Kiss or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber

Professional climber Twight presents 24 essays written between 1985 and 2000 for Climbing magazine and other sports publications. The essays have been revised by the author to get away from what he terms "the homogenized fluff" offered up by editors afraid to offend readers or advertisers. With punk rock and new wave song lyrics sprinkled throughout the essays, the work is less a description of extreme alpine climbing than a glimpse into the psychological reasons one person faces extreme danger. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

From Chamonix to the Himalayas to Peak Communism in the Pamirs, extreme climbing has been Twight's response to "stupidity and mediocrity" and at times it is even "a tool to forestall suicide." Following Extreme Alpinism, this volume collects more than 12 years of Twight's extreme outdoor journalism for such magazines as Climbing, Outside and Men's Journal. Punk rock lyrics pepper these essays, providing context and form for his rage, cynicism and obsessive, masculine drive. Avalanches, rotten ice, the deaths of fellow climbers, the rescue of others, dwindling food supplies, lost tents at 18,000 feet Twight survives mortal dangers and tragedies, writing, "No matter what I did, the suffering I experienced did not satisfy me. I had to have more." Twight's in-your-face style is both his strength and his weakness fans of Henry Rollins or Charles Bukowski may find a sport nut analogue in Twight. Deeply personal, arrogant, grandiose, thrilling and unapologetic, this record of his 15-year career will gratify and repel extreme athletes, their admirers and their detractors. 40 b&w photos not seen by PW.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Mountain climber and coauthor (with Jim Martin) of Extreme Alpinism, Twight has here compiled a collection of previously published articles from Outside, Men's Journal, and other U.S. and European magazines. The articles have been revised for this book, often restoring their original length and language, and each one has a "2000 Author's Note" that gives background material on the original article and the climb itself. Twight's moutaineering experiences led him all over Asia, Europe, and North America and are presented in chronological order. The entire book is about mountain climbing and climbers, and because it is so full of personal reactions and experiences, it reads somewhat like the extended ego trip of a Sixties throwback. While Kiss or Kill may be of interest to public libraries with extensive mountaineering collections, it will be of little interest to most libraries. George M. Jenks, Bucknell Univ., Lewisburg PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.