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The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within
A renowned climber and National Geographic photographer shares his incredible adventures—and the early trauma that drove him to seek such heights.
“In order to escape madness, I will live madly. I will risk my life in order to save it.”
Growing up in the mountains of Utah, Cory Richards was constantly surrounded by the outdoors. His father, a high school teacher and a ski patroller, spent years teaching Richards and his brother how to ski, climb, mountaineer, and survive in the wild. Despite a seemingly idyllic childhood, the Richards home was fraught with violence, grief, and mental illness. After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and dropping out of high school, Richards subsumed himself in the worlds of photography and climbing, seeking out the farthest reaches of the world to escape the darkness. Then, in the midst of a wildly successful career in adventure photography, a catastrophic avalanche changed everything, forcing Richards to confront the trauma of his past, evaluate his own mental health, and learn to rewrite his story.
The Color of Everything is a thrilling tale of risk and adventure, written by a man who has done it all: He’s stood at the top of the world, climbed imposing mountain faces alone in the dark, and become the only American to summit an 8,000-meter peak in winter. But it is also the story of a tumultuous life—a stirring, lyrical memoir that captures the profound musings of an unquiet mind grappling with the meaning of success, the cost of fame and addiction, and whether it is possible to outrun your demons. With exquisite prose and disarming candor, accompanied by stunning photos from his career, Richards excavates the roots of his trauma and shares what it took for him to climb out of it.
“In order to escape madness, I will live madly. I will risk my life in order to save it.”
Growing up in the mountains of Utah, Cory Richards was constantly surrounded by the outdoors. His father, a high school teacher and a ski patroller, spent years teaching Richards and his brother how to ski, climb, mountaineer, and survive in the wild. Despite a seemingly idyllic childhood, the Richards home was fraught with violence, grief, and mental illness. After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and dropping out of high school, Richards subsumed himself in the worlds of photography and climbing, seeking out the farthest reaches of the world to escape the darkness. Then, in the midst of a wildly successful career in adventure photography, a catastrophic avalanche changed everything, forcing Richards to confront the trauma of his past, evaluate his own mental health, and learn to rewrite his story.
The Color of Everything is a thrilling tale of risk and adventure, written by a man who has done it all: He’s stood at the top of the world, climbed imposing mountain faces alone in the dark, and become the only American to summit an 8,000-meter peak in winter. But it is also the story of a tumultuous life—a stirring, lyrical memoir that captures the profound musings of an unquiet mind grappling with the meaning of success, the cost of fame and addiction, and whether it is possible to outrun your demons. With exquisite prose and disarming candor, accompanied by stunning photos from his career, Richards excavates the roots of his trauma and shares what it took for him to climb out of it.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published July 9, 2024
About the author
Cory Richards
3 books38 followersCory Richards is an internationally renowned photographer, filmmaker, and author of the memoir The Color of Everything. He is the first and only American to climb one of the world’s 8000m peaks in winter. His documentation of the climb and aftermath of the experience was made into the award-winning documentary COLD and appeared on the cover of the 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic. Richards is a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Photographer Fellow, and a two-time recipient of an Explorers Grant. He has photographed twelve feature assignments for the magazine. He has an active speaking career, in which he speaks about conservation, mental health, leadership, and vulnerability.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 22, 2024
I was invited to read this memoir about a man who suffered with bipolar disorder, but channeled his energies into climbing Mount Everest, becoming a photojournalist, writer, and documentarian. The book arrested me right away with a near death experience for author Cory Richards surviving an avalanche. There is a famous selfie he took right after this where he's crying and his eyes are covered with snow. My first thought was, "Why would someone want to do this again?!!!" Yet he did do this again... and again and again. It seems like Cory was taking life by the balls and testing its limits with the incredibly dangerous mountain climbing experiences he achieved and documented. He travelled all over the world experiencing a multitude of cultures, exploring silence and meditation, transitioning through homes, wives, and girlfriends.
Cory spent time as a teenager in a psychiatric hospital, and although had good parents, had a difficult relationship with his brother, and experienced family trauma. Cory is a very talented writer, exquisite in putting to pen and paper his ruminations on mental health, relationships, and everything in between. He really "went deep" on a lot of subjects as he navigated an interesting but difficult life, and as a voyeur I enjoyed looking through his window on the world.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
Cory spent time as a teenager in a psychiatric hospital, and although had good parents, had a difficult relationship with his brother, and experienced family trauma. Cory is a very talented writer, exquisite in putting to pen and paper his ruminations on mental health, relationships, and everything in between. He really "went deep" on a lot of subjects as he navigated an interesting but difficult life, and as a voyeur I enjoyed looking through his window on the world.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
April 29, 2024
"Climbing is an act of overcoming through reduction and refinement and occasionally brute force." - Cory Richards
This quote fits as a description of Cory Richards' life. To sum it up in a sentence - this is the story of a man who becomes a well-known photographer while dealing with his mental illness.
It took me a while to warm up to Richard's storytelling style. He's very wordy and to be honest, the chapters on his childhood were disturbing to me as he was very detailed, very self-absorbed and his description of the effect his behavior had on his family was horrible. He was subject to and participated in domestic abuse and it affects his life from his relationships to his academics and, I imagine, his self-esteem. I found the pace to be slow in the beginning as he describes the trauma he endured during childhood. Eventually, the book picks up the pace after he receives a diagnosis and ends up getting some medical treatment although there are times when he gets bogged down in details. He is known as a photographer who takes great risks - climbing mountains and living through the avalanche that he describes during the first chapter of the book.
One aspect of Richards' writing I did enjoy was the quote at the beginning of each chapter which helps set the tone. Richards make a point of letting the reader know that he is well-read and that he used to quote texts in high school, so it is apt that he begin each chapter with a fitting quotation.
I didn't know who he was prior to receiving this ARC, but found his memoir to be okay. It didn't pull me in and hold my attention as other memoirs have, but it might be that I just don't relate to him. The chapters I found most interesting were the ones in which he came to terms and sought treatment with his mental illness (bipolar). I haven't known anyone around me that has bipolar disorder so it was interesting to learn more about it from a person living with it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
This quote fits as a description of Cory Richards' life. To sum it up in a sentence - this is the story of a man who becomes a well-known photographer while dealing with his mental illness.
It took me a while to warm up to Richard's storytelling style. He's very wordy and to be honest, the chapters on his childhood were disturbing to me as he was very detailed, very self-absorbed and his description of the effect his behavior had on his family was horrible. He was subject to and participated in domestic abuse and it affects his life from his relationships to his academics and, I imagine, his self-esteem. I found the pace to be slow in the beginning as he describes the trauma he endured during childhood. Eventually, the book picks up the pace after he receives a diagnosis and ends up getting some medical treatment although there are times when he gets bogged down in details. He is known as a photographer who takes great risks - climbing mountains and living through the avalanche that he describes during the first chapter of the book.
One aspect of Richards' writing I did enjoy was the quote at the beginning of each chapter which helps set the tone. Richards make a point of letting the reader know that he is well-read and that he used to quote texts in high school, so it is apt that he begin each chapter with a fitting quotation.
I didn't know who he was prior to receiving this ARC, but found his memoir to be okay. It didn't pull me in and hold my attention as other memoirs have, but it might be that I just don't relate to him. The chapters I found most interesting were the ones in which he came to terms and sought treatment with his mental illness (bipolar). I haven't known anyone around me that has bipolar disorder so it was interesting to learn more about it from a person living with it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
March 5, 2024
Cory Richards is known by some as an award-winning photographer for National Geographic. Others know him for being the first American to climb an 8000 meter mountain (Everest) during the winter. No matter how one knows of him, or doesn’t, his memoir is one that would interest many readers.
This is because the topics covered in his book are numerous: mountaineering, bipolar disease (and mental health in general), loss, and reflection. Given that this review is for a sports book site, the mountaineering aspect was my attraction to the book. There isn’t a lot of technical jargon or stories from base camps like there are in other climbing books I have read. But these sections are satisfying because the reader will get to know the emotions of not only Richards, but his climbing partners as well. There is some climbing vocabulary and there are stories of the physical dangers as well, but the climbing aspect is more mental than physical.
That is important to this book and very appropriate since more than a book on sport, it is more a book on mental health. Richards documents his time spent in institutions, the addictions he was suffering and the toll these took on his relationships and his physical condition. There are stories of his mental health issues all through his life – from childhood to now. I found that while some of this material seemed choppy and scattered about for no particular reason (especially Part III, the last section of the book), it all really comes together to paint a complex picture of a brilliant but complex man.
