The Color of Everything is a beautifully written novel with poetic language and vivid imagery. The author does a great job of painting emotional moments and internal reflections with care and creativity. However, while I appreciated the writing style, the story itself felt a bit slow-paced and at times lacked the emotional depth I was expecting.

The themes of love, loss, and self-discovery are important, but I found it hard to fully connect with the characters or feel fully invested in their journey. There were moments that really stood out and moved me, but others that felt somewhat repetitive or surface-level.

Overall, it’s a solid read with a lot of potential, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression for me. A good choice for readers who enjoy reflective, lyrical fiction, but it may not be for everyone.

I am not typically interested in non-fiction, but this one held my interest! This is a powerful and candid memoir. Cory Richards, a renowned climber and National Geographic photographer, takes readers on a journey through his incredible adventures while simultaneously exploring his lifelong battle with mental illness, particularly bipolar disorder. The book delves into themes of trauma, addiction, the pursuit of success as an escape, and the complex relationship between extreme physical challenges and internal struggles. It's a raw and honest look at finding purpose and healing amidst chaos.

A story about a Nat Geo photographer and his battle with mental health and learning how to take the perfect picture that someone would buy.

Everyone has personal challenges. Some struggle and some struggle and over come. I don't think Corey did either of these. He learned how to live. His mental health is not something that can be left behind and he said it is not his personality.

Interesting story, love his photography with Nat Geo.

In The Color of Everything, climber and National Geographic photographer Cory Richards shares his adventures and the driving force behind his need to constantly take on new challenges. Growing up in Utah, he was surrounded by the outdoors, but that wasn’t enough to give him peace. Struggling with bipolar disorder, grief, and family turmoil, he escaped into climbing and photography—until an avalanche forced him to rethink everything.

Richards' story ranges from risky adventure tales to deep personal reflection. His honesty about mental health adds another layer to the book, making it more than an extreme sports memoir.

The Color of Everything is a powerful read about survival, resilience, and self-discovery. If you’re into adventure memoirs with emotional complexity, this one is worth picking up.

I received this Advance Reader Copy of The Color of Everything from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Incredible story. I love reading memoirs and this one felt like I was right there, I didn’t want it to end. So powerful, highly recommend.

Known for his climbing feats and National Geographic photojournalism, Cory Richards has a future in literature now, too. His eye for detail and his ability to capture the light of significant moments serve him well in this debut memoir. He narrates adventure, particularly the knife-edge peril of mountain climbing, with taut pacing and language. He also finds a nice balance between adventure tales, personal reflection, and mental health info and advocacy. I especially loved his characterizations of his parents. I could see and hear these people and sense the author's love for them. A stirring memoir with arresting detail. 
[Thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an opportunity to read and share my opinion of this book.]

Cory Richards is known by some as an award-winning photographer for National Geographic. But he is also known for being the first American to climb an 8000 meter mountain (Everest) during the winter. This book follows the struggles Cory faced with mental health and addiction along with the effects it had with his relationships and physical well being.

This was a very wonderful book to read. Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC.

In The Color of Everything, Cory Richards blends adventure with personal reflection in a beautifully written memoir. With a sharp eye for detail and a vivid sense of place, Richards takes readers on an emotional journey that explores his experiences in the world of climbing and the challenges of navigating personal demons. The story is raw, inspiring, and profound, offering deep insights into human resilience and the pursuit of both physical and emotional peaks. A powerful, introspective read for those who enjoy stories of transformation and adventure.

While I wasn't familiar with him before reading his memoir, Cory Richards has done some pretty incredible things. Between the intricate preparation, training, experience, and building connections, he's spent most of his adult life taking grueling treks to colossal natural sights. He's climbed a truly impressive amount of mountains in conditions even seasoned outdoorsman would shy away from. He learned how to approach landscape photography from incredibly talented photographers, landing a long term job with <i>National Geographic</i>. He's made films. He's gone viral online for sharing these journeys and being open about the importance of talking about mental health and receiving treatment. And now 'he's written a book' can be added to this list.

