Deborah: a Wilderness Narrative

by David Roberts

Book by Roberts, David

Genres: Nonfiction, Mountaineering, Adventure

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
See this thread for more information.

David Roberts is the award-winning author of twenty-nine books about mountaineering, exploration, and anthropology. His most recent publication, Alone on the Wall, was written with world-class rock climber Alex Honnold, whose historic feats were featured in the film Free Solo.

Reviews

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy, folks sure can get on your nerves when you're camping/climbing/stuck outdoors with them with no reprieve, right? At first I thought David Roberts was a bit too sensitive, but if I'm honest I can fondly recall a few outdoor adventures of my own, such as the time I wanted to punch my husband for the way he breathed at night or the time he bitterly criticised my hot dog roasting abilities. Being alone in the wild with one other person is not all fun and games, people. This book is essentially about how David tried & failed to climb Mt. Deborah in Alaska with a friend and how much that friend drove him insane the entire time. Even though he realised how irrational he was being, say, about dividing up food & thinking for sure that Don was taking more than his fair share, he couldn't help but get all passive aggressive & crazy about it. Then they couldn't summit, Don fell in a crevasse not once but twice, and they sure had an all-around good time.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the author seems like he would have been insufferable to be around at the time of the events, his description of the storms, hunger and climbing travails on his failed 2 man ascent of Mt Deborah were gripping and a very quick read.

[Joshua Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading a climbing or mountaineering book every now and again, and this was a pretty good one. It's not about the most successful or glorious expedition that's ever been done, it actually is the story of two men not getting along very well at all. But it was well written, and didn't have profanity, unlike a lot of books in this genre.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read these in two sessions when I couldn’t sleep. At one point I put the book away. It was making me tense. The sacrifice, suffering, and personality conflicts were not relaxing.

[Erik Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this more than The Mountain of My Fear.

Both are great for anyone into climbing or inspired by nature.

[Amerynth · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Deborah: A Wilderness Narrative" is the story of David Robert's unsuccessful attempt on Mt. Deborah in Alaska. The two-man expedition crumbled due to weather and strife.

This is definitely not my favorite Roberts book... I've read (much shortened) versions of his Deborah expedition elsewhere and thought they were more interesting. Roberts comes across as easily annoyed and grating in this work... as by his description, he appears to be irritated by his companion's table manners and use of certain words. The issues between them ran much deeper than that, obviously, but his treatment of them in the book is rather limited.

I much preferred Roberts' "The Mountains of My Fear" to "Deborah."

[Erneilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two young climbers with some experience tackle a very difficult mountain in Alaska. The narrative of their adventure is well written but i didn't enjoy the introspection and the conflict that seemed to come up between these two friends. I enjoyed Mr. Roberts other works more.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's all about his trip into the Alaskan wilderness. An interesting story with some mildly exciting adventures, but if I'm gonna read about people in the wilderness I want someone to die or be maimed. But that is just me. If you are the outdoorsy type you will like this book.