I wish to thank Random House for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
This is because the topics covered in his book are numerous: mountaineering, bipolar disease (and mental health in general), loss, and reflection. Given that this review is for a sports book site, the mountaineering aspect was my attraction to the book. There isn’t a lot of technical jargon or stories from base camps like there are in other climbing books I have read. But these sections are satisfying because the reader will get to know the emotions of not only Richards, but his climbing partners as well. There is some climbing vocabulary and there are stories of the physical dangers as well, but the climbing aspect is more mental than physical.
That is important to this book and very appropriate since more than a book on sport, it is more a book on mental health. Richards documents his time spent in institutions, the addictions he was suffering and the toll these took on his relationships and his physical condition. There are stories of his mental health issues all through his life – from childhood to now. I found that while some of this material seemed choppy and scattered about for no particular reason (especially Part III, the last section of the book), it all really comes together to paint a complex picture of a brilliant but complex man.
I wish to thank Random House for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
March 4, 2024
Before picking up The Color of Everything, I had never heard of Cory Richards. In case you haven't either, he's most well known for being a National Geographic photographer specializing in photography of high altitude mountain climbing. In The Color of Everything, Richards details his life. He opens with an intense telling of being buried alive by an avalanche. Then, the book swings back to his childhood, through his adolescence, and eventually to the avalanche and beyond. The book is broken up into three parts, of which I loved the first two. The third felt disorganized to me, which really soured the ending.
What I loved about this book:
-Richards's descriptions of his family, family trauma, and how it impacted his life perspective and behaviors (trigger warning for domestic violence)
-The details of climbing mountains! I love the sense of adventure, awe of nature, and severity of high altitude mountain climbing (did you know that 22% of people who attempt to climb a mountain >8,000 meters die while doing so?!)
-Richards's experiences with mental illness -- and he has a broad spectrum of diagnoses he openly shares about, as well as his treatment attempts
-Richards's general openness with the pain he's lived with, including his being named as a perpetrator during the height of the #MeToo movement
What was harder to get behind:
As I mentioned, the third part of this book felt disorganized, disconnected, not cohesive. The first two parts followed, more or less, a consecutive telling of Richards's life. Even when the history moved back and forth, it was easy to follow and highly readable (although emotionally challenging). The third part felt like Richards had a lot he still wanted to say, on a wide variety of topics, and did a massive brain dump. It didn't all come together well, some of it is his story, some of it is random facts and statistics, and some of it used a different narrator voice (this was really noticeable to me in the story about his girlfriend who was a sex worker). And despite his vast struggles, I felt like Richards's ego shines throughout, and that made him difficult for me to like at times. Lastly, the acknowledgments really bugged me.
Overall, I would recommend this book. It's interesting and powerful. I'm hopeful the final version will have some editing that will improve the third part. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“After all, family dynamics aren’t independent clusters of choice and consequence, but rather a tapestry of intricately woven threads of action and reaction, passing over and under each other, knotting together time, emotion, and experience as one.”
“I don’t yet understand that consent is not singular, but an unfolding string of agreements made throughout any experience. I don’t know that I can say no once I’ve said yes.”
“I know I’m not the most talented, but I’m talented enough. I have a talent for relentlessness to the point of annoyance.”
“But I don’t wonder anymore at the irony of staying sane to do insane things to escape insanity.”
“Only fourteen mountains in the world are higher than 8,000 meters, or 26,246 feet, which is just below the altitude of a commercial airline flight. The average summit-to-death ratio combined across all fourteen peaks is a little over 4 to 1—which means about 22 percent of the people who attempt an 8,000-meter mountain die. Himalayan mountaineering boasts one of the highest mortality rates of any sport.”
“The big difference is that narcissists intentionally set land mines for other people to benefit themselves. It’s calculated behavior and they often know they do it. Bipolar people tend to step on the landmines that fall from their pockets while they’re manically running through a field.”
“There’s a table and lamp with soft orange light and a box of tissues. By now I’ve killed a forest in rooms just like this. Maybe my next sponsor should be Kleenex.”
