The Hard Way : Stories of Danger, Survival, and the Soul of Adventure
- Book Review,
by Mark Jenkins
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-A collection of nearly two dozen stories, many drawn from Jenkins's column for Outside magazine. The author whisks readers away to places where geography, weather, and the occasional political boundary pose daunting challenges for adventurers who actively seek to test their limits in extreme conditions. Whether the example is crossing a crevasse-ridden glacier in Wyoming, mountain climbing in Tibet, or hiking in a remote Ethiopian nature preserve hoping to spot endangered species, the point is the exultation of pitting oneself against the perils of natural landscapes, mastering the challenge through physical ruggedness and mental tenacity, and emerging alive. Each focused, brisk chapter wraps up cleanly with a neat sentence of observation that often reveals a darker outcome to the episode than the narrative implies. Most of the entries are based on the author's firsthand experiences, decorated with colorful descriptions of like-minded souls with whom he has partnered on various expeditions. A few tales, such as the profile of mountaineer George Mallory, smoothly complement, but do not keep to, this pattern. A cameo of Jenkins introducing his daughters at ages three and six to rock climbing in order to develop their confidence and sense of self-reliance brings an added dimension to the collection. Although Jenkins says that preparedness, conditioning, and avoiding ego-based lapses of judgment are essential to a venture's safe outcome, be aware that the spirited energy that infuses his anecdotes nevertheless leans toward celebration of reckless acts.Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Jenkins writes a column for Outside magazine called "The Hard Way." This collection of 23 essays gives us a good feel for the column's scope and variety. Here's a visit to a holy lake; a stroll through the site of the World War I massacre at Gallipoli; a trip up Mount Waddington, one of Canada's most notorious peaks; a ride with a Tibetan bike messenger. Jenkins' lively, personal style invites us along to share his adventures, although occasionally the prose seems artificially dramatic. On the other hand, his descriptions of people and places are splendid, and his familiarity with the history of the sites he visits and the activities he engages in adds another level of interest to his work. Fans of Jenkins' two pre-Outside travel books, Off the Map (1992) and To Timbuktu (1997), will be on familiar ground here, and readers of similar books by other outdoor adventurers (Tim Cahill, for example, who is also an Outside regular) will want to give this one a look. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
San Francisco Chronicle From a quest for a tabooed sacred lake in Tibet...to even more quixotic pursuits like examining the American hitchhiking experience in modern times...These diverse exploits are united through a tone set by the author's lucid, creative, and economical prose. Jenkins provides clear insight into the physical, mental, and emotional conditions that should infuse bold ventures.
Book Description
Adventure writer Mark Jenkins has journeyed around the world, crossing wild country, probing the hinterlands, getting arrested over a dozen times. He has made a life out of doing things the hard way. The result is a book that dives headfirst into adventure and experience. Jenkins transports the reader with him as he climbs the ice-encrusted Italian Ridge of the Matterhorn, sea kayaks from battlefield to battlefield along the Turkish coast of Gallipoli, sneaks across Tibet to reach Buddhism's holiest lake, descends unexplored canyons in Australia, and traverses the war-torn Simen Mountains of northern Ethiopia. If you've ever dreamed of escaping, lighting out for the unknown, read this book. In a world increasingly vicarious and secondhand, we all long to make decisions that matter, decisions of consequence. This is precisely what the outdoor life still requires. The Hard Way is a book about doing, not watching -- about leaping before you look.
About the Author
Mark Jenkins lives in Laramie, Wyoming, with his wife and two daughters. The adventure columnist for Outside magazine, Jenkins journeys to the most difficult and dangerous places on the planet every month. Formerly the investigative editor for Men's Health, Jenkins has also written for GQ, Playboy, Condé Nast Traveler, Backpacker, Reader's Digest, and The Washington Post.
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