I’m not a photographer or mountaineer but admire both. I wanted to read Cory’s autobiography to learn more about his background and stunning career but ended up with a much richer experience. Cory is an extremely talented writer and beautifully describes his family and amazing career. His personal insights on the mechanics of mountaineering and photography were interesting; however, this book moves to another level as Cory provides remarkable insight and candor on his experience with mental illness and his ongoing battle to conquer his demons. This is a brutally honest and impactful story about human vulnerability and the ability to succeed against overwhelming internal and external forces. Highly recommended.

I tried; how I tried to finish this book but when the number of times I paused and found excuses to do something else impacted my ability to move forward with all the unread books in my library, I finally had to admit this was not a good choice for me.
Don’t get me wrong, Richards is a good writer, but his self-destructive choices and behavior set the tone for a less than enjoyable reading experience.
I was expecting a vivid recounting of his climbing experiences, but the events were seen through the veil of his mental issues and came through muted and curiously joyless.
It was at that point I decided plugging away at this book was not a good use of my limited time... I did Google his photographs and was not particularly moved by them either so I think this was just not the author for me. If you identify with Richards’ issues, however, this may be a good book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of "The Color of Everything" by Cory Richards. These thoughts are my own. I have two random enjoyments in my life: climbing and/or climbing documentaries and autobiographies. I thought this would combine the best of both worlds. It was a bit of a struggle getting into the first 30% of the book but then I was engaged and ready to move forward. The positives: I appreciate Cory's depiction and raw emotion while describing his mental health struggles. I think normalization is the key to acceptance and I know how much he has been through in his short life. I did struggle with sympathizing with him for some of his behaviors (i.e. hookers, drugs, alcohol) and found him to not be that likeable. I know he accepts his faults and the fallout with friends over the years, just some of the things rubbed me the wrong way. I thought the writing was good but wish we could've seen some of his famous pictures included in the book as well.

I was going to wait and write this review after I started this book for a second time, (and hopefully finish), because I could not get through it the first time. I actually checked to see if I was reading the book I requested, because it didn't seem as if the description matched. This is a hard book to read. If I could have got through the author's childhood and adolescence, I may have seen why other NetGalley members gave it high ratings. I really wanted to climb the mountains with him. I thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advance read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.
It's difficult to write a review for an autobiography as it seems to be a judgement of a person. So focusing on the writing I found the first 2/3 of the book is very well written. From the beginning you are pulled into the story very quickly. Hearing about mental illness and addiction from a person who experienced both yet accomplished quite a bit in their life was very informative and refreshing.

The last third of the book is a combination of a inner monologue, lecture and incomplete narratives. I felt like there was something underlying that we weren't told maybe just skimming the surface of something that should be expanded. The author is entitled to withhold or provide vague narratives but I was left with the feeling I wasn't given all the facts.

This is one of the most raw memoirs I've ever read. This book immerses readers in both the beauty of the natural world (Richards is a photographer and has worked for Nat Geo) and the depths of the human experience (as he navigates bipolar disorder and childhood trauma). I thoroughly appreciated how Cory took us inside his life stories - it felt like we were in his head, going through each experience alongside him. I found Cory Richards by following his Everest expeditions, but after reading this I realized climbing is but a blip in his life.

I wanted to like it, but I can’t say that I did. It was a bit all over the place. A lot of it is focused on his mental health, so perhaps that’s why it felt all over the place, but there really wasn’t a throughline. I won’t go on about all the reasons why I didn’t like it, maybe it’s just not for me.

I took my time with this book, as it was dense with beautiful writing that detailed the author's mental struggles, his extreme adventures (Mt. Everest, anyone?) and his life as a boy. There was so much packed in, I felt it could be several volumes. And as such, maybe it was too much. Nevertheless, it's worth owning a hard copy to reread, mark up and highlight memorable passages.

I don't know if the hard copy contains photographs (I read an e-ARC), but I would have loved to see images, given that the author was a professional photographer on assignment with National Geographic. Highly recommended.

