The Call of Kilimanjaro

I’m obsessed with personal accounts of mountaineering, especially when an amateur climber is able to conquer a mountain, so I was super excited to get approved for The Call of Kilimanjaro on Netgalley! I enjoyed hearing about the author’s journey and accomplishments, but this book felt way too short and I felt that it needed more substance. Although the ending wrapped up nicely, it still felt a little abrupt to me, but I think that was because I wanted to hear more details about his training.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Ever since reading "Into Thin Air" and started hiking myself, I have been voraciously looking for books on the subject to read. I loved it so much and it definitely mirrored Krakauer's writing style. I will definitely be recommending this several people I know.

As soon as I saw this title on NetGalley, I didn’t hesitate to request it. I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2016 and it was so fun to relive the sights, sounds and feelings. From describing the dendrosenecio kilimanjari trees that look straight out of a Dr. Seuss book to the chatter around camps, the descriptions were spot on.
It brought back the torturous memory of climbing for 7 hours in the pitch black, then another 90 minutes in twilight across the false summits to that elusive sign only to turn around after getting THE picture and attempt to slide down the scree just to collapse into my tent. Even if you’ve never stepped foot on a mountain, if you have the slightest interest in (or reading about) hiking/mountaineering, you’ll enjoy this book.

I found this to be a very enjoyable read. I really like reading about experiences that people have when performing tasks that are hard on the human body (running ultramarathons, climbing tall peaks) and this book was no exception. I felt like we got a. lot of insight into the why and how of the climb of Kilimanjaro but I just wish we could have known more. More about the training required to do this sort of climb, more of the mindset throughout the climb, and more about the atmosphere throughout that period of time in his life.

I was provided a free copy of this book from @netgalley and @charlesbridgepublishing in exchange for my honest review.
I spent four years of my childhood living in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, and have seen the majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro from both the air and from safaris around Tanzania! My sister and I even briefly discussed doing this climb as my high school graduation trip (but after reading this, I'm pretty happy we didn't!)! So I was super excited when I saw this and was approved for it!
I loved hearing his experience of the hike. I felt the excitement, anxiousness, triumph, and was annoyed with "the complainer" right along with him. I even found myself trying to take deep breaths as I read about the final ascent! 😂
If you like adventure stories, if you enjoy mountain climbing, or if you are interested in possibly climbing Kili (or another mountain), you will enjoy this story! It comes out next week (9 Mar), so make sure you keep an eye out!
I won't say I'll never climb it, but I'm glad we didn't because we definitely were not prepared!
#Memoir #NetGalley

Ironically, I started this book on a beach, with the sun shining bright, while the first sentences were talking about the cold of Kilimanjaro. And it remained cold in Tanzania, even getting colder along the way, while summer was well and truly underway where I was.
That’s the beauty though, this book transported me to the cold of Kilimanjaro. It’s a simple recounting of the hike of a lifetime, but throughout the book you get to know people and whether you would be friends in real-life or in fact have anything in common with each other, this book, this journey shared, links you. And suddenly you are climbing the summit together.
Surprisingly for a book told so simple, I found myself teary-eyed at times, living the ups and downs of everyone on the journey.