Blind Descent

Reviewed by: Virginia Peterson

Ministry Title: Librarian

Church: Spencerport Bible Church, near Rochester, N.Y.

Introduction

Title: Blind Descent

Author: Brian Dickinson

Publisher: Tyndale House

Publication Date: May 1, 2014

Format: Print and ebook

Length: 273 Pages

OVERVIEW

Brian Dickinson loved to climb mountains, and when he decided to tackle Mt. Everest, he knew it would challenge him. But as often happens, the challenges came in ways he wouldn’t have expected. Events led to him summiting the mountain alone, but then he developed snow blindness and had to descend back to camp with hardly any vision or anyone to help him. There were multiple occasions where things could have gone badly, but God protected him.

Brian had been trained as a Navy rescue diver, which required pushing himself to the limit. This training, which is recounted in flashbacks throughout the book, helped him climb and survive bad situations. But another theme running through the book is his love for his wife and children, and his acute awareness of how much he missed them and wanted to return safely.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

4 out of 5

Suggested Audience

Teen to adult, would appeal to climbers and male readers especially

Christian Impact

This book illustrates how Christian men can be both tough and tender-hearted. It also shows how when we’ve done all we can, we still need God’s help.

Other Notes:

Climbing Mt. Everest requires much more time in preparation than in the actual summiting, and the book gives a good sense of the work and the number of people involved.

Virginia is a church librarian at Spencersport Bible Church near Rochester, N.Y.

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