The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits

by Tommy Caldwell Narrated by Johnathan McClain

Overview

A New York Times Bestseller

A dramatic, inspiring memoir by legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell, the first person to free climb the Dawn Wall of Yosemite's El Capitan* *

“The rarest of adventure reads:* it thrills with colorful details of courage and perseverance but it enriches readers with an absolutely captivating glimpse into how a simple yet unwavering resolve can turn adversity into reward.”*-The Denver Post

A finalist for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature

On January 14, 2015, Tommy Caldwell, along with his partner, Kevin Jorgeson, summited what is widely regarded as the hardest climb in history-Yosemite's nearly vertical 3,000-foot Dawn Wall, after nineteen days on the route. Caldwell's odds-defying feat-the subject of the documentary film The Dawn Wall to be released nationwide in September-was the culmination of an entire lifetime of pushing himself to his limits as an athlete.

This engrossing memoir chronicles the journey of a boy with a fanatical mountain-guide father who was determined to instill toughness in his son to a teen whose obsessive nature drove him to the top of the sport-climbing circuit. Caldwell's affinity for adventure then led him to the vertigo-inducing and little understood world of big wall free climbing. But his evolution as a climber was not without challenges; in his early twenties, he was held hostage by militants in a harrowing ordeal in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Soon after, he lost his left index finger in an accident. Later his wife, and main climbing partner, left him. Caldwell emerged from these hardships with a renewed sense of purpose and determination. He set his sights on free climbing El Capitan's biggest, steepest, blankest face-the Dawn Wall. This epic assault took more than seven years, during which time Caldwell redefined the sport, found love again, and became a father.

The Push is an arresting story of focus, drive, motivation, endurance, and transformation, a book that will appeal to anyone seeking to overcome fear and doubt, cultivate perseverance, turn failure into growth, and find connection with family and with the natural world.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 05/15/2017
Rock climber Caldwell, one of National Geographic’s 2014 Adventurers of the Year, expertly blends the triumphs and tragedies of a life well lived with discussions of mastering the vertical climb. The self-described “shy, socially awkward” boy developed into a mature, disciplined athlete under the guidance of his father—a former bodybuilder and mountain guide—who encouraged him to embrace a risk-and-reward concept of life. Caldwell quickly became one of America’s competitive climbing success stories, with climbing stints in Bolivia and France under his belt by age 16. At age 22, in 2000, he met Beth Rodden, who became his climbing partner and later his wife. Shortly after they met, they hiked with a small group to the remote mountains of Kyrgyzstan and were captured by armed Islamic militants. He describes those six terrifying days of captivity, which ended when Caldwell pushed a captor off a cliff, enabling the group to flee to safety. Even the devastating breakup with Rodden in 2010, he writes, couldn’t dampen his zest for scaling his most challenging project: the 19-day free ascent of the perilous Dawn Wall of Yosemite’s El Capitan. Caldwell’s book is an eloquent, absorbing story about testing one’s limits. (May)

From the Publisher

"If you want to be inspired by a great leader, if you want to feel what it takes to do what no one thought possible, if you want to be absorbed by a heroic journey—Tommy Caldwell's story is one of the best you could ever hope to find.  Here, in his own words, you get more than just a climbing adventure, you get the inside view of how a person can endure crushing setbacks and persist to fulfill a spectacular vision.  And in sharing his story, he has become a teacher to us all."
—Jim Collins, author of Good to Great

“The Push is the most insightful book about climbing I’ve ever read, and quite possibly the most enjoyable. Whether Caldwell is explaining his astounding feats on vertical terrain, or the agony of trying to sustain a doomed relationship, or the merits of what he calls ‘elective suffering,' the writing is consistently captivating and unfailingly honest.” 
—Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air

"Yes, Tommy Caldwell is a badass, but he is no different than you or I. I've always been interested in how people do the impossible. This isn't just a book about climbing, it's about laser sharp focus in all aspects of life. Tommy's story provides insight how we can all push a little further and a little higher." 
—Scott Jurek, author of Eat & Run

“The rarest of adventure reads:  it thrills with colorful details of courage and perseverance but it enriches readers with an absolutely captivating glimpse into how a simple yet unwavering resolve can turn adversity into reward.”
—The Denver Post

“You always know Caldwell’s going to make it to the top of that 3,000-foot hunk of Yosemite granite.  But it doesn’t matter – the book’s raw honesty helps it transcend the sports-autobiography genre.”
—Outside
 
“Stands out as a genuine achievement . . . the authenticity of Caldwell’s voice comes through clearly in passages of well-crafted prose . . . The Push is not simply a book about rock climbing, but about human relationships and the ways in which we can hurt each other while trying to be kind.  Caldwell, for all his magnificent achievements on stone, reminds us that in the end, the only really serious enterprise is living.” – The Guardian (U.K.)

“Full of rich stories that fluctuate between gripping, tender, moving, laugh-out loud funny, devastating and inspiring . . . Caldwell’s writing also crystallizes moments of intense natural beauty . . . The Push is an adventure is its own right, exploring the unknown self, being open to growth, sharing friendship with others – and encouraging readers to do the same.”
– The Kansas City Star

“Caldwell expertly blends the triumphs and tragedies of a life well lived with discussions of mastering the vertical climb . . . an eloquent, absorbing story about testing one’s limits.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
“Climbers will inhale Caldwell’s book and want more; adventure readers will love his descriptions of climbs and techniques, even if they are new to the sport.”
—Library Journal

Library Journal

★ 05/01/2017
Not everyone can ask their parents to show them how to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. But Tommy Caldwell did, completing the Salathé Wall with his dad, Mike, in 1997. Here, Caldwell chronicles his life both on and off the rope, detailing how his dad introduced him to climbing, and summers spent at various American climbing meccas with his family. After high school, Caldwell left Colorado and became an itinerant climber. In 2000, on an expedition to Kyrgyzstan, Caldwell and three others were taken hostage by rebels. That story is related here as is his growth as an athlete, including his free climbs on Yosemite's walls after years of dedication and training. Later chapters cover his continual evolution as Caldwell returned to alpine climbing, met his current wife, and worked assiduously to ascend Yosemite's Dawn Wall, which he completed with partner Kevin Jorgeson in 2014 after seven years of preparation. VERDICT Climbers will inhale Caldwell's book and want more; adventure readers will love his descriptions of climbs and techniques, even if they are new to the sport.—Margaret Atwater-Singer, Univ. of Evansville Lib., IN

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169497991
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	05/16/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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