Amazon.com
As one of Gao Xingjian's characters remarks, if a fiction writer could know the true stories of the people he passes on the street, he would be amazed. Surely the Nobel laureate's own story, which forms the basis of Soul Mountain, is worthy of amazement. In 1983 Gao was diagnosed with lung cancer, the disease that had killed his father. At the same time, he had been threatened with arrest for his counterrevolutionary writings and was preparing to flee Beijing for the remote regions of southwest China. Shortly before his departure, however, the condemned man got at least a partial reprieve: a second set of x-rays revealed no cancer at all. On the heels of this extraordinary redemption, he began the circuitous journey that would lead him to the sacred (and possibly mythical) mountain of Lingshan--and to this daring, historically resonant novel.
A destination chosen arbitrarily, at the suggestion of a fellow traveler, the elusive Lingshan becomes rich with meaning for the narrator of Soul Mountain. Meanwhile, the narrator himself shows a tendency to go forth and multiply. First he divides into You and I. Then You generates yet a third voice, a somewhat simple but intense young woman named She, followed by He--and none of these personae can resist the elemental lure of the sacred site. Indeed, the search for Lingshan becomes a metaphor for all spiritual striving:
Would it be better to go along the main road? It will take longer travelling by the main road? After making some detours you will understand in your heart? Once you understand in your heart you will find it as soon as you look for it? The important thing is to be sincere of heart? If your heart is sincere then your wish will be granted?
Along the way, I and You mourn the devastations of the Cultural Revolution, when thousands of monuments, temples, and graves were reduced to rubble. The obliteration of these reminders of the dead becomes a torment to the narrators of the novel, who struggle to assert their individuality--itself a proscribed act in Communist China--against what they see as a false and brutal ideal that has swept away history, literature, and tradition as decisively as it has destroyed the ancient forests. (At one point Gao describes the sad spectacle of the few remaining pandas, who wander a shrinking woodland wearing electronic transmitters.) Seamlessly translated by the Australian scholar Mabel Lee, Soul Mountain is a masterpiece of self-observation set against a soulful denunciation of "progress" and practicality. --Regina Marler
Book Description
In 1983 Chinese playwright, critic, fiction writer, and painter Gao Xingjian (pronounced gow shing-jen) was diagnosed with lung cancer and faced imminent death. But six weeks later, a second examination revealed there was no cancer -- he had won "a reprieve from death" and had been thrown back into the world of the living. Faced with a repressive cultural environment and the threat of a spell in a prison farm, Gao fled Beijing. He traveled to the remote mountains and ancient forests of Sichuan in southwest China and from there back to the east coast, a journey of fifteen thousand kilometers over a period of five months. The results of this epic voyage of discovery is Soul Mountain.
A bold, lyrical, prodigious novel, Soul Mountain probes the human soul with an uncommon directness and candor. Interwoven with the myriad of stories and countless memorable characters -- from venerable Daosit masters and Buddhist nuns to mythical Wild Men, deadly Qichun snakes, and farting buses -- is the narrator's poignant inner journey and search for freedom.
Fleeing the social conformity required by the Communist government, he wanders deep into the regions of the Qiang, Miago, and Yi peoples located on the fringes of Han Chinese civilization and discovers a plethora of different traditions, history, legends, folk songs, and landscapes. Slowly, with the help of memory, imagination, and sensory experience, he reconstructs his personal past. He laments the impact of the Cultural Revolution on the ecology -- both human and physical -- of China. And in a polyphony of narrating selves -- the narrator's "I" spawns a "you," a "she," and a "he," each with a distinct perspective and voice -- the novel delights in the freedom of the imagination to expand the notion of the individual self.
Storytelling saves the narrator from a deep loneliness that is part of the human condition. His search for meaning -- in life, in the journey -- turns up the possibility that there may be no meaning. The elusive Lingshan ("Soul Mountain"), which becomes the object of his quest, never yields up its secrets, but the journey is a rich, strange, provocative, and rewarding one. Soul Mountain is a novel of immense wisdom and profound beauty.
