A Light through the Cracks: A Climber's Story Paperback – 1 May 2024

I really appreciated Beth's honesty about her struggles with anxiety, disordered eating, the pressure you're under as a female athlete, and her decision to choose love.

Wonderful book about a genuine and real person. I loved reading this and couldn’t put it down. Granted I am assailants about climbing and women on climbing particularly so it was an easy sell but I loved how raw and real this was. Much more about a persons journey than just about their ‘ticks’ as a climber. Fantastic book, thank you

This book describes how climbing feels, which was a revelation to me and insight into a whole other world.I could empathize with much of Beth''s internal journey towards her true self. The 'self talk' during and after the climbs was particularly striking.A good read and also an invitation to reflection.

I couldn’t put this book down. While I’m not a climber, Beth’s life experience resonated with me. I loved the honesty, the self-reflection, the rawness. It was a great read!

Great book.

Beth Rodden’s memoir is a page-gripping must-read and an important contribution to the body of sport climbing and mountaineering literature. There are plenty of books out there that praise the hypermasculine mindset prevalent in high-performance athletics, but rarely do we get a raw, honest view of what it’s like to be a woman in a sport. Rodden certainly does not owe us anything, but she has chosen out of own volition to share with her audience the most vulnerable moments of her life and career, validating the many fears, internal doubts, judgments, predicaments and experiences women in the vast majority of performance-based fields have endured.What I enjoy most about this book is Rodden bravely discloses to her readers her unpolished internal dialogue and a real glimpse into both the psychological and somatic experiences associated with the pathologies of post-traumatic stress, body dysmorphia, anxiety and perfectionism endemic in athletics, in addition to bringing to light the prejudices faced by women in the industry. We’ve seen the constant scrutiny endured by athletic greats such as Allyson Felix, Simone Biles and Melissa Arnot and witnessed the threat of athletic outfitters dropping their sponsorships at critical points of a woman’s lifecycle. Rodden’s memoir importantly documents the mental and physical toll this takes while offering a path toward reemergence and empowerment.Some of the harsher critiques of this book ironically reinforce the double standard plaguing high-performance industries: if a woman has successfully demonstrated a deep knowledge of her craft in a book, she can be somehow construed as “arrogant,” “narcissist” or “too technical.” But if a man has written a book with similar jargon, he is praised for being an expert at a subject and establishing credibility.A Light Through the Cracks is absolutely worth the time and investment for readers looking for a fresh and honest perspective on high-performance sports that is essential for positive change in the industry.

È stato piacevole leggere come Beth abbia reimpostato la sua vita e superato le difficoltà. È un libro pieno di positività anche se l’arrampicata non è il mio sport

El pedido llegó en perfectas condiciones, gracias y un saludo cordial desde Asturias.

I pre-ordered this book, and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading "A Light through the Cracks: A Climbers's Story." Beth Rodden's memoir is captivating and emotionally charged and left me thoroughly invested from start to finish. As a long-time admirer of Rodden's rock-climbing achievements, I was thrilled to read about her journey, which she shares with remarkable honesty and vulnerability.I also enjoy reading the "other's side" of books. This is the second half of the once married super-star rock climbing couple Tommy Caldwell and Beth Rodden, affectionally known while they were together as BethandTommy. You may have seen Tommy's film The Dawn Wall or read his book "The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits."The book begins with a gripping scene at the Amsterdam airport as Rodden returns home from a harrowing kidnapping experience in Kyrgyzstan during a climbing trip for one of her sponsors. From there, the story toggles through her life before, during and after this pivotal event, revealing details about her relationship with her then-husband and fellow climbing icon, Tommy Caldwell, her struggles with body image and eating disorders and her journey to find her authentic voice and stand up for what she truly wanted in life.Rodden's courage in sharing the intimate details of her story is admirable and inspiring. She holds nothing back, exposing the pressures and consequences she faced as an elite female climber throughout her young adult life. From her obsessive overtraining and body issues to her affair and the fallout of her marriage, Rodden's raw and emotional storytelling is a testament to her commitment to healing and personal growth.As a woman and rock climber, I found many parts of Rodden's story deeply relatable. Her journey serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of integrating our passions with the broader spectrum of our lives and the strength that comes from embracing our authentic selves. Rodden's ability to overcome her "small voice" and find her true voice through motherhood is a particularly empowering moment in the book."A Light through the Cracks" is an honest portrayal of a life lived with passion, resilience and the courage to be vulnerable. Beth Rodden's memoir is a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and understanding, and it is a reminder that life's challenges can be overcome with determination.