Mal de altura is a must-read for readers who love mountain literature, adventure or travel stories. This is an international best-seller that although it reads like a novel, is in fact a real story, told by Jon Krakauer and his expedition to the Himalaya in 1966.

Krakauer reflects on the reasons why people are willing to risk their lives to reach the peaks and after having reached the top himself, he began the dangerous descent. Not everyone survived; there were deaths, injured parties and a lot of controversy. This work provoked such a controversy that Krakauer felt the need to write a post scriptum, which is included in this edition.

A worthwhile read.