Candidly, I will say this book is not what I expected. It took me a bit to get into it, as it was more life story/self reflection/mental health than I expected. At times, it felt a little disorganized (stories jumping around, past reflections, etc). That said, by the time the book ended, I loved it. I love how forthcoming Cory Richards was about his struggles. I love how he explicitly discusses the complexities of mental health. I love that he had the strength to share stories that had to have been difficult to disclose (he even admits that in one chapter). I feel that he is a true testament to the impact of mental health because, for all intents and purposes, he was living a fabulous life. He made incredible opportunities for himself and there were often compromised because of what was happening inside of his mind.

On another note, he talks about climbing Everest without oxygen in such an objective, straightforward way. I am just amazed that he has the ability to conquer the world's tallest mountain (more than once!). His accomplishments as an athlete, a photographer, and a writer are truly commendable.

I went to a Christian school from pre-school through ninth grade. This school was very small and not well-funded, so they were open to anybody even though, technically, you had to be a professed Christian to attend. The school attracted parents of "troubled" kids because they probably hoped the Christian education would whip them into shape. It didn't. Most of them lasted a year or two then either got expelled or went back to public school. The kids cursed and threatened teachers and acted up in class and were always causing, well, trouble. I remember a few of them by name, standouts who were always getting detention and suspension. One got expelled for threatening a teacher with a plastic butter knife. Another I saw over a decade later at the college where I tutor and teach, and he told me he'd spent time in prison between middle school and when I saw him again.
Reading the first third of The Color of Everything was like reading about one of these kids' lives. Cory was a "troubled" kid, and he "acted out" and caused heartache for his parents and for the other adults in his life. He talks about his birth and his early childhood and the trauma he experienced. He provides context for his behavior, and he takes ownership for the wrongs he committed. However, I still didn't particularly like Cory or feel much sympathy for him because it felt like he made a lot of excuses.
Once Cory got into his early adulthood, the book vastly improved for me. Even when I'm reading fiction, I don't like the early parts of the story when the main characters are kids if I know they're going to grow into adulthood in the book. I know those stories are foundational, but I feel that authors, in memoir or in fiction, spend way too much time on the context, thinking it's more important than it is. Once Cory is 19 or 20 and begins traveling, his story really takes off. I grew to know him and to really like him, even to love him. I appreciated that he no longer made excuses and was very open and honest about his choices and mistakes. He talks about climbing and photography and love and mental illness. I learned a lot from this book about psychiatry and climbing and mental health in general. I really enjoyed the journey, especially the ending.
What drew me to this book is that I've been watching a lot of climbing docs with my dad after reading a book about the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (title escapes me at the moment), but I'm glad this book wasn't just about climbing. I enjoyed those parts, too, but it was refreshing to read about the person involved in the climbing and not just about the expeditions themselves. I started following Cory on Instagram early on in this book, and his page is fascinating for this reason, too.
The intro to this book touches on these topics: mental health, climbing, and photography. It ends with Cory's most famous photo, one I'd never seen before. I cried looking at it after reading about the context. Cory's prose is impactful. It made me stop and think often, contemplating how I felt about identity or bipolar or trauma. I wish I'd read a physical copy, so I could have dog-eared pages to refer back to. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I recommend this book to people who enjoy memoirs, climbing, photography, love, travel, and more. There are triggers, though: suicide, loss, grief, trauma, violence, strong language, sexual harassment, and others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

I really had trouble getting into this book, because it was kinda all over the place. The author had so much to say, but to me it rambled a bit. I know a lot of people loved it, but it’s just not for me.

"Climbing is an act of overcoming through reduction and refinement and occasionally brute force." - Cory Richards

This quote fits as a description of Cory Richards' life. To sum it up in a sentence - this is the story of a man who becomes a well-known photographer while dealing with his mental illness.