“…satisfaction doesn’t translate on newsstands. Happiness is a better story. The first thing he explains is that it’s slippery and elusive and I feel vindicated…”
“Happiness is both internal and external. It’s choices as much as hormones as much as environment. It’s how much you walk (lots), how much time you spend with friends and community (four to six hours a day), and what you put in your mouth (mostly plants). It’s security and family and ownership and belonging. It’s purpose, play, place, and people and I’m becoming more and more confused by what happiness actually looks like.”
“Hard as it might be to accept, trying to fix someone is deeply narcissistic behavior. I’d given her all of my power and stolen all of hers because that’s what “saving” a person does. It isn’t respect. It isn’t love. It’s an arrogant extraction of agency. It does not say “I love you.” It says, “You are a broken thing.””
What I loved about this book:
-Richards's descriptions of his family, family trauma, and how it impacted his life perspective and behaviors (trigger warning for domestic violence)
-The details of climbing mountains! I love the sense of adventure, awe of nature, and severity of high altitude mountain climbing (did you know that 22% of people who attempt to climb a mountain >8,000 meters die while doing so?!)
-Richards's experiences with mental illness -- and he has a broad spectrum of diagnoses he openly shares about, as well as his treatment attempts
-Richards's general openness with the pain he's lived with, including his being named as a perpetrator during the height of the #MeToo movement
What was harder to get behind:
As I mentioned, the third part of this book felt disorganized, disconnected, not cohesive. The first two parts followed, more or less, a consecutive telling of Richards's life. Even when the history moved back and forth, it was easy to follow and highly readable (although emotionally challenging). The third part felt like Richards had a lot he still wanted to say, on a wide variety of topics, and did a massive brain dump. It didn't all come together well, some of it is his story, some of it is random facts and statistics, and some of it used a different narrator voice (this was really noticeable to me in the story about his girlfriend who was a sex worker). And despite his vast struggles, I felt like Richards's ego shines throughout, and that made him difficult for me to like at times. Lastly, the acknowledgments really bugged me.
Overall, I would recommend this book. It's interesting and powerful. I'm hopeful the final version will have some editing that will improve the third part. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“After all, family dynamics aren’t independent clusters of choice and consequence, but rather a tapestry of intricately woven threads of action and reaction, passing over and under each other, knotting together time, emotion, and experience as one.”
“I don’t yet understand that consent is not singular, but an unfolding string of agreements made throughout any experience. I don’t know that I can say no once I’ve said yes.”
“I know I’m not the most talented, but I’m talented enough. I have a talent for relentlessness to the point of annoyance.”
“But I don’t wonder anymore at the irony of staying sane to do insane things to escape insanity.”
“Only fourteen mountains in the world are higher than 8,000 meters, or 26,246 feet, which is just below the altitude of a commercial airline flight. The average summit-to-death ratio combined across all fourteen peaks is a little over 4 to 1—which means about 22 percent of the people who attempt an 8,000-meter mountain die. Himalayan mountaineering boasts one of the highest mortality rates of any sport.”
“The big difference is that narcissists intentionally set land mines for other people to benefit themselves. It’s calculated behavior and they often know they do it. Bipolar people tend to step on the landmines that fall from their pockets while they’re manically running through a field.”
“There’s a table and lamp with soft orange light and a box of tissues. By now I’ve killed a forest in rooms just like this. Maybe my next sponsor should be Kleenex.”
“…satisfaction doesn’t translate on newsstands. Happiness is a better story. The first thing he explains is that it’s slippery and elusive and I feel vindicated…”
“Happiness is both internal and external. It’s choices as much as hormones as much as environment. It’s how much you walk (lots), how much time you spend with friends and community (four to six hours a day), and what you put in your mouth (mostly plants). It’s security and family and ownership and belonging. It’s purpose, play, place, and people and I’m becoming more and more confused by what happiness actually looks like.”
“Hard as it might be to accept, trying to fix someone is deeply narcissistic behavior. I’d given her all of my power and stolen all of hers because that’s what “saving” a person does. It isn’t respect. It isn’t love. It’s an arrogant extraction of agency. It does not say “I love you.” It says, “You are a broken thing.””
July 9, 2024
4.5 stars
“Wow! Wow! Just wow!” But this is no child’s goat-cow-giraffe-zebra-horse….
The Color of Everything is a memoir of adventure, success, fame, and the struggle to overcome personal demons. Cory Richards grew up in Utah's mountains, learning outdoor skills from his father despite a troubled home life. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he found solace in photography and climbing. His successful adventure photography career was disrupted by a catastrophic avalanche, forcing him to confront past trauma and mental health.
