The one thing that always bugged me about stories about mountain climbing was how little press the Sherpas got. True, you climbed whatever, but who did all the heavy lifting. Wouldn't true mountain climbing be doing the work of a Sherpa?

This book actually looks at a mountain tragedy with the focus on the Sherpas. Instead of the focus on white and Japanese people climbing a mountain, the reader is given information about what causes people to make a living shelpping stuff up and down mountains for people who wouldn't normally care about them.

It makes for a pretty compelling read and tells the story of tragedy from a viewpoint that is not commonly used, but should be.

A little dry, but very informative. I particularly like how she traces the history of some of the feminist and political groups.

Bittersweet reading this book considering current events. It is a lovely book. Schami and his sister give you a feeling of the neighborhood and people. It's like you are having a chat over coffee.

Update- Still interesting, also has some areas to raise discussion in classes.

Reading this sheds light and some insight on some of the events in Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. It also adds some very thoughtful critiques to the debate about prostitution

I actually hadn't heard of this wreck until the book was on sale (kindle edition). I picked it up. I read it after reading a fictional book that mentioned the wreck.

This is a very gripping account of the wreck, near Australia of a Dutch ship. What then follows is a horror story as those who survive the wreck struggle to survive themselves.

As a woman, however, I do have to wonder why Peter FitzSimons never used the word rape to describe what happened to the women. Even taking into account the view of women back then, still use of the word at least once would have been justified. It was a rather strange omission.