Wow. So complex, but yet so simple. Such a vividly told memoir... I could feel each scene, see each photograph, hear the voices in the mind as the author told his story. Beautifully moving and raw.

I wanted to read this book, because I was curious how someone ends up being a National Geographic photographer and mountain climber. I learned all of that and so much more by reading Cory Richards' story. I was instantly sucked in, by the opening story of the avalanche, and the photograph he took in the immediate aftermath. As a father/brother/human being I was captivated by Cory's story. At times I felt like the narrative was a little scattershot, but each time Cory would bring it back to the point he was trying to make. I have mixed feelings about some of the choices Cory has made in his life, but totally appreciate how open, candid and honest he was throughout the book about those choices. I also appreciate how open and honest he was about his mental health. I learned a lot about diagnosis, treatment and the ongoing daily struggle it involves, and how it affects not only Cory, but all his friends and family. Really, truly enjoyed reading Cory's book, and how it was a love letter to his Dad. I totally agree with him that you can never tell the people that matter too many times how much you love them. Will absolutely recommend this book to my friends and family.

This complex memoir was a surprising joy to read and I couldn’t wait to find out what was on the next page. With deep insight and brutal honesty the author skillfully ferries the reader through his first 40 years. The chapters on photography and climbing the highest mountains make a great read in itself. Further pages throw in bipolar mental illness, sex addiction, and being slapped in the face with chauvinism that derailed his successful career. Add in his heartbreaking insecurity and painful psychotic break (on a dangerous mountain climb) and the reading journey is head turning. His poignant dying father and rock solid mom are there to further the self introspection. It’s almost too perfect. At times the author gets way into his philosophy and self awareness rather than letting the reader figure it out. We get it! The thrill seeking and deep soul searching speaks for itself. This is a layered memoir that pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go. I feel I know Cory Richards and his life and self discovery are amazing. It’s a remarkable and thrilling read.

I knew nothing of who Cory Richards was or anything about him before reading this book, but the writing was phenomenal and engaging from the beginning. He talks of his life, his struggles, his mental health, and all the things in between. For anyone looking to know more about him or just pick up a good read, I would recommend this book.

I was familiar with the name Cory Richard’s from his National Geographic photography but had no idea about his struggles with mental health and how these issues of trauma and distress governed his actions. Richard’s, an accomplished mountain climber, is at his best as a writer in his descriptions of the numerous places he’s visited and the climbing experiences. His honesty with his battles of bi-polar mania and depression are heartbreaking and enlightening. In his trying to understand his actions he has undergone various therapies and treatments ranging from cognitive therapy to hallucinogenic drugs to meditation practices. And as an intellectual he has read extensively on mental health and other issues that controlled his lifestyle. For me, some of his treatises on these issues felt like self-aggrandisement especially when he tried to address inappropriate sexual behavior and the limits of feminism.
Richards is to be commended for his honest treatment of his mental health and addictive behaviors in his story.
Recommended for those interested in insight into mental health and coping behaviors and those interested in mountaineering. An intriguing and thought-provoking memoir.

On page one of Cory Richards The Color of Everything (Random House 2024), I knew this would be a different book. Cory Richards is an extreme photographer, world famous for taking some of difficult, death-defying pictures most photographers would avoid. He has a reputation for being fearless, brash, unstoppable, and seeing everything--a genius at his art. In this book, we see his world--filled with color, activity, challenge, detail, sound...

"... words of the salāt al-fajr, the dawn prayer, spill in. Islamabad spreads out below me as clumps of dark shapes, interrupted by dots of orange and green. A streetlight. A kitchen window. A barking dog. The soft, sticky sound of tires on wet pavement. Several blocks away, the minaret of a mosque pierces the sky, illuminated against the darkness..."

Is that beautiful? But being Cory Richards isn't easy. He has a troubled childhood despite loving, caring parents. He was an angry boy who was smart enough to get excellent grades but too confused to keep them. He couldn't be satisfied with anything without questioning and challenging. His parents tried professional help, medication, and anything else they could think of. It either didn't work or he didn't follow through. When old enough, he ran away, lived on the streets, didn't graduate high school, barely survived, came home and left again, and then, somehow, fell in love with climbing and photography.

