Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest

by Jamling Tenzing Norgay

In a story of Everest unlike any told before, Jamling Tenzing Norgay gives us an insider's view of the Sherpa world. As Climbing Leader of the famed 1996 Everest IMAX expedition led by David Breashears, Jamling Norgay was able to follow in the footsteps of his legendary mountaineer father, Tenzing Norgay, who with Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in 1953. Jamling Norgay interweaves the story of his own ascent during the infamous May 1996 Mount Everest disaster with little-known stories from his father's historic climb and the spiritual life of the Sherpas, revealing a fascinating and profound world that few -- even many who have made it to the top -- have ever seen.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mountaineering, Adventure, Memoir, Biography, Travel, Climbing

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read this book, I kept feeling sorry for people who only know Mt. Everest through Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air . They are missing out. It's not that Mr. Norgay's book is better, only that it offers a sharply different perspective. Put another way, this book taught me that a true understanding of Everest cannot be achieved from the perspective of only one nationality or ethnicity.

Like so many people, I thought the term "Sherpa" was just a job title, not the name of an entire people with a history and culture independent of their iconic vocation. This book takes a deep and personal look into the life of Sherpa through the eyes of one of their prominent sons. It is also a multi-generational story, because the author--Jamling Tenzing Norgay—is the son of the Sherpa who successfully climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953.

In particular, I enjoyed Mr. Norgay's exploration of Buddhism, and especially how the climb helped him make peace with his late father. The author describes Buddhist rituals that all climbers participate in, whether out of genuine faith or obligation. He describes frankly the tension created with his wife when deciding to climb. And most touching is the seamlessly woven story of his father's summiting Everest almost a half-century prior.

For anyone wanting to understand the international culture of Mt. Everest, this book is a must-read. It also offers a fascinating discussion on Tibetan Buddhism. And if Mr. Norgay's devotion to his faith sometimes results in an unbalanced, less-objective rendering of the Everest experience, this is forgivable. He writes with an awareness of this bias. In the end, he hopes that the culture of Everest will bring all people together, as it brought together a father and son.

Kudos also to Broughton Coburn for his role in bringing this story to print.

[Quo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest by Jamling Tenzing Norgay is a formidable adventure tale that is also a coming of age story by the son of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, who together with Sir Edmund Hillary made the first documented successful ascent of Everest (called "Chomolungma" by the Sherpas) in 1953, an event celebrated around the globe.


It remains unclear if George Mallory & Sandy Irvine, missing on Everest for 75 years before their bodies were recovered, may have reached the summit in 1924 before being buried in the vicinity of their base camp.

Reading a few reviews at this site of Jonathan Krakauer's Into Thin Air, a book I admired very much reminded me of meeting Jamling Tenzing Norgay in 2001 when he spoke to a packed auditorium on the North Shore of Chicago, oddly enough at a town where the author of Touching My Father's Soul had resided during a previous phase of his life as a high school exchange student.

The author's account of his relationship with his father initially surprised me, as he spent a fair amount of time casting about for a life well removed from the mountain existence of his father and the Sherpas who have long been the backbone of climbing expeditions in the Himalayan region and whose lives Sir Edmund Hillary spent much of his later life attempting to enhance.

In part, this is because Jamling's father was often away on the mountains when his son was young & sensed a need for his father and also because his father felt that he had earned a living by risking his life on Everest so that his children would not have to do so.


Ultimately, Jamling Tenzing Norgay embraced his father's mountaineering life and the Sherpa tradition, serving as a climbing leader of the 1996 Everest IMAX expedition led by David Brashears, reaching the summit of Everest the same season as the disastrous climb that Krakauer details in his book.

In fact, there are descriptions of some of the main figures in that unfortunate attempt, including interacting with the likes of Beck Weathers, twice left for dead during that fateful expedition & Anatoli Boukreev, the mountaineering leader who was a part of the group & who died a year or so later during an ascent of another high peak. Jamling Tenzing Norgay proceeded to make further ascents before eventually taking his leave from the mountain that had brought such great fame to the family.

Jamling wondered why so many foreigners risk their lives on Everest and elsewhere in the Himalayas. Of course the classic response came from George Mallory who perished on Everest & which was later echoed by Edmund Hillary: "Because it's there". For Sherpas, it is a business but the author could not initially fathom why so many others came so far in order to endure great discomfort & possible death.

Eventually, his Buddhist faith began to supply some answers and in part it is that there are Five Long-Life Sisters who inhabit five peaks within 40 miles of Everest, all of them defenders of the Buddhist faith & emanations of the five Buddhas, in turn symbolizing the pure essences of the Five Elements--air, sky, earth, water & fire.

One reason why people go into the mountains is to experience the purity of these elements--these goddesses--in their unobstructed form. In the mountains, worldly attachments are left behind & in the absence of material distractions, we are opened up to spiritual thought. When we look out at an ocean or gaze at the sky & the clouds, or even the rock wall of a mountain, it is difficult for our minds to form labels.

What is it really that we are looking at? There is no real thing there--just color & shape. And when we stop attaching labels to what we see, a sense of quietness flows in to fill the gap, bringing us a step closer to the understanding of emptiness.

As an aside, I flew over the Himalayan peaks on a Druk Air flight from Kathmandu to Paro, Bhutan on a very clear day in 2013 and the view of the peaks was truly stunning!


My interest in high altitude adventure has not taken me beyond a hike to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro many years ago as a part of an Outward Bound program where I served as a "temporary warden" for a group of Africans from various tribes within the East African community. We did so without any porters & with very minimal equipment, sleeping outdoors & within a rock outcropping until the final night's lodging in a spartan hut.

Without question, it was a grueling final morning's nauseous hike to the summit, beginning in the dark at around 2 AM, an adventure I am glad to have been a part of but would never wish to repeat, though the available British guidebook to Mt. Kilimanjaro dismissively called the route to the 19,000+ foot top of Africa, a "stiff walk". Anyone who proceeds beyond that altitude has my admiration.

Jamling Tenzing Norgay's Touching My Father's Soul is a remarkable & insightful chronicle of two generations of a fabled Sherpa family who stood on the roof of the world, bringing with it considerable clarity as to why they did so.

*Within the book are many color photos of various expeditions to Everest, also including images of the author with the Dalai Lama and other revered Buddhist monastic figures + one of Jamling Tenzing Norgay at his father's funeral pyre in Darleeling in 1986. **1st photo image within review is of Tenzing Norgay (father of author) with Sir Edmund Hillary; the 2nd of the author, Jamling Tenzing Norgay; #3=quote from author.

[Corrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Jon Krakauer writes "I learned alot" in the introduction to a book, I definitely want to read that book. And so this wonderful book begins... by the end of it, you feel you have gone up Everest not once but several times - you relive the tragic 1996 season, you find a new dimension of the Norgay/Hillary first ascent, and you finally understand the backstory of Chomolungma and the spell she has cast over the world. My favorite lines in the book are, from western climbers: "You don't conquer Everest. You sneak up onto the summit and then you get the h*ll out of there"... and the sherpa viewpoint: "you must climb Chomolungma as if you are climbing into a mother's lap - reverently, and with permission"... I know which attitude I prefer, and so is this book about consulting the lamas, meditating at the camps, and not losing touch with the vortex of life and death that is Everest. Anyone with an affinity for Buddhism should read this book.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good compliment to Krakauer's "Into Thin Air." Unlike the Krakauer book, which focuses mostly on the climb up Everest in 1996 and tragic events that unfolded there, this book looks at climbing Everest from the Sherpa's perspective.

I found Norgay's explanation of Buddhism, his return to faith and family, and the physical aspect of climbing very moving. Alone, without the background of Krakauer's book I don't know that I would have liked this book so much-- knowing the backdrop for the author's personal experience made the book much more engaging.

Quick read-- I think I read all of it in about 5 hours. A good Saturday read.

[Desmond Beddoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The spiritual and physical journey taken in the quest for Everest is made all the more remarkable by my having just been physically through all the places Jamling writes about. The Buddhist beliefs and culture are carved into the rocks and traditions of the Himalayas, this book reawakens the authors acceptance of his father's legacy and allows him to be spiritually renewed. A wonderful read.

[Amerynth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamling Tenzing Norgay's "Touching my Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest" is really an excellent book. It was wonderful to read about Everest from a Sherpa's perspective.

Jamling, of course, is the son of Tenzing Norgay, who was the first to ascend Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary. Jamling himself was on an expedition up Everest with a team carrying an IMAX camera in the tragic 1996 season when 12 climbers lost their lives -- most on the same day in the teeth of a ferocious storm.

Norgay's book is a great mixture of those two stories, along with a terrific amount of information about Sherpa culture and Buddhism. This really makes for a fascinating read and a great accompaniment to the two more well-known books about the 1996 Everest season.

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. It's hard to pigeonhole this book into one genre. It's a bio of Tenzig Norgay, reflections of his son, non-fiction about the disasterous season on Mt. Everest, and an intro into Sherpa culture. This book will have you gripped.

[Blu3yy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good read!! Such a better viewer of what happened on the mountain that year thank you first your honesty Jamling. So glad you could experience your father on the mountain. Namaste

[Karen Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everest…a place I am never likely to see with my own eyes. I am in awe of the skill and bravery needed to successfully navigate this climb, and I am all too aware of the dangers faced by anyone trying to make it. The main image I have of Everest now is of a mountain that has come to be seen as something to conquer, a mountain where climbers stand in line as they try to summit, and a mountain somewhat destroyed by mankind’s desire to leave his mark.
This account of the 1996 expedition to retrace Hillary’s steps was a fascinating read.
Not only do we get invaluable insight into the preparation needed to make a successful climb, but I was fascinated by the spiritual relationship our narrator (and his father before him) has with the mountain and its area. It felt a real privilege to be able to share his reflections.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're an Everest nerd like I am, you will enjoy this book. But if you are interested in an informative yet fun read that accurately and engagingly captures the 1996 tragedy on Everest, I'd recommend you go instead to Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. My problem with the book is, first of all, the language and word usage is kind of dry for my taste. Maybe it's because English is not Jamling's first language. But there's nothing about the language that seems animated or interesting. It reads like a newspaper article that's a tad on the dry side, and not nearly as crisp. (I'm a journalism major. Don't judge me.)

Second, I felt that the actual story Jamling was trying to tell got bogged down in rhetoric about Sherpa beliefs. I did find it interesting to see how Jamling's story interwove with that of his father. That part was fine. But when Jamling started rambling about (in my opinion) unnecessary details about the Sherpa way of life and how Everest should only be climbed out of gratitude, I found myself wanting to skip ahead to see what actually happened to the IMAX team. Perhaps that's because my own beliefs are so radically different from that way of thinking. It's not that I can't accept other peoples' opinions, but I feel like Jamling was preaching to us a little bit, saying that Westerners are selfish for climbing Everest sometimes.

So...all in all, a rather mediocre read, in my opinion.

[Laurie March · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this the day before our house burned down so it is a special book to me. Here is why?

Early in the book Norgay speaks of a relative, his grandfather if I remember correctly, and how the man gave up his possessions to live in a hut in the mountains. That was the last thing I read before we lost our home. That one section of the book stood out for me and helped me through a difficult time.

I replaced the book shortly after the fire and finished reading it. It was a great read and I have read it a second time - something I rarely do with books. Touching My Father's Soul gives one great insight into Everest and how quickly tragedy can strike. It also gives you a glimpse into the life of Jamling's father and how he felt about his son wanting to climb the mountain.

[Loren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read. It was interestign to get hte perspective of a Sherpa. Despite being an member of the group, he had a unique insight into the expedition / tragedy from a Sherpa POV.

I learned much about Tenzing Norgay from this book. He seems an amazing man who was respected and revered by multiple cultures so much that many claim him as their own.

[Ann-marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my 2nd reading of this book. Still the best one in my opinion covering the 1996 tragedy.
Insight into the reverence and respect shown to the mountain is inspiring.

[Mazola1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps only Jamling Tenzing Norgay could have written this book. Touching My Father's Soul, subtitled A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest, is not just any Sherpa's tale, and not just another story of climbing Mount Everest. Jamling Tenzing Norgay is the son of Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa who with Sir Edmund Hillary, made the first successful climb to the summit of Mount Everest. Jamling's book is a rich and complex story which explores such topics as filial devotion, cultural differences, and the spiritual connection the Sherpa people feel towards Mount Everest, which they know as Chomolungma.

Jamling Tenzing Norgay was born in India and educated in the United States. At the time of his birth, his father was a world renowned figure, revered, and even worshipped by many Sherpas. His father did not encourage him to climb Everest, and indeed, opposed his desire to do so. Still, Jamling felt a powerful urge to climb Mount Everest and to stand at the top of the world, as his father had.

Touching My Father's Soul tells is Jamling's story of how he fulfilled that goal, and the significance to him of achieving it -- as a son, as a Sherpa, and as a Buddhist. In 1996, Jamling was hired as the climbing leader of the IMAX expedition, which planned to shoot IMAX film from the summit of Everest.

1996 is, of course, the infamous season in which 12 climbers lost their lives, most notably the well respected and vastly experienced climbers and expedition leaders Rob Hall and Scott Fischer. The story of this tragic season was most memorably told by adventure writer Jon Krakauer, a member of Fischer's expedition, in his best selling book, Into Thin Air.

Jamling tells the story of that season on Everest from the perspective of and a man with one foot in the Western world, and one foot in the Eastern world. Emblematic of his unique perspective is the fact that the forward to his book was written by the Dali Lama, and the Introduction by Jon Krakauer. The Dali Lama observes that Jamling takes "a very Tibetan view of the enterprise -- he regards it as a pilgrimage," a tribute to his renowed father, and the physical counterpart to the spiritual way of life. Krakauer says that among the 17 books written about the 1996 season, Jamling's is among the best, and is the only one written by a Sherpa, the Buddhist people whose homeland surrounds Everest. Krakauer, too, calls the book the story of spiritual evolution, and the story of a son's quest to come to terms with his father.

Jamling tells the story of climbing Everest from a Buddist perspective, emphasizing the role of religious reverence, and consultations with lamas before setting out to climb. He gives a good account of the physical aspects of climbing the mountain, but as he writes, "preparing for Everest physically is relatively easy. Mental preparation is more difficult. The climber must develop mindfullness and most important, approach the mountain without hubris." Part of this, to a Sherpa, is to be aware of the mountain's demons and dieties, and the "non-tangible processes at work" among the climbers. But along with this spiritual reverence for the mountain, Jamling emphasizes that for the Sherpas, climbing it is primarily economically motivated. As he puts it, assisting expeditions is a job for them, not recreation. His books includes his observations about how tourism and increased interest in climbing Everest have changed the Sherpa culture, both for the better and for the worse.

At college in the United States, Jamling was aware of the cultural differences between East and West. He admits that even today he has citizenship and cultural identity issues, but has decided that he belongs to both cultures, and both belong to him. He says that an unintended result of his Everest climb was that he rediscovered his faith in Buddhism, and renewed his respect for Eastern and Himalayan traditions, while continuing to engage "the scrutiny and skepticism that I learned in the West."

Those lessons are summed up beautifully in Jamling's final thoughts about his journey, where he writes: "Ambition and aspiration alone are insufficient on Everest, as in life, for a goal can never be reached through force. But anyone motivated by compassion and a desire to help others will see the fruits of their efforts -- though perhaps not in this lifetime. One should be diligent and persistent, but not impatient." He reminds us that even a small wrongdoing can result in great harm, as a small spark can ignite a large bale of hay, and that even the smallest good deeds should not be underestimated, for like tiny flakes of snow, falling one atop another, "they can blanket the tallest mountains in pure whiteness."

Touching My Father's Soul, is then, the story of an epic journey. It is a wonderful and absorbing contribution to the body of mountaineering literature, but it is also an inspiring and wise story of a spiritual journey, one that can be travelled by all who choose to put their minds to it.

[Rachel Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching My Father's Soul was a phenomenal read about a myriad of topics centered superficially around Jamling Tenzing Norgay's Mt. Everest expedition but, on a thorough reading, about so much more than that, including Buddhist beliefs and spirituality, reconciling with his father's fame and absence from his life, and coming to grips with mortality and the constant presence of Chomolungma, the mountain that has loomed over Norgay's life his entire life from even before he was born.

I'm a sucker for Everest stories. I grew up reading them: I remember reading Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air when I was in third or fourth grade and dazzling the teacher with a book report on it—because naturally I had gotten obsessed with Mt. Everest and needed to include, even then, as much detail as possible. From there, I could only become hooked on the mountain's history and devoured as many as I could find. Norgay's book, however, is the first I've read of a non-Westerner's account of climbing the tallest mountain in the world.

Reading some of the other reviews of this book, on Goodreads and elsewhere, it appears to me that people went into this book expecting it to be a fast-paced, action-packed account of the 1996 Everest disaster. It's not that. There have been countless other stories of that nature written about 1996, and any other ascents of Mt. Everest—Jon Krakauer, in the introduction, even mentions the large number of books written by people on that expedition. But Norgay's book was different than any of those, precisely because of the combination of three different powerful stories: his climb, his father, and his spirituality. He offers a unique viewpoint that is sorely missing among Everest expedition stories.

I thoroughly appreciated Norgay's honesty when describing his native viewpoint toward foreigners and tourists who, as he says, come to climb Everest for all the wrong reasons, incurring the wrath of Chomolungma and the goddess who lives on it, Miyolangsangma. His connection with Buddhist beliefs—despite noting his doubts about spirituality early on in the book—became more powerful as the book went on; the disasters and heartbreaks he experienced while ascending the mountain all bolstered his connection to his spirituality, which was a powerful account to read. Norgay's honest portrayal of his spiritual beliefs on death and morality were fascinating and powerful, and I loved hearing the details of his Buddhist beliefs. I even felt at certain points that the book could certainly influence others to learn about Buddhism as a possible religious faith for themselves.

A moving personal account, Touching My Father's Soul is an excellent read for a different perspective of Everest ascents than the usual Westerner approach, who don't have the same kind of understanding as Sherpas like Norgay, who has family and community ties to the mountain and everything it represents.

[Amy | shelf-explanatory · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You can't see the entire world from the top of Everest, Jamling. The view from there only reminds you how big the world is and how much more there is to see and learn."

Jamling Tenzing Norgay was the Climbing Leader of the IMAX Expedition when the 1996 Everest Disaster occurred. He is also the son of Tenzing Norgay, who along with Edmund Hillary was one of the first people to summit Mt. Everest in 1953. TOUCHING MY FATHER'S SOUL is a memoir of the 1996 Everest season, his reconnection with Buddhism, and a personal reckoning with the memory of his late father and his legacy.

Norgay is a Sherpa, who are an indigenous group native to Nepal and the Himalayas. Sherpa culture is closely tied to Tibetan Buddhism, and it is through this lens that Norgay discusses topics such as the commercialization of Everest, why people climb it, and the dilemmas that befell the climbers who died that year.

To the Sherpa, the mountain is a goddess - to brazenly try to "conquer" the summit is to disrespect her. Many climbers act as if a successful ascent was guaranteed, Norgay writes, but "those who spoke most about it tended to be those who were working the least and were the least prepared." People with little climbing experience are only able to climb Everest thanks to Sherpa guides, who do a tremendous amount of work carrying loads and setting up camps and fixed lines. However, in the Western depictions of Everest stories, they rarely get recognition for their instrumental role and the risks taken to successfully guide clients to the summit. On the other hand, when things start to go wrong, it is the Sherpas who are called upon to risk their own lives in order to save climbers.

Although there are plenty of books out there about the 1996 Everest season (including INTO THIN AIR by Jon Krakauer), this book is by no means derivative. Even if you aren't interested in mountaineering, TOUCHING MY FATHER'S SOUL was a fascinating look at the intersections of nature and humanity, indigenous culture and modern lifestyles, Buddhist ideology and ego, and East and West.

[Monty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book weaves the story of the first complete ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and a Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay with a 1996 ascent by Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa's son. Also woven into the story is the complex way that Buddhist beliefs interplay with the planning, execution and completing the climb. I didn't find myself enthralled by the story, but by the end I wound up feeling a deeper sense of what climbing the mountain means. I also had a greater appreciation of the significance of reaching the top of Mt. Everest. There are amazing photos of both expeditions in the book.

