Jon Krakauer writes books that retell suspenseful and shocking true stories. Into Thin Air is his most famous book (for good reason), but his other books are treated with the same detailed research and articulate story-telling.
Jon Krakauer joined a climbing team for the May, 1996 ascent of Mt. Everest intending to write an article for Outside Magazine about the adventure.
The disaster that occurred during that epic climb is recounted with raw and riveting detail in this widely read book. It feels like you are reading a fictional tale and for the climbers involved, you will wish you were.
Krakauer uses a true story of the murder of a young mother and her 15-month-old daughter to delve into the little-known world of mormom fundamentalism. He further explores the polygamy, violence and corruption that pervade this extremist branch of the religion.
Christopher McCandless graduated from college than gave up everything, including a certainly promising future, to hitchhike to Alaska. He lived in the wild and many questions remained about exactly how or why he did this.
A compilation of Krakauer's mountaineering articles. These stories were written before "Into Thin Air". Krakauer presents these stories in a lighter and often humorous manner. Great read.
*disclaimer* I have not read this book yet.
While most reviews are positive, there are some who feel that Jon Krakauer uses the story of Pat Tillman to promote an anti-republican and anti-war agenda.
The majority of reviewers however, appreciate Krakauer's exploration of the life and death of Pat Tillman. Tillman gave up an NFL contract to join the military and was killed while serving in Afghanistan. There seemed to be a cover-up of the fact that he was killed by "friendly" fire.
select one here...