If you're interested in mountains and mountaineering you must read this book from the man who first climbed one of the world's most famous mountains, the Matterhorn. His travel to the "andes of equator" led to the first succesfull climb of the Chimborazo among others, like the Cotopaxi, all of which are majesticaly described in this book. Everything from his impressions about the people of the andes, the indians, the trails...to the results of his scientific researchs about high altitude illness, is put in the pages of this book, in an enjoyable, simple way, you love while reading it. Really makes you feel anxious to finish the book at once... and to travel to where Whymper did.

Also if you're not a mountain literature lover, nor a mountaineer or so, you'll find this book as great as that of Humboldt: "Viaje a las Regiones Equinocciales del Nuevo Continente" or Boussingault's "Memoirs", both of them read by Whymper and also climbers of the Chimborazo years before Whymper.

This is an excellent resource book for the beginner or the saavy collector. The book is organized for easy identification of books and leaflets. The photographs are clear replicas of the originals, the descriptions and history are thorough and very informative. I highly recommend this book

A fantastic book that is hard to come by these days. One of the only first hand accounts of a man who searched and reached the ancient "Abbey of the Seven Rays" in southern Peru. A great story of how he had to continue looking for clues with everyone around him denying that the abbey actually existed. How he had to climb to dizzing heights and battle cold, fatigue, insanity and starvation along the way. A truly inspirational tale of a man willing to die to find the meaning of his life and the truth about hi3 place in the universe.

Enlightening book for any Inca Initiate

I have read all of Karens books and have a couple videos so I am familiar with her work and love it. This book is my favorite mainly because it is such a blend of so many things. It touches on spirituality but no preaching, it could be applied to any religion.Lots of wonderful exercises, stretches, movements that make you feel soo good. I would love a video that incorporates all of the movements she shows in the book. Karen gives great instructions and tells you how to do it, what to look out for, how to do it for the various shapes people are in. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting a great workout that is kinder and gentler(BUT WORKS)than alot of others. She reminds us its about feeling good and not looking perfect.I love it!

I believe that I'm not the only person who read this book, but I wanna say to all the people who didn't read it yet: "you have to read it!" It isn't a normal book, it's a true happend story that's beautifull written down. I have seen the movie 'Alive' several times, but when you read the book, you will notice that the book is told with much more details. I'm only 15, but the story really surprised me... I found the book dramatic but i really like it how the boys of the rugbyteam support eachother...if you read the book, you will understand what's friendship all about. It isn't just be friends and support eachother... a real friend also gives his life for his friends...in this book, almost every guy says that when he is dead, the other may eat his body, so they will not die. I hope that the persons who read the story or who wants to ask something about it...they may always contact me at griet_f@hotmail.com I love reading, but i never read a book like this one! Please do yourself a favor and read it... Thanks !

This book was amazing. There's really no other way to describe it. Read captures magnificently the true story of a rugby team from Uruguay, along with a few relatives and close friends, whose plane crashed in the Andes Mountains on the way to Chile, where the boys were to play against another rugby team. Amidst a sea of death and horror, the people who survived the initial plane crash are forced to take immediate action in order to preserve their lives and the lives of others around them. Only the hope of a rescue that never comes carries the boys through their first few days on the mountain. When they realize that the rescue has been called off, their adventure truly begins. This is a story of brotherhood in the purest sense. Stranded in the freezing Andes, cold, hungry, weak and desperate, the survivors struggle against all odds to remain alive. They prove to be quite inventive and ingenious, using what remains of the plane to create a better world for themselves in the Andes. They maintain hope even as their friends continue to die and in their extreme hunger they are forced to consume the flesh of the corpses. It is their optimism and brightness of spirit that carries the final sixteen through to the end. In the meantime, their parents and families continue to search for the boys even when the countries of Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina abandon the search. Although many don't see how the boys could still be alive, they do not give up hope. At the end of the book, to see each boy reunited with his family is quite amazing. Words cannot express the depth of feeling that emerges from these pages. The story of the Andes survivors and their families is one that begs to be told. No work of fiction could compare to the inspirational quality of this work. It's a "must read," and once it has been read, it cannot easily be forgotten. This book will haunt your dreams and find its way back to your thoughts time and time again. More than anything it will allow you to project yourself ! into the conditions endured by the boys and ask yourself, "What would I have done?" Would you have been strong and believed you would be saved up until the end? Would you be destroyed by the absolute desperation of the situation? In truth you could not know until it happened to you. And it could happen to you. Perhaps the very knowledge of this is what makes the story of the Andes survivors shine. Their strength and will to live is extraordinary. It must be read to be believed.