"...the further I’m willing to go and the more I’m willing to risk, the less likely I am to sleep in the alleys and scream at trees. The decision to pursue my own edges by pushing the limits of my safety is not a conscious one and I don’t know when I make it."

These seemed to provide a lodestone for his life.

"In order to escape madness, I will live madly."

Even while he learned to be the near-best at both of those--

"It’s clear to everyone else that my ambition often outpaces my judgment and always outpaces my skill."

he fought himself. If it looked impossible, he had to try it.

"I’m a humming ball of exuberance, scars, and outsized confidence. Life feels like a long tennis volley as I bounce from car to climb to camera."

Why?

"I have a sense that the further I’m willing to go and the more I’m willing to risk, the less likely I am to sleep in the alleys and scream at trees. The decision to pursue my own edges by pushing the limits of my safety is not a conscious one and I don’t know when I make it."

Somehow, this blend of impossible challenges and mind-altering drugs kept the chaos at bay...

"...new psychiatrist gives me diazepam and I nibble half pills before climbs and on flights and after particularly heavy nights of drinking when I’m stricken with anxiety. I take antidepressants and mood stabilizers and benzos to keep me calm and level. I drink caffeine to counteract the lethargy and alcohol to calm the caffeine and inhale nicotine to calm my nerves on ledges that are overhung with ice, and I don’t see it as a problem because I don’t see it all. Lack of awareness is its own form of self-deception."

Maybe because of this--or in spite of it--he climbs Mt. Everest, without oxygen, the rare person to accomplish this feat--

"When I take the final step, there is nothing and no one and literally everything on earth is below me."

Even that amazing accomplishment can't calm his frenetic brain.

"...asking my brain if it might shut the fuck up for a minute or two, and it says no."

By 3/4s through the book, my senses ached for this troubled, desperate, soul who refused to quit on himself. This is enthusiastically recommended for those who approach life in unusual ways, trust their instincts to find a path that works even if it seems to difficult.

Cory Richards is known by some as an award-winning photographer for National Geographic. Others know him for being the first American to climb an 8000 meter mountain (Everest) during the winter. No matter how one knows of him, or doesn’t, his memoir is one that would interest many readers.

This is because the topics covered in his book are numerous: mountaineering, bipolar disease (and mental health in general), loss, and reflection. Given that this review is for a sports book site, the mountaineering aspect was my attraction to the book. There isn’t a lot of technical jargon or stories from base camps like there are in other climbing books I have read. But these sections are satisfying because the reader will get to know the emotions of not only Richards, but his climbing partners as well. There is some climbing vocabulary and there are stories of the physical dangers as well, but the climbing aspect is more mental than physical.

That is important to this book and very appropriate since more than a book on sport, it is more a book on mental health. Richards documents his time spent in institutions, the addictions he was suffering and the toll these took on his relationships and his physical condition. There are stories of his mental health issues all through his life – from childhood to now. I found that while some of this material seemed choppy and scattered about for no particular reason (especially Part III, the last section of the book), it all really comes together to paint a complex picture of a brilliant but complex man.

I wish to thank Random House for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Raw, Real, and Relatable.

Brilliant. Powerful, Thought-provoking!

Each sentences I read in Cory Richard's, The Color of Everything, made me gasp for breath. It's as if I was climbing a Himalayan peak with him, clutching his arm, hoping I don't slip and fall to my death or run out of oxygen. Most writers wish they could reach into the depths of their soul to access their truth. Cory writes with precision, humor, and honesty. A great read for the outdoor enthusiasts but what kept the pages turning was Cory's exploration of his mental illness that influenced and changed the trajectory of his life. I have more compassion and empathy for those who struggle with childhood trauma and I am sharing his story with everyone I know.

