished on Everest on the very day that Kodas had retreated from his own disintegrating team prompted him to return to Everest and uncover an underworld that preys on unsuspecting climbers on major peaks around the world. High Crimes is a shocking expose of the dark underside of Everest: people stepping over dying climbers on their way up; unscrupulous con men who sell faulty oxygen tanks that leave climbers without air when their lives depend on it; drugs and prostitution in Base Camp; and people all but murdered in the cutthroat race to get to the top. Illustrated with incredible photographs and written with thriller-like pacing, High Crimes is a gripping and fascinating story. Review:"Journalist Kodas has written a disturbing account of stupidity and greed on the slopes of Mount Everest. On assignment for the Hartford Courant in 2004, Kodas joined an expedition led by a couple who had summited the mountain more than a dozen times between them. As he moved up Everest, Kodas watched his expedition disintegrate in a mess of recriminations, thefts, lies and violence. At the same time, a sociopathic guide was leading a 69-year-old doctor to his death on the unforgiving slopes. The twin disasters led Kodas to delve into the commercialization of Mount Everest, and to discover that such experiences were becoming a depressing norm. A thorough reporter, Kodas does an excellent job exposing the ways in which money and ego have corrupted the traditional cultures of both mountaineers and their Sherpa guides. He also brings a painful focus to the delusions, misunderstandings and indifference that allow climbers to literally step over the bodies of dying people on their way to the top. Oddly enough, Kodas writes less ably about himself, and the reasons for his own expedition's collapse remain unclear; the sequencing of story lines is confusing as well. Nevertheless, his narrative is as hard to turn away from as a slow-motion train wreck. (Feb.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Book News Annotation:Kodas, a journalist with The Hartford Courant and a seasoned climber,
has written a very disturbing and fast-paced account of the dark side
of climbing Mount Everest. Drugs, prostitution, theft and violent
crime, and total disregard for human life were among the kinds of
behavior the author found when he joined a New England group on an
expedition to Everest. The author also discusses the environmental,
economic, and moral implications of the conditions that face
unsuspecting climbers on Everest today.
Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Review:"High Crimes is both fascinating and terrifying. As someone who shies away from climbing stairs, let alone mountains, I was completely blown away by the high-stakes drama and intrigue of this Everest story. Kodas's vivid writing kept me up for two straight nights, and my heart is still racing! The story is tragic, yet somehow also uplifting — a true masterpiece!" Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of Bringing Down the House and Rigged Review:"Seeking to experience the high ambitions of an Everest climb himself, Michael Kodas found instead the little-known underworld of the world’s tallest peak...compelling reading for anyone who thinks mountaineering is a noble pursuit." Greg Child, author of Over the Edge Review:"The Everest described by Kodas is an extreme theme park, a sort of globalized Wild West populated by unscrupulous characters whose guiding principles are amateurism (in the bad sense), thievery, egotism, and deadly greed." Very Short List Review:"Kodas peppers the book with numerous story lines....His over-ambitiousness as an investigative reporter means readers must go slowly, so the numerous sagas can be absorbed at a high level of comprehension. That is a reasonable price to pay, however, for an important, brave and, yes, shocking book." Hartford Courant Review:"While Antezana's story was reported in the Washington Post and Kodas's dispatches published in the Courant, the juxtaposition of these two accounts, with their many thrilling yet troubling details, makes this...highly recommended." Library Journal Review:"A clear-eyed, riveting narrative." Kirkus Reviews About the AuthorMichael Kodas is a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team of journalists at The Hartford Courant, where he has worked since 1987 as a reporter and photographer. His work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, and Newsweek. He lives in Hartford, Connecticut, with his wife, Carolyn Moreau. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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