The Color of Everything is a demanding work. It’s a torrent. A purging. It’s a very fluid book, insofar as it’s like a large body of water. It swells, stretches out in a calm peace, crashes with floods, and slows to trickling streams. It’s raw…if I can use a word that Cory himself hides behind by hating it. Though I dislike the use of present tense in a broad sense, I can feel the pull of him through life as existing only in moments. He is constantly in the now, and this memoir delivers this. You can know Cory from these pages — maybe more or less than he intended, and maybe more or less than through his photography, but you can feel his presence throughout.
Inside this memoir, Cory emerges as adventurer, artist, and observer. There’s beauty in the writing style, whether his own or a ghost writer’s, and it’s a marbling of fact and experience. Yes, there’s a decent amount of mountain climbing, but there is also science, mostly centered around mental health explorations, and a deep poignancy that felt like an exposed wound. Some of it is science for you. Some are his plaintive pleas of defending and defining himself with science. But it doesn’t matter, it all works together as if he’s both teacher and patient. He has split himself open down the middle and said look here.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
“Wow! Wow! Just wow!” But this is no child’s goat-cow-giraffe-zebra-horse….
The Color of Everything is a memoir of adventure, success, fame, and the struggle to overcome personal demons. Cory Richards grew up in Utah's mountains, learning outdoor skills from his father despite a troubled home life. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he found solace in photography and climbing. His successful adventure photography career was disrupted by a catastrophic avalanche, forcing him to confront past trauma and mental health.
The Color of Everything is a demanding work. It’s a torrent. A purging. It’s a very fluid book, insofar as it’s like a large body of water. It swells, stretches out in a calm peace, crashes with floods, and slows to trickling streams. It’s raw…if I can use a word that Cory himself hides behind by hating it. Though I dislike the use of present tense in a broad sense, I can feel the pull of him through life as existing only in moments. He is constantly in the now, and this memoir delivers this. You can know Cory from these pages — maybe more or less than he intended, and maybe more or less than through his photography, but you can feel his presence throughout.
Inside this memoir, Cory emerges as adventurer, artist, and observer. There’s beauty in the writing style, whether his own or a ghost writer’s, and it’s a marbling of fact and experience. Yes, there’s a decent amount of mountain climbing, but there is also science, mostly centered around mental health explorations, and a deep poignancy that felt like an exposed wound. Some of it is science for you. Some are his plaintive pleas of defending and defining himself with science. But it doesn’t matter, it all works together as if he’s both teacher and patient. He has split himself open down the middle and said look here.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
June 3, 2024
Thank you to @RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #TheColorOfEverything. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
This is a very compelling memoir. Part coming of age, part travel log, all with the undercurrent of living with bipolar disorder. Richards writes honestly about living with mental illness and how it impacts everything - the positive (discovering photography) and the negative (strained relationships, addiction). When he writes about his childhood, you can feel his desperation to understand his racing, raging mind. And when he's climbing and taking pictures, you sense the calm it brings him. Richards owns his mistakes and he doesn't gloss over the messy parts and it's an enlightening read.
I wasn't familiar with Cory's work when I got this ARC, but I'm certainly going to check out his photography and documentary.
This is a very compelling memoir. Part coming of age, part travel log, all with the undercurrent of living with bipolar disorder. Richards writes honestly about living with mental illness and how it impacts everything - the positive (discovering photography) and the negative (strained relationships, addiction). When he writes about his childhood, you can feel his desperation to understand his racing, raging mind. And when he's climbing and taking pictures, you sense the calm it brings him. Richards owns his mistakes and he doesn't gloss over the messy parts and it's an enlightening read.
I wasn't familiar with Cory's work when I got this ARC, but I'm certainly going to check out his photography and documentary.
July 22, 2024
I loved so much about this book…he tackles a lot of complex topics with nuance and beauty and the writing is simply spectacular. This book is an excellent example of why we should embrace neurodiversity…I learned so much and enjoyed every minute of my learning.
April 2, 2024
I have never taken so long to read someone’s life story before, so I want to thank NetGalley for not writing me off and taking my ARC copy back!
I was drawn to the book as soon as I saw the word “Everest” and immediately asked if I could review it. It certainly did not disappoint.