Download Description
"Special feature! This e-book edition contains ""The Case for Literature,"" the complete text of Gao Xingjian's 2000 Nobel Lecture. In 1983 Chinese playwright, critic, fiction writer, and painter Gao Xingjian was diagnosed with lung cancer and faced imminent death. But six weeks later, a second examination revealed there was no cancer - he had won ""a reprieve from death"" and had been thrown back into the world of the living. Faced with a repressive cultural environment and the threat of a spell in a prison farm, Gao fled Beijing. He traveled to the remote mountains and ancient forests of Sichuan in southwest China and from there back to the east coast, a journey of fifteen thousand kilometers over a period of five months. The result of this epic voyage is Soul Mountain. A bold, lyrical, prodigious novel, Soul Mountain probes the human soul with an uncommon directness and candor. Interwoven with the myriad of stories and countless memorable characters -- from venerable Daoist masters and Buddhist nuns to mythical Wild Men, deadly Qichun snakes, and farting buses -- is the narrator's poignant inner journey and search for freedom. Fleeing the social conformity required by the Communist government, he wanders deep into the regions of the Qiang, Miago, and Yi peoples located on the fringes of Han Chinese civilization and discovers a plethora of different traditions, history, legends, folk songs, and landscapes. Slowly, with the help of memory, imagination, and sensory experience, he reconstructs his personal past. He laments the impact of the Cultural Revolution on the ecology -- both human and physical -- of China. And in a polyphony of narrating selves -- the narrator's ""I"" spawns a ""you,"" a ""she,"" and a ""he,"" each with a distinct perspective and voice - the novel delights in the freedom of the imagination to expand the notion of the individual self.
Customer Reviews:
a well constructed spiritual and cultural journey.......2007-09-01
Soul Mountain has elements of a spiritual journey and a cultural exploration. Translating such a work from Chinese is no doubt a challenge. As a result, much of the language doesn't flow. At times, the conversations between the speaker and these ghost-like female figures seem almost adolescent. The story and imagery manage to get through. The villages and people that turn up create the world outside, while the author's constant musings adds more depth, as well as illuminating his internal cosmos. It is sometimes difficult to separate actual characters from avatars, but that mystic quality gives the book its flavor. The power of the Yangtze, the dust of the country roads, the quaint, strained apartment of a girl--all are very clearly conveyed. It is a story like no other. Portions do slow down with the avatars throwing fits or whining or yelling, but the remainder is very good. The cover painting nearly captures the essence itself.
Wonderful Wanderings of Goa Xingjian.......2006-05-31
If you've ever felt like grabbing your pack and disappearing into the mountains, then this is for you.
Xingjian is a rare breed of photographer, painter, poet and writer who manages to combine his talents to create a classic.
Having wandered the mountains of Japan myself, I often tried to jot down my thoughts as I went. A task better left to Goa Xingjian - the master.
tranquil reflections against a moving, Chinese landscape.......2006-03-31
The main character travels to a small mountain town where he meets a girl. She is working in a hospital there, escaping from a sad love affair. She agrees to go with him to Lingsan (Soul Mountain) for a few days. They go about making up stories about the people they see. He tells her about dragon dancers, bandits, mythological women, ghosts, grave robbers, hawkers, violent stories and romantic stories. As they fall in love with each other she becomes a storyteller herself, but the traits of her imagination are feminine - she talks about her own past, her love affairs, her desire for motherhood and emotional stability. The male character, at times appearing in a first-person narrative, is mostly concerned with tracing the disappearance of the old world of China, both from a cultural, ethnographic, and natural, ecological perspective. The traveller becomes a reader of the landscape, and the narrative is constituted by this effort to translate cultural and physical signs through the mediating axcis of the imagination. Experience of the world is important, but only in so far as it affects our perception in meaningful ways, helping us develop either a moral lesson or a deeper understanding of human complexities.