[Abhay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went in expecting a mountaineering story - obviously with a lot of personal insight and emotional aspects of the father-son duo (having already seen the IMAX film on this expedition) but what we seem to get is a book literally full of Tibetan Buddhist rituals and not much else. While he goes from the summit to base camp in a page or two, stories of cremations and divinitions take centre stage and go on and on.

That's good for those who want only the spiritual and mystical side of this particular story, but not for those who like books about climbing the Himalaya to actually have a sense of adventure and hardships on every page tied in to the moving personal tales.

[Viktoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read even for non-mountaineers. Going between his father's first ascent of the mountain and Jamling Norgay's ascent gave the narrative a personal angle that couldn't have come from anyone else. Writing is a little dry but clear, and the story is well-woven and touching. The spiritual passages were not as interesting for me as the climbing ones, however, they contributed to my closer understanding of Norgay and Sherpas. Finished reading on May 29th, anniversary of the 1st ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953.

[Monjamckay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Sherpa's version of the 1996 climbing disaster on Everest and is a great read to get a different perspective after reading "Into Thin Air"

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

[Chris Cullinane · Rating 2 out of 5]

An alternative if less detailed account of the infamous 1996 Everest disaster. Whilst it is refreshing to read a mountaineering novel from the perspective of the oft-overlooked Sherpa, this book is incredibly dense with Sherpa and Buddhist lore, far too much so for the layman, especially one who has come to read about mountaineering. The countless terms, ceremonies, Gods and places get beyond jumbled and I can solidly say I came out from this novel none the wiser about Tibetan Buddhism despite consuming a few hundred pages about it.
The sections that discuss the fateful climb and the star of Tenzing Norgay are engaging and worth reading but overall the spiritual aspects of Jamlings life dominate the read. Whilst being wary of being dismissive, these pages simply are not well presented and described to be consumed by someone with very little prior knowledge of Sherpa culture. Maybe for some with more of an interest in that, but respectfully not for me.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was in India (in 2004) and it has taken me this long to actually bugger down and read it. I'm not really that into mountaneering and climbing and that is why it was only when I was out of other books that I pulled this from the shelf.

As I said, I'm not really into mountaneering and that is probably why it gets a 2 star rating from me. I found it to be a mix between Tenzing family history, Buddhist teachings and detailed accounts of the 1953 and 1996 expeditions with snapshots from other expeditions thrown in. Altogether quite confusing, when trying to grasp the chronology of the story.

Especially the telling of the tragedy of the 1996 expedition where 12 people died in different situations was confusing as the tale is told with great amount of detail, including the names and affiliations of a lot of climbers from different parts of the expedition, many of whom had never been mentioned before. I found all the names mostly confusing and the descriptions of the landscape where many of them were lost equally confusing, but then again I never was one for understanding geography based on written descriptions.

The part of the story consisting of family history was also told with great detail. Sometimes too great, and it teetered on boring sometimes.

People who are actually interested in mountaneering might finf this book more interesting than I did.

[Stina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Know what you are getting into before you start this book: it is not written to be a gripping, adrenaline-pumping adventure story. It is slow paced. The 1996 season's narrative is interspersed with a lot of history about Everest and surrounding nations, other mountain-climbing tales, Jamling's family and particularly his father's life and legacy, as well as Tibetan Buddhism. This book does recount the tragedies that befell the other teams in 1996 and the IMAX team's victory but those events are actually a small portion of the book.

It is part history lesson, part spiritual lesson, part memoir. It offers insight and a view of the mountain that can never be given by an outsider, no matter how respectful, knowledgeable and well-intentioned they are. I learned a lot. Following Jamling as he describes his journeys - physical, mental, emotional - was fascinating. No matter how much one may disagree with another's spiritual beliefs I think we all have valuable lessons to share.

