sonnie trotter's memoir was quite charming. if you like rock climbing, are familiar with trotter, and are particularly interested in reading about some of his impressive climbing achievements you will find something to enjoy in this book. trotter had a solid upbringing and was encouraged in a healthy way to pursue his passion for climbing. the book is collected of brief essays, specific to certain experiences. i liked the friendly faces that feature within the stories, and was happy to see a mention of katie (naked edge chapter), alex and tommy throughout. trotter has always come off as a super solid guy and that shows in his stories as well. very stable. i was also particularly fond of the squamish mentions throughout, as it is truly a climber's dream and one of my favorite places to climb.

the highlight of the book came at the end on the reflections on fatherhood. once trotter's two kids are in the picture, we get more of an reflection on the balance between sport and being a present father and partner. i wish we had more of this throughout the book, or just a greater focus on this duality.

*thank you to the publisher for an e arc*

I'm such a big fan of Sonnie Trotter, and I was so excited to see Uplifted available! An incredible memoir following Sonnie's life in climbing. It was joyous, heartfelt and just good storytelling.

4.5

Even though I'm a rock climber myself, I can't imagine doing the climbs that Sonnie, Alex Honnold, and many others do (I'm a solid 5.10 climber right now). It always amazes me reading about the climbs and how incredibly talented these guys are. I actually had the chance to meet Sonnie just last week, but only found out last minute and wasn't able to make it. I so would have loved to discuss his book and the climbs in it.

I enjoyed reading about Sonnie's climbs, not only because he's talented and has climbed some amazing routes, but also because he is quite humble and doesn't really brag about his accomplishments, even though he very well could. He talks about his start in climbing, in a little gym in Canada, working his way through the ratings and getting outdoors to keep pushing himself. Some of the routes he's done I've never heard of, so I would stop and check them out online to get a better idea and help visualize (Cobra Crack is insane, and definitely one I will pass on). And while I may never get to the level that he's at, or even close to it, reading about it gives me more motivation and excitement. I look forward to working on my skills and continuing to read about the climbs that Sonnie and many others do. Climb on.

This book has everything any climber could possibly want, fantastic photos, climbing history and wonderful descriptions of the climbs themselves. Learning more about crack climbing and the different thought processes that elite climbers go through was amazing. I thoroughly recommend this book.