This way the narration progresses making up an ocean of violence and despair - the little stories acting like waves and making up a fragmented history. The contemporary re-presentations of folk culture are demythologized, subject to the ridicule of the masses and the blind, puzzled and ultimately rather ineffectual interest of the learned class. The translation of tradition and ancient history into our modern world is as problematic as the translation of affection between man and woman. When she decides to leave him, the main character consigns her to his memoroy, transforming the existence of the loved one into something as dubious as the country's ancient culture, with its rapidly eroding signs.
The narrative switching between the "I" and "you" personas in the main male character makes us think of the ancient time when the individual did not exist: "The birth of I derived from fear of death, and only afterwards an entity which was not I came to constitute you." The main character continues his journeys with no particular goal saving that of keeping moving. The same questions keep lapping his conscience: what is the meaning and purpose of tradition in our contemporary age?, how can we preserve our authenticity in a brutish world?, why is religion so detached from the passions?, why do we find such comfort in storytelling? Ultimately skeptical about love, the novel is nevertheless an ode to friendship, to the warmth of the acquaintances made and retained while "on the run", and to the sharing of information between people.
The main problem or interest is not to be found in history, which can be read however one chooses, but in what comes before history, the forgotten time before birth, from which the stuff of legend is perhaps derived. The rest is all a mockery of life. There is a vision of travelling as a form of forgetfulness, a way of entering that primeval time. It certainly is the means of projecting tranquil reflections onto a moving landscape. When the landscape is still, it is reflection that surges, climaxes, stops again.
The main character and the woman come together again towards the end of the novel. It is up to the reader to decide whether there has been a reconciliation or not, but by this time the reader - after 500 pages or so of serene reflections - wonders whether this reunion is necessary. After all, it could all have just been a dream...
Not for the concrete-minded.......2005-12-31
I read the reviews for this book, and despite the raves, had to stop reading it before I was finished.
The plot was too vague, and the "ingenious" gender changes of the narrator had no effect on me.
Moreover, the narrator refers to a "she." It seems the narrator develops crushes on many women, but doesn't often indicate up-front when he switches women.
I'm concrete-minded, and to me, this whole book was somewhat intangible.
It may be genius to the abstract-minded, but if you're like me, skip it!
autobiography? semi-autobigoraphy? travelogue? fanstasy? novel? ethnography?.......2005-09-24
I started reading this book because the title 'Soul Mountain' seemed very evocative. I ended up reading a work that exceeded my initial expectations of it.
This semi-autobiographical travelogue, if I may call it that (this work defies easy characterization in terms of genre), is based on the authors five-month travels in peripheral provinces of China among the Miao, Yi, Jiangsu, Tibetan, and Qiang people.
The author mixes this with his fantasies and day-dreams and philosophical reflections on a wide range of topics - men and women, history, nostalgia, madness, loneliness, pain, archaeology, nature, conservation, environment, Buddhism, Daoism, occult, sorcery, banditry etc.
The novel has two interwoven streams - one is the authors fantasies of woman and the other is his travel experiences.
In a writing style that seems a curious mixture of that of French and Chinese writers, the author gives poetic descriptions of pain, wonder, astonishment, degradation, fear, terror, hunger, fatigue, nature, folk songs, history, ruins, personalities, childhood, sex and so on.
The novel is not a story but a road novel. It does not have a beginning, peak and climax. It is a journey - always begun and never ended.
I have read about thirty of so 'classic' novels. This one stands out as the most memorable, although this is my subjective opinion.
There is no plot to describe here, but everyone will find a lot to identify in this novel.
Book Description
This is a very special collection of writings. It's one part book, one part love letter, and one part celebration. It's for people who are deeply, joyously in love -- and who would love to have a way to express those deep and lasting feelings.
Once in a great while, and usually when it's least expected, a special miracle manages to find its way into two lucky people's lives. In a meant-to-be moment -- somewhere between the opening words, the shared smiles, and the growing amazement that this closeness is beautifully real -- comes the recognition that this is "it" -- this is the one person you've waited for, the one you've dreamed of, the truly wonderful love of your life.
