Timothy Egan of The Good Rain
For mountaineers, both armchair and real alpinists, Leif Whittaker's My Old Man and the Mountain, is a great read. He's from a dynastic climbing family, but doesn't let his royal lineage get to him. . . . funny and poignant.
Daniel James Brown of The Boys in the Boat
Whittaker writes as he climbs mountains, with courage, grace, and a dash of humility. The result is an utterly compelling tale of a young man who bravely tackles two great challenges—one made of rock and ice and one made of doubts and fears. It's a great read.
American Alpine Institute
Leif's book, My Old Man and the Mountain is a beautiful piece writing, funny and sad, insightful and engaging. It chronicles both his father's experiences on Mt. Everest as well as his own.
The Seattle Times - Brian J Cantwell
Here's an entertaining coming-of-age yarn from a likable, talented diarist.
Rock & Ice
My Old Man and the Mountain is Leif Whittaker’s engaging and humorous story of what it was like to “grow up Whittaker”―the youngest son of Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mt. Everest, and Dianne Roberts, in an extended family of accomplished climbers.
author of Everest: The West Ridge - Tom Hornbein
Leif Whittaker, son of the first American to summit Everest, has given us a deliciously irreverent perspective on growing up in the shadow of a famous father, and how that journey helped shape a unique perspective on one young man's own relationship with a mountain...and a dad.
author of Sixty Meters to Anywhere - Brendan Leonard
It might be easy to feel lost in the shadow of a father who was the first American to stand on top of Mount Everest. Leif Whittaker tells the unique story of finding his own identity—as a son, and as a climber—with humility, candor, and a wonderful sense of humor.
Elevation Outdoors - Katie Pellicore
My Old Man is a coming of age story, familiar to anyone who has searched for an identity outside of the family they grew up in.... By punctuating his narrative with witty, self-deprecating humor, Leif gives a fresh sense of honesty to his writing. Humble and well-written, My Old Man is a crowd-pleaser that just may inspire you to get out and hike.
The Himalayan Journal - Shail Desai
The trials and tribulations of sharing the Whittaker family name and his journey up Everest is what Leif Whittaker shares with a dash of sarcasm and humour in the book, My Old Man and The Mountain.
Author of The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown
Whittaker writes as he climbs mountains, with courage, grace, and a dash of humility. The result is an utterly compelling tale of a young man who bravely tackles two great challenges—one made of rock and ice and one made of doubts and fears. It's a great read.
Author of The Good Rain - Timothy Egan
For mountaineers, both armchair and real alpinists, Leif Whittaker's My Old Man and the Mountain, is a great read. He's from a dynastic climbing family, but doesn't let his royal lineage get to him. . . . funny and poignant.
