REVIEW: DENALI'S HOWL BY ANDY HALL

Published by Dutton (Penguin Group), 2014. Hardcover, 252 pgs

First, big big thanks to Matt and Jess Norcross, owners of the independent booktore McLean and Eakin in Petoskey, Michigan. This book was listed in their Bookseller Recommendation session at a reader's retreat and was enticingly described. I was riveted to the crazy idea that 12 people would seek an adrenaline high by climbing Mt. Denali in no more than the weekender camping gear available in 1967. Many of them were students, and barely had the money to buy necessities and equip the car with supplies and gas needed to drive the hundreds of miles to reach the mountain base. The author is a journalist who was a small boy at the time of this tragedy. His dad was the park superintendent in Alaska. Andy Hall remembers riding around with his unusually somber father in the truck as he was trying to save the remaining climbers that fateful July.

I feel weird giving a book like this a star rating. We get a lot of necessary geographical facts, biographies of the climbers, and mind-boggling statistics on the extreme weather systems that produced a superarctic storm that had previously been unrecorded. I applaud Andy Hall for his telling of this tragedy. A book like this can be easily sensationalized for sales reasons, but he provided an unbiased account based on radio transmissions, agency records, and extensive interviews. He honestly admits when there are conflicting accounts of one situation. He presents the various statements, and will occasionally remark if one was plausible considering the conditions and supplies available, and moves on- stating simply that it's impossible to know for sure. Some things must remain a mystery. Occasionally, truth is found. In one case, a climber was obviously lying by stating a  pressure release valve malfunction on a stove was the reason for a cooking fire. The model didn't even have a pressure release valve. Oops.

This story is a scary reminder of the force of human nature. At the end of the day, regardless of preparation, if the force is against you..not a lot can be done except hunkering down (if possible). In this case, the sheer brutality of the winds and temperature- sustained not over the course of a few hours but a full week, became insurmountable. Rescue planes that needed to make tight turns for crevasses while carrying additional supplies were grounded. This is an epic adventure story that will make you want to stay inside this winter (if you have my temperament at least!). This mission helped bring about important changes in rescue organization, radio communication, and requirements for climbing applications to be approved. I enjoyed that Andy Hall caught up with the survivors close to publication and gave an update on what their lives became after this harrowing event. Great, great nonfiction.

REVIEW: SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES (& OTHER LESSONS FROM THE CREMATORY) BY CAITLIN DOUGHTY

Published by W.W Norton & Company, 2014. Hardback, 241 pgs.

With the line "A girl never forgets the first corpse she shaves" I was hooked by this memoir. In her mid-twenties, Caitlin entered the mortuary profession. She had been fascinated/terrified of death as a child and finally decided to study Medieval History in college, with an emphasis on the witch trials and death rituals. Through her research into other cultures and her own experiences working at Westwind Cremation and Burial in San Francisco, we get a behind the scenes glimpse into the gritty, but real, nature of death. Doughty deftly explores burial rituals in other countries, the affect religion plays in death, the machinery and processing necessary for cremation, the options we have for our burial (how to avoid being scammed), some common misconceptions about what happens to our bodies during the process, the history of embalming, and the importance of preparation for the inevitable.  

I did struggle in the middle with the infant cremation section. I had to put the book down because it made me shaky as well as teary-eyed. A few deep breaths were necessary here to get my bearings! Some of it initially struck me as callous, but these jobs must be done by someone. I appreciate that there are people who are up to the task. They are made of far tougher stuff than me. Luckily, there was only one instance where I found a phrase tasteless. I realize finding humor when possible would be an absolute must. You'd have to make the job bearable through some morbid jokes, but this one was particularly insensitive since pertaining to infants. As a reader, there was no point in hearing it. Doughty even admits its appalling, so I wish it had just been left off the page.

I found this book even more profoundly affecting than I imagined. Beyond the information on the death process, it made me think about how to live a good life, and the importance of opening discussions with loved ones so we don't unintentionally deny someone (and ourselves) a good death. I interpret "good death" as meaning one with as much choice and dignity as possible. It may seem common sense that talking about things is often better than NOT talking about things, but rarely have I felt the point driven home quite like this.

Doughty is unconventional and fascinating, I urge those who can stomach some graphic details to give this a go. It will open your eyes to the eventual reality we all face, as well as give you a new appreciation for people who endure this type of grueling job.