Describe how the author captured your interest or pulled you into the book.

The beginning begins in the middle of the action. Krakauer is waiting his turn to enter the Hilary Step, the last stretch before summiting Mt. Everest. Krakauer is low on oxygen and low on time. The mountain is crowded and everyone wants to summit. Fatalities happen when descending the summit is delayed. The whole situation is exciting and it certainly draws you in. It helps that these events actually happened.