Touch the Top of the World

Erik Weihenmayer, a blind man who climbed Mount Everest, has written a book that touches and inspires. In it, he discusses his struggles, failures, and successes without self-righteousness or bitterness. Nick Sullivan's reading captures Weihenmayer's persona with natural ease; he is adept discussing the limitations Weihenmayer's visual impairment creates. But his performance goes further. Sullivan exudes the admiration of Weihenmayer's friends and family for this world-class athlete, and also conveys the frustration Weihenmayer feels when he is treated differently because of his blindness. TOUCH THE TOP OF THE WORLD makes the reader realize that, quite often, our limitations are those we impose upon ourselves, and that dreams are worth pursuing. D.J.S. 2003 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine


Author and narrator combine to tell you Erik's unusual story. (He would reject "inspiring.") Blind from youth, he refused to limit his lifestyle, making his high school wrestling team and attempting things that might flummox a sighted person--like skydiving. His crowning achievement, however, is the summiting of several of the world's highest and most dangerous peaks. Self-pity never sufaces in the text or the reading; what comes through is Weihenmayer's sense of humor and love of practical jokes. Instead of sharing the view from Mt. McKinley, you share the feeling of loose shale underfoot or smooth ice beneath grasping fingers. Nick Sullivan's ability to get into Weihenmayer's four other senses makes this tape a winner. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine