Touch the Top of the World

A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See

By: Erik Weihenmayer

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Erik Weihenmayer was born with retinoscheses, a degenerative eye disorder that would leave him blind by the age of 13. But Erik was determined to rise above this devastating disability and lead a fulfilling and exciting life. In this poignant and inspiring memoir, he shares his struggle to push past the limits imposed on him by his visual impairment - and by a seeing world.

He speaks movingly of the role his family played in his battle to break through the barriers of blindness: the mother who prayed for the miracle that would restore her son's sight and the father who encouraged him to strive for that distant mountaintop. And he tells the story of his dream to climb the world's Seven Summits—and how he turned that dream into astonishing reality, something fewer than 200 mountaineers have achieved.

From the snow-capped summit of McKinley to the towering peaks of Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro to the ultimate challenge, Mount Everest, this is a story about daring to dream in the face of impossible odds. It is about finding the courage to reach for that ultimate summit and transform your life into something truly miraculous.

©2001, 2002 Erik Weihenmayer (P)2002 The Audio Partners Publishing Corp

Critic reviews

"An inspiration to other blind people and plenty of us folks who can see just fine." (Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air)

"Vivid and compelling." ( Time)

"A heartfelt, astounding tale." ( The Washington Post Book World)

A book everyone should read.

Erik's story is for everyone. It will inspire you to do more with your life and reach a little higher.

Super inspiring!

Ever feel like the odds are stacked against you? Then you need to listen to this! Be careful listening around youngins, as there is some colorful language.

Hilarious, lively, poignant

I gasped for breath sometimes, laughing so hard! You have to love the endless shenanigans of any teenage boy, this one’s are even better and braver than most in light of his blindness.

The story is peppered with the silent but salient shocked looks of sighted people who wouldn’t—couldn’t—dare do what Eric does but who are, even against their will, inspired to reach beyond their own limitations.

To call Eric “inspiring” is a trivialization of his best gifts. He’s liberating. He’s powerfully creative. He’s a cutting edge leader, a light shone upon the growing edge of human capacity for senses-acuity. With such exquisitely developed acuity, Eric helps all of us integrate what we have in the gift of our human bodies with what we can become in our spirits.

Fantastic, Eric—thank you!

I found the reading to be a bit overwrought at times. Even slightly finer subtlety could have lifted both the humor and poignancy to higher relief. Still, reading was a thoroughly enjoyable, enlightening experience.

Outstanding!

I listened to this book three times because it is so rich with descriptions of the author's travels and his tenacity in overcoming a "handicap." He shows us all that our only handicap is our own limited thinking!

Inspirational and entertaining

Erik’s dialog and outlook on his experience resonates with so many of the struggles we all face but his example, character, and humility are exceptional. I see the Marine in him from his father and tenderness from his mother. It has been an inspiration to watch him speak but his book is way better!

The narration is wonderful as well... Great books can be boring on audio if the speaker is monotone. This played well on the morning commute or relaxing at home.

Such an amazing story of moving forward...

Where does Touch the Top of the World rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really truly enjoyed every part of the book! I was actually moved to tears a few times from what he endured.

What did you like best about this story?

The fact that he is just a normal guy that decided to amazing things and never gave in or gave up! Oh and the fact that he was blind added a power of ten.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Touch The Top of the World, even if you can't see it!

Any additional comments?

The support system he has in his life is stellar. Family and friends that back him and allow him to push every boundary dreamed up, he never allowed anyone to hold him back from his greatness. He's the type of guy I'd love hang out with and learn from, his perseverance is astounding!!!

I'm so glad I found this hidden gem!

If you could sum up Touch the Top of the World in three words, what would they be?

Inspiring and exciting

What other book might you compare Touch the Top of the World to and why?

I don't think any book can compare to this one and what Erik has achieved. I really love books about people who are given boundaries by the world and ignore them. So if I were to compare this book in that category I'd say "On My Own Two Feet" about an athlete who is a double amputee.

Which character – as performed by Nick Sullivan – was your favorite?

Erik Weihenmayer of course. He is a very real person. It's not like he said one day "I'm going to climb Mount Everest" and everything was fine. He had fear, struggles and doubts and he was very honest about those feelings. His book taught many valuable lessons and one of those is that we all need someone at some point in our lives and accepting that help increases our ability to achieve our goals. Erik learned to accept that help after fighting against it as a teenager. He also helped many others as well. The other characters in this book were also very courageous including all of his hiking companions and guides. When the best in the world said they wouldn't want to be guiding him, that didn't stop him. He found the right team. He hiked every step on his own, so anyone who thinks this was a walk in the park should wear a blindfold, grab a cane and see if you can even make it to the end of your block. I must also give credit to these incredible individuals who provided the "eyes" for Erik and believed in him. These men were amazing. Erik's father is also inspirational. I love how he always found a way to cheer on his son from the sidelines including flying in a plane over one of his summits.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I would love to see this as a movie and a tag line might be "Seeing beyond our limitations".

Any additional comments?

This book was a bit of a hidden gem because it was several pages in when I was browsing for memoirs of someone I thought might be interesting and inspiring. I enjoy adventure stories as well so this seemed like the perfect book and I was not disappointed. It is an incredible story and I'd love to see teachers assign this as reading to their students. I enjoyed every minute of it. The book is extremely well written and it kept me interested from beginning to end. I can't believe it's not on the bestseller list yet!

An Inspiring Adventure...But..

This is a terrific book, the amazing tale of a blind man who sets out to climb the highest mountains in the world. And he succeeds, making for a gripping, and dazzling tale of the will of the human spirit to triumph over dazzling odds. Except...the book cover on Audible says it includes an update on Mt. Everest. But it's missing from the recorded version. And I was really looking forward to the author's climb of the tallest mountain in the world. Will there be a sequel -- along with the other moutains conquered reaching the tops of the Seven Highest? I'd love to continue my vicarious enjoyment!

Didn't keep my attention

This is the first audioboook I abandoned half-way through. Maybe it would have been better if the author performed the actual voice naration. The first half of the audiobook (or maybe more) is about Eric's youth an early adult years.... not so much about climbing. I'm not sure why I didn't connect. Usually I eat this kind of stuff up.

Where's Everest?

The audio version of this promised an after word on Everest, but there was none included. What gives? Overall, the book was fantastic., But the narrator was overly dramatic.