Cory Richards has also done some not so great things. Some of this is alluded to on the cover blurb: family struggles, living with bipolar disorder, grappling with trauma resulted from being in a near-fatal avalanche. I imagine this is what many people find interesting about the book, especially if you aren't familiar with Richards. Climbing Everest is unfathomable (for most of us), but struggling with your mental health while pushing to do something that feels herculean is on plenty of bingo cards.

The blurb leaves out a detail that I think is pretty important to know heading in: Richards and <i>National Geographic</i> parted ways after they launched an inquiry into his behavior following a female coworker's sexual assault allegations. Allegations that Richards substantiated. I did not like being surprised that I was reading an abuser manifesto after I had invested 300+ pages worth of time.

For what it's worth, Richards is fairly candid about what happened (from his perspective)—including having a lousy reaction to it in the moment and trying to come around to understand why what he did was wrong (note: horrible sentence to have to type rn). It's unclear if this came from a place of personal growth or wanting to not get into a deeper hole after losing a dream gig (and blowing up another opportunity with a lot of time and money invested). This period of uncertainty led him to want to share his story. Well, that, and an ex girlfriend giving him a journal.

Whether the push to frame this as a meditative reflection on a challenging but daring life (and leave out all the unseemly assault stuff) was on Richards or the editor, it left <i>The Color of Everything</i> feeling like a disingenuous production. This is a lengthy book written in very simple prose that's peppered with quotes and cliches. The narrative affect felt flat, even when Richards found himself at the peak of virtually untouched mountains. Speaking out about mental health is a good thing, but in this case, the supplemental material didn't add the color we were promised.

This was a tough one to read due to the pure honesty that it showed. It peeled back layers involving the mental health challenges and life challenges people can face. It was relatable and something I could feel the pure emotion in.

First off, thank you Cory Richards, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Cory Richards is so good at writing, damn. The way he writes makes you feel like you're living in his memories and emotions. It takes someone really talented to do that. However, there are some of Richards' memories that were painful and that I don't want to live it. In those instances I had to set the book down and take a mental break from it before picking it back up again.

The stories of Richards' expeditions such as his river trip through Africa or climbing in the Himalaya's were really cool to read about. Even the moments that were less adventurous but no less cool, such as the retreats he did filled with silence or hanging in the Lumineer's basement.

I would 100% recommend this book. It reminds you that people are dealing with silent battles and to not judge but to treat others with love and grace. It's a peek into a life with bipolar disorder and addiction and that life isn't just made up of the things (ex: photographs) that make people famous. People are multi-dimensional and ever-changing witch Richards' illustrates so beautifully in the Color of Everything.

Thank you Cory Richards for being vulnerable & sharing your beautiful story with the world. It needs to be heard.

Using his adventurous spirit to fight the internal life that he battled from an early age, Richards details his climbing, the harrowing experiences and near death trials that kept him getting back up again.

He had mental health crises from a teen through adulthood and used climbing as a tool. He details both in a way that was introspective and kind to all who have similar experiences.

Not coming from a perspective and understanding of either, it was an empathetic approach and his personal experience that he wanted to lay bare.

Earlier this year I realized I'm absolutely fascinated with climbing Mt. Everest. If you knew me you would laugh, because I'm not in any type of shape, nor do I like to be outside enough, to climb Mt. Everest. So imagine my fascination and awe when I find this book written by a photographer who has climbed Mt. Everest. I felt like it was a sign. To what, I didn't know at the time. This book is Cory's memoir and it is full of action, suspense, and intrigue, and also raw vulnerability as well as a plethora of personal wisdom! I highlighted the shit out of this book! This surprised me. I was expecting to read about climbing Mt. Everest, and I did, but that isn't what why I will be recommending this book. I will be recommending this book to people because here is a man who chose to share his lowest lows and his highest highs, his fight with his own mental demons, and the things he learned about himself and life along the way. He does not shy away from the details, so they are raw and it feels like you are experiencing the mental struggles and the bitter cold mountain climbing with him. This book is for the action junkie and the mental health advocate alike, and everyone in between. I was blown away by Cory's story and I will be returning to the wisdom in his words. Thank you, Cory, for sharing your story with the world! You are a very gifted writer and story teller!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

interesting tale of adventure and journey by an interesting person. a worth it read esp if into nature or adventure.

I didn't know of or anything about Cory Richards before this book[despite our family getting National Geo. for years and my dad shoving anything he saw as interesting at us and demanding we read it LOL], and to be honest, I don't really feel like I know how now either, AFTER reading this book [and what I DO know, I have to say, I am not a huge fan of]. He comes off as pretentious [he never seems to take the blame for anything, even if it is his fault ALL while preaching about owning ones mistakes], self-absorbed, and very selfish and I am not sure how much of that is just his nature [who he truly is] ad how much of that is his mental illness [and I am not trying to diminish his very real struggles with mental illness - I cannot imagine accomplishing all he has while fighting his demons] or if it is a true mix of both; he just never really lets his shields down to let you see him truly. He is very off-putting, he uses a lot of words to describe something yet the reader is often left wanting, his gratuitous use of language was very off-putting and really too much at times, the jumps around in time was disorienting and frustrating as you would finally be engaged in the story [usually of a spectacular climb he was doing] and WHAM, you were jerked back in time and the flow was gone. It was just...meh.

I did enjoy the mountain climbing [something I will never ever do, and fully admire anyone who can and does ever since reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer] and photography [which I DO do and enjoy, though not even remotely at his level] sections of the book [minus the time jumps], but even those at times got to be a lot of a lot [and that isn't even factoring in his dad's illness, his #metoo experience and and and...] and by the end, I was rather glad it was over.

I was invited to read/review this by the publisher [Random House Publishing - Random House] and I thank them, Cory RIchards, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The description of the book really pulled me in but his writing style was really difficult for me. The pace is super slow in the beginning and makes it hard to want to continue. I love a good memoir and this was just okay for me. (probably because of the writing style).

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley or an ARC in exchange for a review. Book was released July 9, 2024

This is a memoir of Cory's life so far, and one that is packed with information. He is an excellent writer and very candid abut his struggles with life, and how to try and overcome them. At a young age he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder but he also had problems with addiction, and self worth.
Growing up in Utah, his father had spent years teaching Cory and his brother how to ski, climb, mountaineer, and survive in the wild.
As Cory grew older, he got in to Photography and adventure travel, where he ended up climbing Everest, climbed imposing mountain faces alone in the dark, and become the only American to summit an 8,000-meter peak in winter. for the love of climbing, and also as a Photographer shooting at times for National Geographic. But after a very close call with death due to an avalanche, he learn to rewrite his story confront his past traumas, and evaluate his own mental health, and to try to change the way he lived his life.
This book is in a way, like reading a thriller, every page made you want to know what happens.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for a copy of this book.

I thought this book was really cool. I think mountain climbing is so interesting and I thought this autobiography was really good and I’ve recommended it to many people.

When I read Cory Richards’ bio and the summary of this “thrilling tale of risk and adventure,” a friend of ours had just climbed to the Mt. Everest based camp. I’ll admit that might have caused some myopia when reading the summary as I glommed onto the thrilling adventure promise. This book is indeed about his adventures, and the opening avalanche scene is amazing. But it is weighted on mental health and addiction told with honesty and frankness. I don’t relate to this aspect of Richards’ story, so the pace felt boggy and I was unable to connect, but he does a wonderful job documenting his personal experiences and his story is beautifully told. This would be a good book for those who want to learn about his personal challenges and how he progressed despite them.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group—Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC.

This was a moving, haunting, deeply written piece of work. I ate it up from the beginning. Cory Richards has a way with words, and keeps you drawn in until the very end.