A rugby team and their family and friends.. travelling together for a big match.. flying over the Andes mountains. Seems pretty regular I suppose, except that the plane crashes, and it can't be pinpointed. There is instant death and feelings of hopelessness, but there is also the spirit of life, and the desire to survive. I have read this book several times and each time I get the same emotions. It is a great book, but be warned, it is not for the weak of stomach! Still, Piers Paul Read does a wonderful job of telling the story of the Andes survivors. If you have not read it I highly recommend it. Yes, it's a little gross, but by the time you get to that part you are well immersed in the story.

While the movie adaptation of Alive depicts the major events of the ordeal fairly comprehensively, only the book contains the complete account. Piers Paul Read's book is very complete and detailed, more fully describing the daily sufferings and routines of the survivors. In particular, emotional stresses, individual personalities, and the grisly task of obtaining flesh are related in depth.

It is frightening to consider how easily we can be thrust into a situation as horrifying as that the Uruguayan travellers in this book had to endure, but their story should not be avoided because it is upsetting. There is much to be learned from this account: the value of resourcefulness, of ability to do the agonizingly difficult, and of courage in frightening circumstances. Furthermore, to recognize how nearly hopeless a situation can be, and what extraordinary effort is needed to escape it helps us recalibrate our perceptions of difficulty, misery and pain to more accurate levels.

Though the survivors requested and evaluated this book, it is completely frank. Read gives an honest description of each survivor, including personality failings which made some survivors a further hardship to the rest. The growing despondency and physical withering of the survivors is told with harsh vividness. Describing how dead bodies were utilized was surely the most difficult task, but Read writes of this area with as much detail as any other. Corpses were not only stripped of muscle, but also internal organs, then bone marrow, then the skulls cracked for the brain within, as corpses available for food became scarce, ocasionally requiring that the grisly, partially eaten bodies be exhumed. In addition to the ordeal on the mountain, also included are: a brief description of the emotional outcomes of the experience; the media bombardment; the personal search conducted by parents for the crash site. Maps are included to place the story, but these are not scaled.

This account does leave one disturbed. The truth of our defenselessness but for the blanket of civilization is a valuable lesson that can only be shocked into our conditioned minds, however. There is a place in everyone's reading for such material, and furthermore, this incredible story takes only two or three days to read.

The book Alive survival in the Andes by Piers Paul Read was a very action pact book and was very well written. This story is about a rugby team and how they are on a flight over the mountain and the plane hits a couple of air pockets and ends up hitting one of it's wings on the side of the mountain. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes actions books or a good nonfiction story. The book did start off a little slow but picks right up. The more I read the less I wanted to put the book down. I hate to read and I loved reading this book. The book was interesting and detailed about what the people did while they where stuck on the mountain. I read this book for my World Lit. and Comp. English class and found it very easy to read. This book also taught me that given a bad situation you have to do whatever you can to survive because at that point in time, your survival is the most important thing. I also have much respect for these people and what they went through. The book helped me realized just how cold and how difficult it would be to survive up there even if your plane didn't go down, and you were just a mountain climber. I will tell all my friends about the book and would recommend it to anyone who is a reader because I think that it is such a well written book anyone would love it.

Excellent book!!! Paul Piers Read writes Alive based on a true story. A Uruguayan Rugby team crash lands in the Andes mountain. This book is wrtiten in complete and vivid details, form the crash to the taist of human flesh. This book is exciting and will keep you on the edge of your seat. This book will make you realize that anything can happen to anytbody at anytime. So what would you do to stay "Alive"

I agree with most of what the other reviewers have written. I like the book because of the different presentation of the geometry of several exercises. Andes actually draws lines on photographs to show proper body alignment, gravitational forces, and path of dumbbells during an exercise. She does it with great effectiveness. It's an idea I intend to use myself.

I, for one, am not at all bothered by the author's waxing poetic. What it is they say about attitude? I don't think the reader should feel obligated to have a spirtiual experience in every workout, but approaching training as something more than drudgery seems reasonable and healthy.