It took me a while to warm up to Richard's storytelling style. He's very wordy and to be honest, the chapters on his childhood were disturbing to me as he was very detailed, very self-absorbed and his description of the effect his behavior had on his family was horrible. He was subject to and participated in domestic abuse and it affects his life from his relationships to his academics and, I imagine, his self-esteem. I found the pace to be slow in the beginning as he describes the trauma he endured during childhood. Eventually, the book picks up the pace after he receives a diagnosis and ends up getting some medical treatment although there are times when he gets bogged down in details. He is known as a photographer who takes great risks - climbing mountains and living through the avalanche that he describes during the first chapter of the book.

One aspect of Richards' writing I did enjoy was the quote at the beginning of each chapter which helps set the tone. Richards make a point of letting the reader know that he is well-read and that he used to quote texts in high school, so it is apt that he begin each chapter with a fitting quotation.

I didn't know who he was prior to receiving this ARC, but found his memoir to be okay. It didn't pull me in and hold my attention as other memoirs have, but it might be that I just don't relate to him. The chapters I found most interesting were the ones in which he came to terms and sought treatment with his mental illness (bipolar). I haven't known anyone around me that has bipolar disorder so it was interesting to learn more about it from a person living with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I haven't heard about Cory Richards before reading his memoir. It's a very frank discussion of his various mental health problems, rooted in his early life and family history, and various steps undertaken to manage these problems. Some fragments are very interesting. The sections about mountain climbing and taking photographs were particularly fascinating (even though I am not very much into mountain climbing). The fragment about #metoo - eh. Not sure if it works. But overall, it's an interesting, engrossing book.

I found the journey of Cory Richards life awe-inspiring, from early on it seems he has tried to find a peaceful place but had to take many different paths to find one that made him happy. I love the places he traveled to and the cultures he learned from. I loved the many ways he tried to find help and each time he received help added to understanding of his journey. I love how he describes everything in his journey, it felt like I was right there with him and that I could hear, see and taste what he was doing; the descriptions of his climbs, the encounters with unexpected finds and his the preparations for those climbs were mind boggling.
The most inspiring part of the journey is his courageous effort to find what would bring him peace and not giving up on himself. I like that each encountered with other people made him more empathetic and more understanding about how everyone has their own package and that we all want to be happy. I loved the results of his stay at the Buddhist retreat where he found what really matters.

I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Random House and NetGalley for an advance copy of this amazing journey into one man soul and finding a great journey.

The color of everything was a quick read for me! I really like the writing and prose to this book! 4/5 rating for me! I will read books again by the is author!

The Color of Everything is the personal memoir of Cory Richards. He is a renowned climber and photographer for National Geographic. His father is a math teacher and ski patroller and he spends many years teaching Cory and his brother how to ski and climb.

Richards has a tough childhood. He clashes with his brother constantly. He has a hard time relating and getting along with others. As a result of the violence in the household, it eventually becomes determined that Richards has mental illness, particularly bipolar disorder. He drops out of HS and uses the skills he has learned from his father to emerge himself in photography, particularly climbing and filming the highest mountains of the world. He does this to help suppress the darkness that he feels inside of him.

He eventually makes a name for himself by being the only American to climb the highest mountain peaks, over 8000 mts, in winter, with and without oxygen. His pictures get picked up by National Geographic and he is sent by them on many filming expeditions. He started out by flying all over and climbing these peaks. It is unclear to me how, in the beginning, he was able to do this without a job or money.

No matter how much he tries, his mental illness still rises to the surface and for awhile he is debilitated by it. Much of the story is about mental illness. Getting through the psychological part of it was sometimes tough as it is at times very technical. He also goes off on tangents on patriarchy, feminism, and sexual humor. These parts I found hard to get through although I did find his life experiences to be interesting. His writing is good. Some of his pictures are strange but his mountain views are amazing.

Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy.

Probably the most soul-searching, revealing and honest memoir I have ever read. With the immediacy of the author's writing, you truly experience what he is feeling, emotionally and physically. His bi-polar diagnosis as an adolescent had to have colored his whole world gray, but this is not a negative story (even though it is intense to read). The author takes responsibility for his own actions. I would be very interested in reading a "follow-up" memoir twenty years hence. (Richards is just approaching middle-age.) His work for National Geographic magazine and his drive to always challenge himself makes for exciting reading.

This autobiography covers the life events of the renowned mountaineer and photographer Cory Richards. The book commences with the author’s childhood, giving much insight into who the author genuinely is and how his relationship with his parents and brother would play a role in who he would become. Unfortunately, he does not have a healthy relationship with his brother, who seems to constantly pick fights with Cory.

Throughout his childhood Cory’s father taught he and his brother how to explore nature, to include mountain climbing. This would later be a gateway for Cory to escape the noise in his life. However, there are demons within and Cory finds himself becoming more and more defiant against his parents. He is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and placed in an institution for treatment, which ultimately does not solve the struggles he faces within.

Later on, Cory strives to become a photographer for National Geographic. He joins friends on expeditions across the globe to climb the world’s highest mountains in an effort to get that one photo that would set him apart. But mountain climbing gives Cory so much more: a temporary outlet for the noise in his life and a life changing event as well!

Throughout his life, Cory deals with substance abuse, failed relationships and family tragedy! Finally, he seeks refuge in treatment in Thailand. It is here that he learns to meditate and comes to grips with accepting who he is instead of trying to “fit in.”

I did enjoy this book! It gained momentum for me as the storyline progressed. I’ve always been fascinated with books on mountain climbing. This book is that and so much more, worth the read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

The Color of Everything By Cory Richards
Overall Grade: A
Writing: A
Details and explanations: A
Coverage of the main topic: A
Best Aspect: A wonderful memoir full of so many interesting stories and wonderful insight on life. Very insightful and full of emotion.
Worst Aspect: Descriptions are so good you may feel like you are climbing a cold mountain.

First, thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I absolutely LOVED this memoir! I had never heard of Cory Richards, but picked this book because I enjoy memoirs, and I have always been enthralled by people who attempt Mount Everest. I have no interest in doing it myself, but I am fascinated by the stories. This book is so much more than just a story about climbing a mountain (really several mountains, and many Everest climbs).

Richards is not only an adventurer and climber, but also a gifted photographer, artist, and writer with many tales to tell. I really enjoyed his prose style. He captures the people in his life in beautiful vignettes so perfectly, I feel I've met them. His gift for writing puts the reader on the mountain with him and his companions and inside his head as well. Not only that, but he includes research relevant to his topics--PTSD, Mental Illness, the search for Happiness to name just a few.

I have read many memoirs. It's one of my favorite genres and this book ranks with the best I've ever read. RIchards doesn't paint a flawless picture of himself while blaming others for his trouble, He shares his experiences, warts and all, and seems genuinely reflective and contrite for misdeeds and hurts he's caused. He learns from the experiences even when they are painful to remember. I have tremendous respect for him, and will be looking for any future works he releases. I'm hoping when this book released, he includes an audio book as well. I would love to hear him narrate his own story.

While from the outside, Cory Richards looks like someone who has everything--talent, good looks, great jobs and adventures, he has suffered many traumas in his life and is open in sharing the results and impact it has had on his life. His openness about his conditions and therapies are generous and important to help us understand and accept mental illness as a real thing, not a lame excuse for bad behavior or to get out of doing something.

I am already recommending this book to everyone I know and will be offering it to my book club as a next great read. Through some kind of serendipity, I was finishing this book on a visit to my son who lives across the country from me. During the long drive from the airport to his home 2 hours awaym we had a discussion on happiness and what it really means. I had highlighted the passage in this book where Richards talks about that very topic, so I pulled out my tablet and read several pages to my son. It enriched our discussion greatly. There's a lot of wisdom shared in this book. I think I highlighted and bookmarked more pages in it than any book I can remember. Really impressive research and useful information on so many topics. It's a book I will be re-reading.