Susan Purvis
Author, Educator, Explorer
Susan's best-selling memoir, Go Find: My Journey to Find the Lost--And Myself.
www.susanpurvis.com

Before picking up The Color of Everything, I had never heard of Cory Richards. In case you haven't either, he's most well known for being a National Geographic photographer specializing in photography of high altitude mountain climbing. In The Color of Everything, Richards details his life. He opens with an intense telling of being buried alive by an avalanche. Then, the book swings back to his childhood, through his adolescence, and eventually to the avalanche and beyond. The book is broken up into three parts, of which I loved the first two. The third felt disorganized to me, which really soured the ending.

What I loved about this book:
-Richards's descriptions of his family, family trauma, and how it impacted his life perspective and behaviors (trigger warning for domestic violence)
-The details of climbing mountains! I love the sense of adventure, awe of nature, and severity of high altitude mountain climbing (did you know that 22% of people who attempt to climb a mountain >8,000 meters die while doing so?!)
-Richards's experiences with mental illness -- and he has a broad spectrum of diagnoses he openly shares about, as well as his treatment attempts
-Richards's general openness with the pain he's lived with, including his being named as a perpetrator during the height of the #MeToo movement

What was harder to get behind:
As I mentioned, the third part of this book felt disorganized, disconnected, not cohesive. The first two parts followed, more or less, a consecutive telling of Richards's life. Even when the history moved back and forth, it was easy to follow and highly readable (although emotionally challenging). The third part felt like Richards had a lot he still wanted to say, on a wide variety of topics, and did a massive brain dump. It didn't all come together well, some of it is his story, some of it is random facts and statistics, and some of it used a different narrator voice (this was really noticeable to me in the story about his girlfriend who was a sex worker). And despite his vast struggles, I felt like Richards's ego shines throughout, and that made him difficult for me to like at times. Lastly, the acknowledgments really bugged me.

Overall, I would recommend this book. It's interesting and powerful. I'm hopeful the final version will have some editing that will improve the third part. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading Richards story of how he has excelled and learned from experiences.
This book is an easy read, but has a lot of depth. I say easy as in his voice makes you want to continue reading his story and listening to all the challenges he has overcome.
I really enjoyed this memoir and will be recommending it.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

In The Color of Everything, Cory Richards narrates his journey from troubled kid to an adult who finds himself. That’s the heart of the book. What makes the book something far beyond the usual mental health narrative is who he became publicly, and, privately, along the way.

Mr. Richards always climbed with his father. And, after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated for it sporadically, he developed an interest in photography, in which he excelled. His love of climbing led him to scale the most challenging peaks in the world, and his photographs of those and other journeys earned him not only publication in The National Geographic, but a photo of himself on an issue of the magazine.

I think he traveled the world for about a decade, seeking experiences that would, as he says, calm his internal chaos, including a silent Buddhist retreat in Thailand in addition to the self-medication provided by the adrenaline rush of harrowing climbs, in all but one case without supplemental oxygen. He returned home when his father was diagnosed with cancer, but still the restlessness of feeling that he neither knew himself nor who he was in the larger scheme of things persisted. He tried many kinds of therapy and medication, but it took a then unorthodox treatment to literally reset his mind.

There is so much to this book - adventure, an introduction to feminism, mental illness, relationships, and, above all, the quest for self and meaning - that a comprehensive review would take many pages. Cory Richards is extremely talented. The writing is outstanding. And the willingness to bare his journey and soul on the page is a remarkable achievement.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

Cory Richards’, “The Color of Everything” was a phenomenal read. It’s a memoir that is full of adventure and heartbreak. Its beautifully written, in that it reads like prose yet carries such a tasteful poetic flavor to it. I haven’t had a page turner in quite some time, but I found it with this one.

Cory’s life is nothing short of wild. Adventure and fast living exist as a survival mechanism and method of escape from the chaos that he experiences within. Eventually the weight of his past and inability to slow down catch up with him. Through a long series of hardships and losses, he’s forced inward and almost loses himself in the process.

I feel wiser and more contemplative having read Cory’s words. Truthfully, I didn’t want the book to end. It’s the first book I’ve given five stars to in a while.

Thanks to Random House Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.