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Touch the Top of the World

A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See; My Story

Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

Erik Weihenmayer was born with retinoscheses, a degenerative eye disorder that would leave him blind by the age of thirteen. But Erik was determined to rise above this devastating disability and lead a fulfilling and exciting life.

In this poignant and inspiring memoir, he shares his struggle to push past the limits imposed on him by his visual impairment—and by a seeing world. He speaks movingly of the role his family played in his battle to break through the barriers of blindness: the mother who prayed for the miracle that would restore her son's sight and the father who encouraged him to strive for that distant mountaintop. And he tells the story of his dream to climb the world's Seven Summits—and how he turned that dream into astonishing reality, something fewer than two hundred mountaineers have achieved.

From the snow-capped summit of McKinley to the towering peaks of Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro to the ultimate challenge, Mount Everest, this is a story about daring to dream in the face of impossible odds. It is about finding the courage to reach for that ultimate summit and transform your life into something truly miraculous.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Erik Weihenmayer, a blind man who climbed Mount Everest, has written a book that touches and inspires. In it, he discusses his struggles, failures, and successes without self-righteousness or bitterness. Nick Sullivan's reading captures Weihenmayer's persona with natural ease; he is adept discussing the limitations Weihenmayer's visual impairment creates. But his performance goes further. Sullivan exudes the admiration of Weihenmayer's friends and family for this world-class athlete, and also conveys the frustration Weihenmayer feels when he is treated differently because of his blindness. TOUCH THE TOP OF THE WORLD makes the reader realize that, quite often, our limitations are those we impose upon ourselves, and that dreams are worth pursuing. D.J.S. 2003 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Author and narrator combine to tell you Erik's unusual story. (He would reject "inspiring.") Blind from youth, he refused to limit his lifestyle, making his high school wrestling team and attempting things that might flummox a sighted person--like skydiving. His crowning achievement, however, is the summiting of several of the world's highest and most dangerous peaks. Self-pity never sufaces in the text or the reading; what comes through is Weihenmayer's sense of humor and love of practical jokes. Instead of sharing the view from Mt. McKinley, you share the feeling of loose shale underfoot or smooth ice beneath grasping fingers. Nick Sullivan's ability to get into Weihenmayer's four other senses makes this tape a winner. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 1, 2001
      In this moving and adventure-packed memoir, Weihenmayer begins with his gradual loss of sight as a very young child. By the time he became fully blind in high school, he had already developed the traits that would carry him to the summits of some of the world's highest mountains as well as onto the frequently hazardous slopes of daily life: charm, resilience, a sense of humor, a love of danger and a concern for others. His eloquent memoir exhibits all these traits. Weihenmayer--a thrill seeker who skydives, climbs mountains and skis--devotes the first half of the book to his adolescence, punctuated by his loss of sight, his mother's sudden death and his diligent efforts not only to pick up girls, but first to figure out which ones were attractive. With its many tales of pranks, adventures and the talents of his guide dog, this half alone is worth the price of admission. He goes on to chronicle his young adulthood, including his teaching career and his passion for climbing, seeded during a month-long skills camp for blind adolescents and blossoming on his harrowing ascent of Mount McKinley. He describes fearsome ascents of Kilimanjaro--with his fianc e, so they can be married near the crater summit--El Capitan and Aconcagua's Polish Glacier. Weihenmayer tells his extraordinary story with humor, honesty and vivid detail, and his fortitude and enthusiasm are deeply inspiring. With the insightful intimacy of Tom Sullivan's classic If You Could See What I Hear and the intensity of the best adventure narratives, Weihenmayer's story will appeal to a broad audience.

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  • English

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