This book is a celebration of that kind of relationship. It is a gift that captures in words the things that are often so hard to say... and it expresses, in a very beautiful way, the happiest feelings, hopes, and dreams two people can share.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome, simply awesome !.......2007-07-17
The writings in this book are beautiful. They very eloquently put into words the feelings soul mates experience and share with each other. If you cannot relate, then you have yet to experience what having a soul mate is all about!
The One Person..........2007-03-10
A lovely book of poetry that truly conveys that "once in a life time" feeling.
Inspiring.......2007-02-12
You can't really expect much from a tiny little book of only 64 pages, right? Well, if you believe that, then take a look at this little power-packed book of the expression of love. For me, this book serves several purposes. Loving thoughts and expressions for my wife, and as a Minister, I have found several passages here than can be altered slightly to fit quite nicely in wedding ceremonies.
The writing here is a good as anything I've read on the expression of love and Douglas Pagels and Blue Mountain books are both to be commended for this fine work. If you have difficulty finding the right words to express your love to that special someone in your life, this book will certainly guide you in the right direction. You'll find thoughts and poems that can easily be altered to fit your circumstances, or in many cases, presented verbatim.
If you think there are just no new ways to express love, think again.
Exactly what I was looking for.......2007-01-21
This book had exactly the content I was looking for. It expressed my feelings for my wife in the perfect way.
What wonderful expressions of love!.......2007-01-12
I purchased this book to guide me in writing my wedding reading for my husband. I have always loved Blue Mountain Arts--and this book was no exception! I found some very compassionate writing--I plan on using this for our anniversaries as well. Thank you!
Average customer rating:
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Boulder: Heart & Soul - People & Place
Charmayne Bernhardt , and
Wendy Underhill
Manufacturer: Whispering River
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 West
| United States
| Travel
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General
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Boulder
| Colorado
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ASIN: 1879914956 |
Product Description
Amazing photographs reveal the splendor of Boulder's changing seasons and landscape, while the accompanying story and quotes celebrate this unique city and its natural surroundings. Through this imaginative book, you'll experience the wonders of the Flatiron mountains, Pearl Street Mall and the University of Colorado, along with brilliantly colored flowers, leaves, and skies. There's so much beauty in this one place - and in this one book.
Amazon.com
In a spectacular and mesmerizing narrative, Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the climbing leader for the IMAX film expedition on Mount Everest, details the ill-fated 1996 summer climbing season (made famous by Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air) and deftly weaves in the history, politics, triumphs, and tragedies of climbing the world's tallest mountain. Norgay knows Everest, and Touching My Father's Soul is a must-read for anyone contemplating a summit attempt, even if exclusively from the comfort of a favorite armchair.
Just because technological and meteorological advances have benefited later expeditions, newer isn't necessarily better; much wisdom can be gained from studying the mistakes and encounters of previous attempts. Anecdotes and gripping prose shine throughout, like this gem: "That night--and then the following night--we lay in our tents listening to the malevolent roar of wind high on the mountain. The train was still running, the 747 endlessly trying to take off." As a Sherpa and practicing Buddhist, Norgay flavors the book with his culture and its climbing rituals and carefully dissects the differences between the local, deep respect for their mountain--Chomolungma--and the nonnative brashness that has often led to disaster.
Norgay is intent on the accomplishments and experiences of his legendary father, Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa who first reached the summit with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953, and commendably shares his most private and human thoughts while retracing his father's greatest path. As Touching My Father's Soul acknowledges, however, no one conquers Everest. You sneak up on it, then get down as quick as you can. --Michael Ferch
Book Description
The Great Untold Story of Everest
Sherpas are part of our everyday parlance, yet we know so little of their world beyond their depiction as climbing wonders. In Touching My Father's Soul, Jamling Tenzing Norgay gives us an insider's view of the Sherpa world as he tells a story of Everest unlike any told before. His tale is one of profound adventure that entwines the lives of a family, a mountain, and a people.