I haven't read the entire book yet. I bought it thinking it might be worth recommending to my clients (I'm still looking for a text that is error free). I checked to see what Andes had to say about the Leg Extension exercise. This is a controversial, but frequently employed exercise. It is controversial for several reasons. One is that it puts a lot of shear force on the knee and if overused or used with resistance that is too heavy, it can damage the knee. This critical fact is not mentioned. Another feature of this exercise is that the distal fibers of the vastus medialis (internus) muscle that attach to the superior medial patella are not emphasized until the leg is almost straight (the last 10 to 20 degrees according to the MANUAL OF STRUCTURAL KINESIOLOGY by R.T. Floyd and Clem W Thompson). This, unfortunately, is where the shear forces are the greatest. If the exercise does have merit, it may be that it does work the rectus femoris well. Better than squats even. According to the magnetic resonance images (MRI) in TARGET BODYBUILDING (a text I do recommend) leg extensions, old-fashioned Hack squats, and sissy squats work the rectus femoris very hard. Interestingly, all of them work the entire quadriceps really well, but have no hamstring involvement to speak of. I believe also that these exercises are all not recommended by several trainers because of the potential for knee damage. Andes does not include these facts in her discussion of the leg extension exercise.

In general, though, this appears to be one of the better resistance exercise books. I intend to read it all and flag the best parts for future reference.

Excellent book! I bought it to learn about body building to help my wife out and I learned alot! I have never read a book on fitness that went into such detail about how to workout. Karen explains how to do the exercises including information about how to do a rep, how your body should feel durning and afterwards, how to tell good pain for bad pain. She also goes into many of the whys of bodybuilding. For anyone interested in getting thier questions answered this is for you! I only wish I could find a book like this written for men. Not that the information isn't helpful for men. But this book is centered on womens body building. Karen your book is refreshing and you are a gifted teacher.

I'm thrilled with this book and have recommended it to many strength-training friends and clients.

I've turned to this book countless times since it first came out for concrete information on anatomy, proper form, technique, and how-to's. However, the best part of Ms Andes writing is her spiritual insight into the changes a woman can experience through strength training!

I recently pulled the book back out to re-read the chapter on "Working Out With Difficult Emotions" while I was going through a hectic time. Her words encouraged me to continue with my workouts, be gentle and nuturing with myself, and feel proud of what I was able to do, rather than focus on what wasn't getting done.

Ms Andes combines the best of being a physically strong woman and an emotionally healthy one. Give this to a woman you love!!

I had mixed reactions to Polly Platt's book. Some practical how-to info is accurate and useful. I had a problem with her lack of objectivity in some areas. She does a lot of name-dropping and you get the sense that her friends are of a certain wealth and social status. This affects the way she presents other info. I live in Paris and I ride the Metro without the fearful incidents she describes. I also take exception to her advice on page 157, which sounds like racist propaganda from the Front Nationale (Le Pen's far-right poltical party).."if you're blond, you'll be stared at and perhaps approached by French men of all ages. Blond or not, second generation from North Africa may follow you and accost you." Other warnings are that you should not walk alone in the 20th arr. I am blond, blue-eyed and petite and I frequently shop, walk alone or go to cafes in the 19th/18th and 20th (neighborhoods with many North Africans). I have consistently been treated with friendliness and respect by men and women alike in these areas. It's 'trendy' for a certain elitist class of people in Paris to bash Algerians and Africans as being violent or dangerous. The biggest danger in Paris is stepping in dog poop and not saying si vous plait. Open your eyes, and your heart, and you'll have a great time.

Intimate France: Mrs. Platt's latest book on France and French culture is even better than her first - "French or Foe?" Whether you enjoyed that one or missed it, you'll love this one. (Reviewer bias: I am an American - originally from the Washington D.C. area - who lives in Paris so am very interested in this type of book. It also means I can REALLY appreciate some of the help and humor in all this.)

In "Savoir Flair: 211 Tips for enjoying France and the French", she has taken numerous interesting stories or observations about an American operating in France, added a punch line (i.e., tip) and organized them into 20 chapters. What I particularly like about this book is you can read just the topics of interest if you're visiting Paris for a vacation - topics like arriving at the airports, hotels, using taxis, Metro, Cafes, French food - or you can read it all if going there on business or longer. An example of tips more oriented to those of us living in France include comments on business meals, driving, the local scene, rural living, or requesting information from the French (not as obvious as you think) - just to name a few. One of my favorite sections is the chapter on dogs.

The French can give the British a run for their money on their infatuation with dogs. You haven't lived till you sit down in a beautiful French restaurant and realize the 'person' sitting at the table next to you is named Gizmo, and he's a Yorkshire terrier! Read Chapter 7 to hear about the rest of the story; including dog dirt on sidewalks. Hilarious (to an American) and true.

Mrs. Platt, an American, has a nice writing style, mixing humor with authority. She has lived in Paris for over 30 years - she knows what she's talking about; intimately. This 290 page paperback is highly recommended.

