I used to teach English at an alternative school in Florida. I had just read "Into Thin Air" so I had my high school students read it & write a 5-page footnoted research paper on the disastrous climb, using multiple online sources as well as the book itself. Most of the time, it was a struggle getting these kids to read anything more sophisticated than Dr Seuss, but this story fully engaged them. They surprised themselves with the quality of their work. You could say the challenge was a kind of Everest for them, but they reached the summit. Thank you, Mr Krakauer.