This book will take you on a thrilling adventure. The story of Cory Richards' life is one fraught with mental health, grief, violence, trauma, and self-discovery.

As someone dealing with depression, I found Richards' story so interesting. Although Richards is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, his struggle was still relatable in parts. Turning his love of photography into a career in adventure photography, Richards travels all over and experiences the most thrilling things.

That is until an avalanche changes everything he tried to put behind him. He finally has to face his past trauma and learn to see his pain as part of his story instead of something to hide from. This was an amazing and moving story, and I loved it!

I’m not a photographer or mountaineer but admire both. I wanted to read Cory’s autobiography to learn more about his background and stunning career but ended up with a much richer experience. Cory is an extremely talented writer and beautifully describes his family and amazing career. His personal insights on the mechanics of mountaineering and photography were interesting; however, this book moves to another level as Cory provides remarkable insight and candor on his experience with mental illness and his ongoing battle to conquer his demons. This is a brutally honest and impactful story about human vulnerability and the ability to succeed against overwhelming internal and external forces. Highly recommended.

I tried; how I tried to finish this book but when the number of times I paused and found excuses to do something else impacted my ability to move forward with all the unread books in my library, I finally had to admit this was not a good choice for me.
Don’t get me wrong, Richards is a good writer, but his self-destructive choices and behavior set the tone for a less than enjoyable reading experience.
I was expecting a vivid recounting of his climbing experiences, but the events were seen through the veil of his mental issues and came through muted and curiously joyless.
It was at that point I decided plugging away at this book was not a good use of my limited time... I did Google his photographs and was not particularly moved by them either so I think this was just not the author for me. If you identify with Richards’ issues, however, this may be a good book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of "The Color of Everything" by Cory Richards. These thoughts are my own. I have two random enjoyments in my life: climbing and/or climbing documentaries and autobiographies. I thought this would combine the best of both worlds. It was a bit of a struggle getting into the first 30% of the book but then I was engaged and ready to move forward. The positives: I appreciate Cory's depiction and raw emotion while describing his mental health struggles. I think normalization is the key to acceptance and I know how much he has been through in his short life. I did struggle with sympathizing with him for some of his behaviors (i.e. hookers, drugs, alcohol) and found him to not be that likeable. I know he accepts his faults and the fallout with friends over the years, just some of the things rubbed me the wrong way. I thought the writing was good but wish we could've seen some of his famous pictures included in the book as well.

I was going to wait and write this review after I started this book for a second time, (and hopefully finish), because I could not get through it the first time. I actually checked to see if I was reading the book I requested, because it didn't seem as if the description matched. This is a hard book to read. If I could have got through the author's childhood and adolescence, I may have seen why other NetGalley members gave it high ratings. I really wanted to climb the mountains with him. I thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advance read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.
It's difficult to write a review for an autobiography as it seems to be a judgement of a person. So focusing on the writing I found the first 2/3 of the book is very well written. From the beginning you are pulled into the story very quickly. Hearing about mental illness and addiction from a person who experienced both yet accomplished quite a bit in their life was very informative and refreshing.

The last third of the book is a combination of a inner monologue, lecture and incomplete narratives. I felt like there was something underlying that we weren't told maybe just skimming the surface of something that should be expanded. The author is entitled to withhold or provide vague narratives but I was left with the feeling I wasn't given all the facts.

This is one of the most raw memoirs I've ever read. This book immerses readers in both the beauty of the natural world (Richards is a photographer and has worked for Nat Geo) and the depths of the human experience (as he navigates bipolar disorder and childhood trauma). I thoroughly appreciated how Cory took us inside his life stories - it felt like we were in his head, going through each experience alongside him. I found Cory Richards by following his Everest expeditions, but after reading this I realized climbing is but a blip in his life.

I wanted to like it, but I can’t say that I did. It was a bit all over the place. A lot of it is focused on his mental health, so perhaps that’s why it felt all over the place, but there really wasn’t a throughline. I won’t go on about all the reasons why I didn’t like it, maybe it’s just not for me.