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Title: Misses the Mark!
Review: The author is clearly an expert on Sherpas, having lived and studied among them as an anthropologist for over 40 years. She writes this book for the layman in a form of anthropoligical study. She misses the mark both in terms of layman interest, and in terms of an enlighting anthropoligical study. Ms. Ortner looks at several facets of Sherpa life with a view toward how and why Sherpas became involved in mountaineering. It was clear to me, despite all the research and academia, the answer as to how and why remains perfectly clear and not too profound. Carrying loads, establishing camps, and fixing ropes provide the Sherpa with an extremely high income (relative to their society), allowing the climbers to provide greater comfort and a better standard of living for themselves and their families. I was very disappointed in this particular book, and I do not recommend it as a means of insight into the Sherpas.
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