As Climbing Leader of the famed 1996 Everest IMAX expedition led by David Breashears, Jamling Norgay was able to follow in the footsteps of his legendary mountaineer father, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, who with Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. While Jamling's father was the pioneer and most famous climber in the family, a total of twelve relatives have successfully summitted the mountain the Sherpas call Chomolungma, for the goddess who lives on the summit. In the Sherpa tradition and in the Norgay family, climbing Everest and living in its shadow have a very different meaning than the "men conquering mountains" attitude that prevails in many Western accounts.
Jamling Norgay interweaves the story of his own ascent during the infamous 1996 Mount Everest disaster with little-known stories from his father's historic climb. While the world celebrated Tenzing Norgay for his achievement, his son was deeply under his spell and inexorably drawn to the mountain his father loved. The journeys of both Jamling and his father began with ominous signs, telling divinations, ritual offerings, and humble prayers. Along the way both father and son grappled with the same physical and personal challenges as they pressed on against extreme circumstances. Jamling carried with him the fundamental mountaineering lesson learned from his father: Everest "must be approached with respect and with love, the way a child climbs into the lap of its mother. Anyone who attacks the peak with aggression, as a soldier doing battle, will lose."
Touching My Father's Soul is the first modern account of the Everest experience from the unheard voice of its indigenous people, revealing a fascinating and profound world that few--even many who have made it to the top--have ever seen.
Customer Reviews:
Jamling Norgay succeeds.......2007-01-18
I have read many mountain climbing books and this is one of the best. It is such a refreshing perspective from the sherpa's eye view. A great read.
Some Climb.......2006-12-18
This book recounts the 1996 memoirs of Jamling Norga, son of Tenzing Norgay. In 1953, Tenzing Norgay was one member of the two-man team that first made it to the top of Mt. Everest. Jamling, who was born after Tenzing's historic climb, felt drawn to follow in his footsteps from the time he first understood his father's place in the world. In this book, he details the events leading to his own successful ascent up Mt. Everest. Along the way, he reflects on the lessons his father tried to teach him about ethics, culture, and life. Tenzing had once forbidden Jamling to climb the mountain, telling him that he climbed Everest so that Jamling wouldn't have to. But that's not how it works between sons and fathers--there are some lessons a son must learn solely through personal experience, and no amount of advice or urging will dissuade him from a path he is determined to take.
In this book, Jamling recounts how his family lamas prognosticated a very dangerous season on Mt. Everest. As it turned out, Jamling would lose many friends on the mountain that year, all strong, experienced climbers. Although he had not been a member of the fated climbing teams that were decimated during those fateful days in May, 1996, he retells the stories of their tragic deaths as he witnessed the events unfold from the intermediate camps high on the mountain. All of these stories he tells from his unique vantage point as a Sherpa, a Buddhist, born and raised in India, and educated in the West. Thus, this book is quite different from the average climbing adventure story. It is as much a cultural adventure, a search for identity, and a tale of religious awakening with the Everest climb providing the backdrop.
Three books in one.......2003-07-29
Excellent book! The way I view it, it's 3 books in 1: a book about Tenzing's climb and personal life told by his
son, a book about his son's 1996 climb and his life and thoughts, and a book on Sherpa's life and Buddhist
customs. I really enjoyed reading it. The photographs include some photos of Tenzing as well.
Touching My Father's Soul.......2003-05-01
Nor what I expected and rather a disappointment, this books seems to be a local writer and a son cashing in on the family name. There is little excitement or depth of character exhibited here and the work seems unlikely to be that of a man Himalayan born and bred. Who actually wrote these words ? Whose thoughts are they ? Not Sherpa thoughts I think.
Far better is another book I have just read - Tenzing and the Sherpas of Everest by Tenzing's grandson, Tashi - an uplifting and honourable book about the Sherpas. It is simple and seems to me to truly represent the Sherpa viewpoint. This guy seems to be a true climber and talks like one. A far better book than Jamling's.
