Yesterday’s mailbox held Holding Fast: The Untold Story of the Mount Hood Tragedy by Karen James. I read a large chunk of it last night and finished this morning.
Holding Fast is the story of three mountain climbers who were overcome by an accident and then a terrible storm near the summit of Mount Hood in December, 2006. The book was written by Karen James, widow of Kelly James, one of the climbers who perished on the mountain. Holding Fast has just been released in hardcover by Thomas Nelson, publisher of Christian books and Bibles.
I was concerned that the religion would be heavy-handed in this book since it came from a Christian publisher. I was glad to find that although Karen James speaks frequently of her relationship with God and her husband’s beliefs about God and heaven, she does so in a personal way which doesn’t distract from the story as she sees it. She uses her husband’s strong faith as well as her own to come to terms with the tragedy and be able to move on with her life.
I did enjoy reading the story-behind-the-story; the missing climbers on Mount Hood made the national news in 2006, and this book details one family’s personal involvement in the national story. Karen James writes plainly about her emotional struggle as well as the logistical nightmare in dealing with, and at times trying to avoid, the crush of media attention. The book is a quick read and kept me involved, even though the final outcome was sadly obvious.
This book was provided to me by Thomas Nelson publishing for the purposes of this review.
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