Polly Platt's excellent and engaging book, "Savoir-Flair," was of particular use to my wife and myself on a recent trip to Paris. This was the first trans-Atlantic trip for us, and I had last actively used my French 27 years ago, in my sophomore year of high school. I was given Ms. Platt's book for Christmas and dove into it immediately, hoping to get the help I needed for knowing just what to say and do in various circumstances in Paris. We used countless tips from the book--everything from knowing how to hail a LEGITIMATE taxi, to how to greet shopkeepers, to using the Metro, to eating in restaurants--the list goes on and on. My French is, as you can imagine, a bit rusty after 27 years, but with the assurance gained from the book, we were able to successfully navigate through our five days with style and FLAIR. Speaking with the Parisians was easy and fun, even though I had to occasionally ask someone to speak "plus lentement, s'il vous plait."

My favorite story from our stay took place on the day we were to leave Paris. We came down to the hotel desk in the morning and asked the young woman on duty (in French) where we might be able to buy some Pokemon cards for our sons. Her pleasant smile grew into a huge grin, as she echoed back "Les cartes Pokemon?" She then delighted in telling us which department stores in the area might carry them. We found the cards in the toy department at one of the stores she had mentioned. When we brought the cards to the cashier in the toy department, we asked if the cards were indeed in French. She asked us if our children understood French, and when we replied no, she looked puzzled...until we explained that some of our children's friends had Pokemon cards from Japan, and that these French Pokemon cards would make our sons very popular indeed. Her laughter told us that she understood.

So, many thanks to Polly Platt for this most interesting and extremely helpful book!

Death in the Andes is a story of brutality and fear and ignorance. The language is often coarse and vulgar. The ending is especially disturbing. Were it not for the remarkable writing of Mario Vargas Llosa, I might have put this unsettling story aside. But Mario Vargas Llosa is a captivating story teller and I found myself wanting to know more and more about his characters that inhabit the harsh mountains of Peru.

The reader encounters alternating viewpoints and layered conversations that intermingle the present and the past, forcing the reader to remain alert. Death in the Andes is structurally a mystery story in which two soldiers assigned to a barren outpost investigate the disappearance of three men. The brutal Shining Path terrorists (the Senderistas) are the natural suspect, but Corporal Lituma also mistrusts both the townspeople (largely traditional Indians) and the construction work crew building a highway across the mountains. Initially, he has little patience for talk of the pishtacos, vampire-like humans that sucked the blood and ate the melted the fat of their victims.

There are stories within stories. Young French tourists are stoned to death, rather than shot, to save bullets, and to permit others to take part in the killing. In fascination we listen to a lonely young man describe his improbable love of a prostitute. We witness a village turning upon itself and selecting victims for the Senderistas. We meet an aged, repulsive woman who in her youth helped kill a pishtacos. We gain a nebulous understanding as to why Peruvians and foreigners involved in re-forestation programs and nature preserves become prime targets for assassination.

I have already begun to read Death in the Andes again and I am searching for more writings by Mario Vargas Llosa. Although I found his portrait of contemporary Peru to be unsettling, disturbing, and haunting, Death in the Andes will appeal to the reader on many levels. It is a memorable lesson in history, in cultural conflict, and in man's inhumanity.

Mario Vargas Llosa does an excellent job in capturing many of the dilemnas and controversies which face modern Peru in "Death in the Andes". He does an masterful job in presenting the military, insurgents, (Sendero Luminoso), and also the native peasants and farmers of the country. The reader really feels the emotions and experiences of the characters in the story. The violence, brutality and pain of life of many in Peru comes across clearly in this tale. Vargas Llosa weaves the narratives of three characters and also experiments with shifting between different periods of time during the course of the novel. His writing style in this work is very straightforward and clear. The book reads quite quickly and easily. If one enjoys the work of Gabriel García Márquez or a great story in general, they will enjoy "Death in the Andes".

In Death in the Andes, Vargas Llosa weaves a tale that is neither simple nor pat. He reveals truths about human nature: their complexities and frailities in stressful circumstances. People alone in the mountains; people who have lost hope turn to beliefs as old as those same hills and become something horrible. They turn on their neighbors and kill them at the behest of people all too willing to use them for their own ends. The terrucos, serruchos, apus, and pishtacos which liter his story surround the reader in a vast world one cannot explain away as being the rantings of mountain people. Vargas Llosa places the reader into this mysterious world, and it is not always a comfortable one. The Shining Path scenes in this book are, in themselves, enough to make one turn away. But it is worth the read, as simply a lever to pry open that world which I can never really know, even though I've pedaled a bike in the backcountry, and had people yell that I was a "pishtaco" or one who steals the flesh from another to sell, I am not of Peru. Vargas Llosa took me as far I could ever go.