A Sherpa Man Finds his Spiritual and Family Roots.......2002-10-01
This book was absorbing emotionally and stimulating intellectually. It is the only book about the 1996 Mount Everest disaster written by a Sherpa, the indigenous people who work as porters and guides for commercial expeditions. I have read about five of the books written after the disaster, and wondered about the Sherpa point of view as there was surprisingly little mention of them.
The other books only mentioned them in passing and in terms of what the Sherpas did for the expedition. Jamling Tenzig Norgay, the author, experiences this attitude. After the disaster, he and his team stay at Base Camp. He wrote, "The other Sherpas were hanging out in a depressed funk. Some of them hadn't gotten so much as a thank-you from the guided clients whom they assisted down the mountain, often after exceptional struggle. The clients simply disappeared, some without saying goodbye. We notice this kind of behavior."
Norgay was skeptical about Buddhism at the beginning of the climb- but gradually came to believe in it. He requests and receives divinations from llamas- and uses their information as part of his decision-making. The book provides fascinating beginner's information that is accessible to someone like me who is just learning about Buddhism. He describes spirituality in a practical matter.
For example, he says, "in the icefall, as in the mountains, we hope we have been imbued with enough tsin-lap to handle any situation. Tsin-lap is roughly translated as "blessing", but it really means the mental ability and strength to allow our minds to be changed in the direction of complete awareness. When we pray to the wisdom deities, to the Buddhas, we pray for tsin-lap." He talks about the fact that he and the other Sherpas who carry loads for the team hike over each trail numerous times. This improves their athletic ability and knowledge of the mountain.
Norgay, spent over a decade in the United States and was also deeply familiar the clients who were paying to climb the mountains who were mostly from industrialized countries. The author does not idealize the Sherpas. He describes the positive parts of their culture, but also tells the reader that the main reason they are on the mountain is as a profession. It is to earn money. He explains that many of the Sherpas risked their lives for their clients during the disaster. But some expected a large award to be posted on the radio. It is not clear whether they might have saved the lives of their guide had an award been offered. Wong Chu, the sirdar responsible for logistics, kept a stick in the kitchen and "would whack miscreant Sherpas on the butt when they acted up. `You came here to do work.' he would say loudly."
Norgay is the son of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa who accompanied Edmund Hillary on the first successful attempt of the summit of Mount Everest. His story is interwoven with his father's story. And by the end of the book, you can see that the son had climbed two mountains- a real one and the metaphorical on that each of us must climb to integrate our past with our present and future.
Average customer rating:
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LA Montana Del Alma/Soul Mountain (Etnicos Del Bronce. Serie Francofonos Del Bronce, 19)
Xingjian Gao , and
Yanping Liao
Manufacturer: Ediciones del Bronce
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
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General
| Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
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Spanish
| Foreign Language Fiction
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General
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No-Ficción
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ASIN: 8484530442 |
Book Description
This book is a celebration of a very special type of love: the once-in-a-lifetime kind. It puts so many inexpressible feelings into words, weaving joy, hope, and happiness together, while expressing a wish for this special sharing... to last forever. It's a gift from the heart for someone so close to your soul. The unique handmade paper used for the cover of this book is first crafted from mulberry trees and then hand-colored by artisans. Each book cover in this eloquent series is distinct and different, and the environment is not harmed in the making of this paper.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting..........2003-02-03
Nice book..but its a duplicate of "To the One Person I Consider to Be My Soul Mate". If u have the book mentioned...u wouldnt wanna get this copy...I give the cover 3 stars though:o)
I Loved It Soooo Much.......2002-06-09
This is the first book by Douglas Pagels & Blue Mountain Arts that I have read. Bought it just on a whim, but couldn't believe how wonderful the poems were inside it. Very romantic, touching, and not ashamed to mention God, etc. They were wonderful to read aloud. About four of the poems mention "stars", which studying astronomy together is how I met my 'soulmate'. ["You have the most beautiful wishes the stars and I can wish, and my prayer that someday I'll be able to thank you for all this"] & [..and I'm sure it was you who made my stars come out at night] I'm going to buy several other Blue Mountain Art Books. Enjoy life.
