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WHO: Grace Hoeman, Arlene Blum, Margaret Clark, Margaret Young, Faye Kerr, and Dana Isherwood...also known as 'the Denali Damsels'.
WHAT: "The harrowing and heroic story of the first all-women's ascent of Denali."
WHEN: 1970
WHY READ IT: This is a compelling account of women who loved to climb at a time when mountaineering was a hyper-masculine, male-dominated sport sadly full of misogynistic men who did not believe that women belonged on any mountain. These six women were out to prove them wrong. And Randall does an excellent job of capturing their individual stories and personalities, portraying the time period they were living in, and relating their challenging ascent up Denali. It's as good as any mountaineering book I've read. I love reading these kinds of extreme adventures and was completely enthralled by this one. Denali is nearly as challenging to climb as Everest, especially back in the 70s, and these women's climb is full of drama, peril, suspense, and personal triumph.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Happy Reading!
SIMILAR READS:
I’d love to read this. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeletersrue.blogspot.com
If you like reading about extreme adventures, this is a great book. :D
DeleteThis sounds like a compelling read! That's a tough climb! It's a real shame they faced so much misogyny. It's awesome that they proved them wrong!
ReplyDeleteIt always surprised me how hard to was for women to break into certain areas...who would have thought mountain climbing would have been so unwelcoming to women. It's crazy to me what they went through.
DeleteIt does sound fascinating!
ReplyDeleteA great read!
DeleteI could never. Very cool
ReplyDeleteI could never either. But I do like reading about those who try. :D
DeleteThis book about an all women's team does sound really good and the courage to do this when very few women had before. Putting it on my TBR
ReplyDeleteIt's one I think you'll like.
DeleteThis sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteI found it fascinating!
DeleteThis sounds good! I hadn't heard of this particular group of climbers, but I'm sure their story is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI love books about extreme adventures like this one, and I thought it was a very compelling read.
DeleteI would never do a hike like this but I love hiking. I'm happy they took this on despite the usual pushback from men! Why can't men just cheer us on? It's frustrating!
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they?! It is frustrating. (And I love hiking, too, though I'm woefully out of shape and need to start climbing some stairs and hills to get ready for summer hiking season.)
DeleteI don't think I have read anything about mountaineering at all, but if I read one, this one about women climbing under such conditions sounds like it would be perfect.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good one. I think you would like it.
DeleteBetter to read about than to do, I suspect!
ReplyDeleteYeah, hiking mountains like Denali or Everest are NOT on my bucket list.
Delete"This is a compelling account of women who loved to climb at a time when mountaineering was a hyper-masculine, male-dominated sport sadly full of misogynistic men who did not believe that women belonged on any mountain"
ReplyDeleteCrazy how some men like to gatekeep activities that are just, like, hiking? Climbing? What says women can't do those things?
Anyway, I've been looking for some good non-fic to throw into my reading mix this year, so might need to add this one to my TBR.
This would be a good one for you list!
DeleteMen always seem to find some reason for women not to do a thing. This sounds good.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad truth; at least it's not as bad now as it once was. And this book is a good one.
DeleteThis sounds amazing! I love a good mountaineering book, and the focus on women climbers makes this sound like something that I'd find fascinating. Great review-- thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLike the cover photo of them -- pretty badass! This was a fairly recent book right? I think I will add it to my TBR. I sort of wonder what they are doing now
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fascinating! I have zero desire to actually do anything remotely approaching this but I would love to read about it!
ReplyDelete