Thank you Pen & Sword | White Owl for allowing me to read and review Higher than Everest Tendi Sherpa: A Lifetime of Climbing the World by Flore Dussey on NetGalley.

Published: 10/30/22

Stars: 4.5

Well-done. This beautifully crafted memoir relays Tendi's life. This is his story. The author imparts the human aspects; the emotional. There cannot be a quiz afterwards, there are no statistics. There could be an essay or two or three. I picked up on the subtle cultural values. There are life changing lessons presented.

This is a lovely memoir written for all ages, and I would gift this accordingly.

This was a brilliant and very interesting read. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was definitely a page-turning story that was impossible to put down. I just had to finish reading it in one sitting. It was so interesting learning about how people become sherpa's. It was quite shocking at times. Especially the reality of just how many people don't make it. It also looks into how impossible it is to recover bodies. It was amazing learning about the sherpa's roles. They really are such amazing and hard working people. It would be an impossible task to climb this mountain without them. Lots of people do summit Everest but nobody more than the sherpa's do. They do it without recognition. They are the heroes of the mountain. This book really shows just how amazing people like Tendi are. He is such an amazing person and so humble. The book is extremely well written. I just feel in awe of Tendi. His journeys were so very interesting. It also covers what life was like during the covid lockdown and its impact in the local community. I really can't recommend this book enough it was so very close to getting that 5th star. I just loved all the wonderful pictures included in this book. It made for an amazing reading experience.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for bringing us this amazing story that I was totally engrossed in. I just loved learning about the sherpa's roles.
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today
https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/higher-than-everest-by-flore-dussey-pen-sword-4-stars under my name ladyreading365

What I didn’t notice on picking up this book is that it’s a biography rather than an autobiography which makes the writing feel quite removed from the situation. The book was written as many short stories, many of which ended very abruptly for example 2 women got into a troublesome situation on the mountain and when found he shouts over to them ‘I told you not to leave the camp’ then it’s onto the next story, no information on how he helped them and how they got out of the situation that they were in. Having read many books on mountaineering and Everest I have to say I was a bit disappointed with this one. I feel a book written by Tendi himself may have been much more interesting and informative.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Inspiring read…. Higher than Everest paints an uncompromising portrait of Tendi Sherpa, who has successfully climbed twenty-one mountains over 8,000m, including fourteen ascents of Everest. This young father, part of the elite group of Nepalese guides, embodies the new generation of Sherpas who are taking their destiny into their own hands. In the numerous conferences he holds throughout the world, he never hesitates to denounce the amateurism and obsession of certain people determined to climb Everest, as well as the over-crowding of the sacred Himalayan mountains.
As a child, the man who would go on to save many lives on the Roof of the World once dreamed of becoming a monk, and from his years at the monastery, he still retains a deep attachment to Buddhism and its many rituals. Resolutely looking towards the future, but also concerned about respecting the environment and traditions, Tendi regularly returns to the secluded valley of Khembalung, the land of his ancestors, never forgetting where it is he has come from.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book, a series of stories about Tendi Sherpa, who is clearly an amazing human being. I didn't realise the author's connection to him until I got to the very end of the book. Kudos to her father, as well.

It goes into his family background, his culture, what caused his father to move his family from the tiny village where Tendi was born, stories about various clients and friends and what he is doing now.

Lots of details about how Tendi (and his father) got started in the trekking business, the dangers, the differences between their culture and the Western one and how precarious it is to make a living in this way, in Nepal, a country without a safety net, financially speaking.

The only thing that I found hard was the choppy writing style. I was just enjoying a particular story and then, abruptly, the next chapter was about something different and my brain had to make a switch. There was no natural flow from one chapter to the next.

Really enjoyed the photos at the end :) Especially enjoyed seeing pics of Tendi's wife and daughters (although why has his wife's name changed?).

4 stars from me.

It seems to me that most of us could do much worse than supporting Tendi Sherpa in his endeavours!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword.

Thank you for granting me the opportunity to read this book. I found it to be an enjoyable insight into life in Nepal and how hard the nationals sometimes have it. The Sherpa who the book focused on can only be described as an amazing gentleman. He has scaled so many mountains and put his life at risk so many times. It really makes you appreciate life.

At times I did find the writing style hard and not an easy read with some events jumping back and forth.

4 stars, it would have been 3 stars, but this is not a literary work (in an artistic way), but rather a personal account of a man, who, according to the author deserves international recognition.

Tendi Sherpa is the main character in this book and his truly extraordinary character, personality, and resilience. Let´s just mention a few of many of his accomplishments: He climbed Everest 14 times !!! He climbed Manaslu twice, and Aconcagua 7 times ... the list goes on and on. He rescued countless lives in the Himalayas and beyond. He even set up The Tendi Sherpa Foundation which focuses on providing a good quality of education for children in rural areas in Nepal, and on providing financial support for widows and orphans left behind by other sherpas and porters.
The book describes the reality of harsh living and working conditions in Nepal. How daily life looks like, details about religious practices, the importance of family, and the lack of opportunities for personal and professional development. And in all of this one particular man has found a lot of strength, courage, and incredible determination to make life better for himself, his family, and the entire community. Tendi the Himalayan Superhero.
Respect, man.