Average customer rating:
- Surfing and Soul What Could be finer?
- deep and lofty
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Surfing The Soul: Mountain, Ocean and Spirit Poems
Mark Rovan
Manufacturer: Lompico Creek Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
20th Century
| Poetry
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Poetry
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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General
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
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United States
| Single Authors
| Poetry
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| Subjects
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ASIN: 0961931132 |
Book Description
When the mind is able to see beyond the surface of our surroundings, we can view nature in its simplicity and depth. The precise, passionate writing of poet Mark Rovan combines reality with surreal, true experiences of the natural world, as he leads the reader deeper and deeper into the spiritual dimension. Soar with these fresh spirit poems, sensuous oceanscapes, personality sketches, and passionate accounts of life in Montana. Deep water wisdom and a connection to the Divine stream from the heart of this poet, immersed in spirituality.
Surfing the Soul is divided into four sections, three of which explore the relationship of humanity to the natural world: the mountains, the ocean, and spirit. A fourth section, "Surfing Sagas," is devoted to poetic interpretations of famous surfers, such as Jeff Clark, Maverick's pioneer and Jack O'Neill, creator of the wetsuit. Describing Peter Johnson, artist and New Zealand surfer, Mark says, "I scored delicious waves/…between wrinkles on the neck of Lost Coast/…with smooth Cadbury chocolate cutbacks."
Customer Reviews:
Surfing and Soul What Could be finer?.......2007-08-05
What could be finer? Another book by that masterful poet with the boyish charm - Mark Rovan - that's what! I heard there was a new book(s) in the works. I can hardly wait.
This book knocked my wet suit soxs off!
deep and lofty.......2004-01-06
A modern down to earth mystic reels off stirring verses. Great imagery and inspiration. New perspectives, some moving, others funny. Well worth the read ... digest one a day, leave them as message gifts for your friends. Something for everyone. Thanks!
Average customer rating:
- Sexual Abuse and Everest
- A story of courage
- To The Summit: A Woman's Journey into the Mountains to fin
- Such a disappointment
- Such a disappointment
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To the Summit: A Woman's Journey into the Mountains to Find Her Soul
Margo Chisholm , and
Ray Bruce
Manufacturer: Avon Books (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
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Women
| Specific Groups
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Inspirational
| Spirituality
| Religion & Spirituality
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Women
| Spirituality
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Mountain Climbing
| Mountaineering
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General
| Sports
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ASIN: 0380973596 |
Amazon.com
After beating bulimia and the twin addictions of alcohol and cocaine, climbing mountains would probably seem like a walk in the park. For Margo Chisholm, author of To the Summit, her quest to become the first woman to climb the highest mountain on each continent--known to the mountain-climbing community as "the Seven Summits"--was her victory march. Traveling from Africa to Antarctica to the Himalayas, Chisholm chased her dream, scaling mountain after mountain, with only Everest eluding her.
Coauthored with Ray Bruce, Chisolm's story is an inspiring one. Even her failure to reach Everest's summit becomes a triumph of acceptance.
Book Description
Raised in a privileged and protected world of private schools and posh clubs, Margo was a seriously over weight alcoholic with a $1,000 a week cocaine habit when she turned her life around and got clean, sober, and fit. Early in her addictions, she became friends with Jonathan Wright, an accomplished professional photographer and dedicated adventurer and climber who invited Margo to join him on a trek into his beloved Himalayas-a feat Margo knew she was both physically and emotionally incapable of performing. Years later, Jonathan's memory would help sustain her on her quest for a seemingly impossible dream that his life had inspired: to become the first woman in history to scale the highest peak on each of the Earth's seven continents.
In 1988, Margo climbed her first two mountains -- summiting Mt. Kenya and the awesome, intimidating Mt. Kilimanjaro. An "ordinary" middle-aged woman with no formal mountaineering training and no previous experience, she had met and triumphed over the toughest demands and conditions that Nature could provide. But that was just the beginning. Spurred on by her newborn love affair with the world's loftiest peaks and most beautiful and inaccessible places, she pushed herself even further, taking on increasingly greater climbing challenges as she pursued more difficult and dangerous goals under the most harrowing of circumstances. And somewhere along the way-amid magnificent wildernesses of towering pinnacles and breathtaking, ice-covered vistas-Margo Chisholm realized she had reached a summit deep within herself; a place in the heart and soul where she discovered the pride, fulfillment and inner peace she had always longed for.
This is the true story of one woman's remarkable journey from self-doubt and despair to the top of the world-a moving and inspiring tale of exhilarating adventure...and the astonishing strength of the human spirit.
Customer Reviews:
Sexual Abuse and Everest.......2006-09-14
Like all well edited books, Chisolm and Bruce begin with the hook; Chisholm is beset with a violent, deep, wracking cough on the slopes of Everest during her 1992 summit bid. We've got to read the whole book to find out if she made it; the book is worth the read.
For misogynistic, macho, morons, Chisolm lets us know what she felt being a paying client in adventure climbing, an activity predominately run and participated in by men.
For drug addicts, alcoholics, and fatsos, we learn much about Chisolm's recovery and its relationship to her climbing.
For those of us who wonder about the background of those who write climbing books, we learn that Chisholm was sexually abused by her maternal grandfather, was told she was lying about it by her mother, sought and failed to be the first woman to climb the 7 summits, and could squat lift 175 pounds. We even learn some about an affair she had.
Superhuman leaders of expeditions write most climbing books. Chisolm didn't start climbing until she was in her 40's. She doesn't write of harrowing escapes, dashing rescues, and first ascents. What she does is write everywoman's view of climbing the seven summits. She says a mantra while she climbs, she has committee meetings in her head, and she has written a remarkable and thoroughly enjoyable saga of striving to make her place in the world filled with glowing and vivid descriptions of the beauty and pain of the seven summits, the closeness of death and the reality of debilitating injury occurring within a few feet of where she stood.
We can learn much from this woman and, for those of us who will never make a bleeding edge ascent, see how we might achieve some portion of what she accomplished within 5 years of leaving addiction, obesity, and inactivity behind.
A story of courage.......2000-02-17
If you are looking for a book that will motivate and inspire, this is it. This book is filled with inspiration and the message that one can make changes and choices in their life. Margo shares from her heart and soul and takes us on a fabulous journey of triumph.
To The Summit: A Woman's Journey into the Mountains to fin.......2000-02-04
This book is much deeper than it appears to be at first. On the surface, the author seems to be a self absorbed whiner. However, when you really listen to her and understand her struggles and her accomplishments, you will not be able to put this book down. She takes you step by step to the summits with her. You can really feel her pain and courage in each page. I applaude her courage and I am very thankful that I read this book. It really sends a message about the inner strength women possess. Way to go, Margo!
Such a disappointment.......2000-01-22
As a beginning, female mountaineer, battling some of the same addictions as Ms. Chisolm, I expected this book to be an inspiration. Instead, it was a great disappointment. Besides being POORLY written, I shudder to think of any other man or woman using Margo as a role model of recovery or mountaineering. After reading her book, I was actually disuaded for sometime from climbing as I saw her complete failure to find any balance in life. I saw no success or victory in her story - only confusion, isolation and self-centeredness.
I have NO idea why Margo wants to climb - she sounds utterly miserable on every voyage. Sounds more like her journey is to feed her ego, not her soul.
Such a disappointment.......2000-01-22
As a beginning, female mountaineer, battling some of the same addictions as Ms. Chisolm, I expected this book to be an inspiration. Instead, it was a great disappointment. Besides being POORLY written, I shudder to think of any other man or woman using Margo as a role model of recovery or mountaineering. After reading her book, I was actually disuaded for sometime from climbing as I saw her complete failure to find any balance in life. I saw no success or victory in her story - only confusion, isolation and self-centeredness.
I have NO idea why Margo wants to climb - she sounds utterly miserable on every voyage. Sounds more like her journey is to feed her ego, not her soul.
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