After my brain has had a rest from the mountains, I think I will read someone else's book (Krakaur's perhaps) to help round out my view. I would definitely recommend Touching My Father's Soul to anyone who has an interest in Everest.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching My Father's Soul chronicles the heart-pounding, exhilarating stories of the 1996 IMAX team's journey to the top of Mount Everest or more accurately, Chomolungma as well as that of Norgay's father's climb with Sir Edmund Hillary.
Ironically, however, I found the stories of Norgay's fellow climbers more intriguing than his own--not that his was dull. Their courage and resilience repeatedly astounded me, particularly that of Beck Weathers who after being given up for dead willed himself to walk back to camp after lying in the snow for 22 hours, frost-bitten Anatoli Boukreev, who courageously made not one, but two trips back up the mountain to rescue survivors stranded in a blizzard, and Sumiyo who nearly made it to the summit with despite several cracked ribs.
My only complaint is that Norgay often detours from his story to promote his Buddhist beliefs, occasionally slowing the story's momentum. The insights into the cultures and characters of all of the teams are fascinating, especially that of the Sherpas, and I found it refreshing to hear the story from a different perspective. Just make sure to keep a hot cup of tea and afghan handy while you read.

[annapi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary were the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953 (and come back alive). Following in his father's footsteps, Tenzing's son Jamling was Climbing Leader in David Breasheares's IMAX expedition during the fateful 1996 Everest season that claimed several lives. In this memoir, Jamling not only tells the story of that terrible tragedy as it unfolded before his eyes, and afterwards his own group's successful trip to the summit, but also intersperses it with the story of his father's pioneering climb, as well as showing us the sherpas' point of view.

I'm amazed and saddened that this book is not more well known. It's not even available in Kindle format! It would make a great companion book to Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Aside from the very personal glimpse of history and the politics in Tenzing and Hillary's time, it gives great insight into the Buddhist philosophy and way of life in Nepal, Tibet and India. Because Jamling was educated in America and lived there, it also shows how he straddles the two worlds of East and West. Some parts may plod along a bit, but overall it's a fascinating book and I highly recommend it.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes me want to re-read Krakauer's Into Thin Air. It is good to get another perspective on Everest, culture and Beliefs; Especially from a local.

I don't understand wanting to climb Everest for personal gain or to say you did it. Jamling did a good job of explaining how Everest should be approached, with respect and humility and blessings. I liked how he explained his culture and father's story as well as his account of the climb.

It saddens my heart to know how much $ is spent to climb her and how little of that money is given to the locals, clean up and conservation of the mountain and the local people to cover accidents. I think after last year's tragedy, this is ever more of an issue. Everest is just a cash cow for the Nepalese government and its sad to see the exploitation. I think if anyone wants to climb her, they need to give back in some way such as clean up.

I had a copy written before the book was released so it didn't include the introduction by Krakauer; which I would have liked to read.

[Oanh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another telling of climbing on Everest during 1996; this time by Tenzing Norgay's son. A wonderful story of a climb, introspection and so much information about Nepalese Buddhist practises. Very interesting to have a Sherpa's perspective, and a perspective from someone who considers themselves cross-cultural. This one, too, places climbing Everest in historical context - talking of past climbs, and of course the first successful summit (and descent) by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. Very much enjoyed the simultaneous report of Jamling enzing Norgay's ascent to the summit and TN's & EH's ascent; but many other Everest expeditions are covered.

I think I am slowly reading all the published works in English about the 1996 Everest climbing season...

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book that details the Sherpa/Buddhist view of Everest expeditions. I learned a great deal about Sherpa rituals and practices by reading this account written by Tenzing Norgay's son, Jambling. Jambling's quest to summit Everest as part of the cast for the Imax movie, Everest, opens many doors to how and why people make climbs like this, the team interactions and challenges and his pursuit to connect with his religion and his famous father. It reads a bit choppy since it jumps from accounts of the Tenzing Norgay/Hillary first summit in 1953 to real time as Jambling traces the same route with the movie crew. I loved the ending... probably since we had just visited the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and seen Tenzing's burial site.

[Mathilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the footsteps of Tenzing Norgay touching my Father's Soul....A friend gave me this book to read; normally this is not the kind of book that I would’ve chosen for myself. Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of the sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who in company with Edmund Hillary made the first ascent to the summit of Everest in 1953, relives his own experience of climbing the mountain, finds himself high on Everest in the spring of 1996 as a key member of David Breashear's IMAX film team. It is the same Spring on which Jon Krakauer's book "Into Thin Air is based. It gives you a look into the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the mythology the local people believes in about the spirits that protects Mount Everest. Written with sensitivity and insight, I recommend it highly.