No Barriers, Erik Weihenmayer
No Barriers, Erik Weihenmayer
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No Barriers
A Blind Man's Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon

Author: Erik Weihenmayer, Buddy Levy

Narrator: Holter Graham

Unabridged: 19 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/07/2017


Synopsis

2018 Colorado Book Awards finalist in Creative Nonfiction, and National Bestseller and Honorable Mention Award Winner in the Outdoor Literature category of the 2017 National Outdoor Book Awards (NOBA)

“A beautiful book about family and finding a way to achieve more than you ever thought possible.” —Brad Meltzer, New York Times bestselling author

Erik Weihenmayer is the first and only blind person to summit Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Descending carefully, he and his team picked their way across deep crevasses and through the deadly Khumbu Icefall; when the mountain was finally behind him, Erik knew he was going to live. His expedition leader slapped him on the back and said something that would affect the course of Erik’s life: “Don’t make Everest the greatest thing you ever do.”

No Barriers is Erik’s response to that challenge. It is the moving story of his journey since descending Mount Everest: from leading expeditions around the world with blind Tibetan teenagers to helping injured soldiers climb their way home from war, from adopting a son from Nepal to facing the most terrifying reach of his life: to solo kayak the thunderous whitewater of the Grand Canyon.

Along the course of Erik’s journey, he meets other trailblazers—adventurers, scientists, artists, and activists—who, despite trauma, hardship, and loss, have broken through barriers of their own. These pioneers show Erik surprising ways forward that surpass logic and defy traditional thinking.

Like the rapids of the Grand Canyon, created by inexorable forces far beneath the surface, No Barriers is a dive into the heart and mind at the core of the turbulent human experience. It is an exploration of the light that burns in all of us, the obstacles that threaten to extinguish that light, and the treacherous ascent towards growth and rebirth.

About Erik Weihenmayer

ERIK WEIHENMAYER is an athlete, adventurer, author, activist and motivational speaker, and the only blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He also completed the Seven Summits, joining 150 mountaineers who had accomplished that feat, but the only climber who was blind. He is the bestselling author of Touch the Top of the World and The Adversity Advantage. Weihenmayer co-founded No Barriers USA, which helps those with special challenges to live active and purposeful lives. He lives in Colorado.

About Holter Graham

Holter Graham, winner of AudioFile’s 2008 Best Voice in Science Fiction & Fantasy for Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Acheron, is a stage, television, and screen actor. He has recorded numerous audiobooks, including much of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s bestselling Dark-Hunter series. The winner of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he has also read works by Scott Turow, Dean Koontz, C. J. Box, and Stephen Frey.  His film credits include Fly Away Home, Maximum Overdrive, Hairspray, and The Diversion, a short film which he acted in and produced. On television, he has appeared in Army Wives, Damages, As The World Turns, Rescue Me, Law & Order and New York Undercover. He received a B.A. from Skidmore College and an M.F.A. from Vermont College.

About Buddy Levy

BUDDY LEVY is the author of more than half a dozen books, including Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk; Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition; Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs; River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana and the Deadly First Voyage Through the Amazon. He is coauthor of No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon and Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior. His books have been published in a dozen languages and won numerous awards. He lives in Idaho.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Buddy on February 13, 2017

Well, I have to admit that I'm biased as I co-wrote the book! But that said, Erik's story is simply amazing. But perhaps as impressive are the many stories besides Erik's that are represented in the book--people who really show you what it means to live a No Barriers life. People like Hugh Herr--who......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on February 13, 2017

The Grand Canyon is my favorite place on earth. I originally decided to read this book thinking it was going to be a cool story about a blind kayaker kayaking the entire Grand Canyon. This book was all that and more. Erik was the first blind man to hike Everest. When he returned, one of his guides t......more

Goodreads review by Onceinabluemoon on June 22, 2019

An amazing book of unimaginable human feats, sighted or not! Hard to fathom the drive so many people have to overcome any obstacle placed in their lives. The physical feats are astounding, but what captured me most was the adoption of his son.......more

Goodreads review by Avery on September 18, 2017

What an incredible book. Thanks to Mr. Weihenmayer for telling the story of not only himself but his amazing guides and the other fighters he encountered on his journey. With all the terrible things going on in the world, hearing about people using what they have, whatever that may be, to help other......more

Goodreads review by Eric on October 04, 2022

Erik Weihenmayer embraces the power of adversity in so many aspects of his life starting with blindness at an early age. He refuses to accept arbitrary limitations to the capacity of his active capabilities. Erik becomes famous as the first blind person to summit Everest. But he doesn’t rest on his......more


Quotes

"Erik Weihenmayer's life is so rich, so full of accomplishments, that his story alone is interesting... He also brings to life the emotional challenges of Weihenmayer's life--the frustrations of dealing with a difficult brother and of trying to adopt a boy from Nepal. Graham gives each person in the book a distinct vocal identity, complete with varied tones, inflections, and accents." -AudioFile Magazine