You must read this book My initial reaction to the words "The next book you read is In Thin Air" was definitely not me jumping up and down on my place of joy. I admit that I was not looking forward to reading this book at all. I tried to put off reading as long as possible, but then I realized I should try to read just the first chapter. After reading the first chapter I was completely captivated and couldn't get enough of the book. Jon Krakauer does a phenomenal job of keeping the reader involved in what happens in the book. You get an amazing story of the difficulties that come with climbing Mount Everest and a wonderful background of the mountain and its history. Every day I see my family and friends. Whether at home, at school or at an event, I always expect them to be there. I can never imagine a time when they weren't there, so I never think "what if they weren't there?". I never realized how lucky I am to have my family and friends still here with me. It seems I underestimated their existence. After reading In Thin Air, I saw my family and friends in a completely new perspective and learned that I should appreciate them for what they are worth; you never know when they might be taken away from you. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is an adventure story about a Mount Everest expedition gone wrong. The journey up the mountain is like previous journeys, but once you reach the top of the mountain all hell breaks loose. A violent storm traps climbers stranded on the mountaintop with little to no oxygen, no shelter and nowhere to go. Oxygen deficiency alone can kill someone and make them vulnerable to beginners' mistakes. Krakauer notices when he lacks oxygen and says, “The world beyond the rubber mask was extraordinarily vivid but didn't seem quite real, as if a movie was playing in slow motion in front of my glasses. I felt drugged, disengaged, completely isolated from external stimuli” (179). HACE, a medical condition in which the brain swells, is caused by a lack of oxygen and can kill people within 48 hours if left untreated. Without shelter, climbers are exposed to Arctic-like conditions.