First of all I have never subscribed to National Geographic, but used plenty of their articles as references during my school days in the pre-internet years in 1970s and 80s. They were always the magazines I reached for in waiting rooms, but I never knowingly came across any articles or photos of Cory’s before. In fact, I thought this was someone completely different’s story when all I knew was it included Everest and an avalanche.
At first I did not like the author- his writing voice was certainly poetic (that part I liked) but he was too focused on letting us know up front that things were not in his control and he wasn’t to blame. He made horrible mistakes and was the kind of acting out and tantrum throwing teen we often thank our lucky stars we hadn’t been “blessed” with.
Even as an adult this man seemed to always find something to complain about- he seemed to love climbing and his job through National Geographic seems like it would have been a match made in Heaven, but in the midst of these “adventures” he’s screaming on the inside how much he doesn’t want to be there!
Then why stay?
As someone who grows from a child frantically wanting to be seen to a man whose only focus is on himself, I would think “why am I still reading this?” but something in the way Cory writes kept me turning the page for more.
And plenty more there was- extreme climbing (both the successes and failures) or the way he kept going off the beaten track to try and see what all was really out there- to step into someone else’s small world and leave his behind for a brief moment). Heartbreaks, and struggling for connection even as he burned bridges between anyone who really cared.
Struggling with what it means to be bipolar and trying to just feel- whether through work, drugs, drinking, infidelity or trying local healing practices. Cory is open and raw, not sparing himself one bit from the reader’s most-likely condemnation.
But still, I was inevitably drawn to read just a few pages more and then a few more.
Is he irredeemable? No. Does he always make sense? No, but even when you start wondering “did I miss something- how did we get on this subject?” Cory brings the story around to where it once again connects and flows and you finally see “oh, that makes so much sense.”
There is plenty of woe, but a lot of heartfelt and hard won truths and plenty of wisdom within these pages if you are willing to stick with the journey to its conclusion. It is certainly something I will think about for awhile, and I love that in a good story.
Would he and I ever have been friends? Heck no- I am so far removed from his scene that our paths would never cross, and I prefer it that way. In the one-on-one it’s all about what you experience with that other person, but here the curtains are pulled back and we get to know who he truly is deep down.
Far from perfect, but then (if we’re being honest with ourselves) so are we all.
I was drawn to the book as soon as I saw the word “Everest” and immediately asked if I could review it. It certainly did not disappoint.
First of all I have never subscribed to National Geographic, but used plenty of their articles as references during my school days in the pre-internet years in 1970s and 80s. They were always the magazines I reached for in waiting rooms, but I never knowingly came across any articles or photos of Cory’s before. In fact, I thought this was someone completely different’s story when all I knew was it included Everest and an avalanche.
At first I did not like the author- his writing voice was certainly poetic (that part I liked) but he was too focused on letting us know up front that things were not in his control and he wasn’t to blame. He made horrible mistakes and was the kind of acting out and tantrum throwing teen we often thank our lucky stars we hadn’t been “blessed” with.
Even as an adult this man seemed to always find something to complain about- he seemed to love climbing and his job through National Geographic seems like it would have been a match made in Heaven, but in the midst of these “adventures” he’s screaming on the inside how much he doesn’t want to be there!
Then why stay?
As someone who grows from a child frantically wanting to be seen to a man whose only focus is on himself, I would think “why am I still reading this?” but something in the way Cory writes kept me turning the page for more.
And plenty more there was- extreme climbing (both the successes and failures) or the way he kept going off the beaten track to try and see what all was really out there- to step into someone else’s small world and leave his behind for a brief moment). Heartbreaks, and struggling for connection even as he burned bridges between anyone who really cared.
Struggling with what it means to be bipolar and trying to just feel- whether through work, drugs, drinking, infidelity or trying local healing practices. Cory is open and raw, not sparing himself one bit from the reader’s most-likely condemnation.
But still, I was inevitably drawn to read just a few pages more and then a few more.
Is he irredeemable? No. Does he always make sense? No, but even when you start wondering “did I miss something- how did we get on this subject?” Cory brings the story around to where it once again connects and flows and you finally see “oh, that makes so much sense.”
There is plenty of woe, but a lot of heartfelt and hard won truths and plenty of wisdom within these pages if you are willing to stick with the journey to its conclusion. It is certainly something I will think about for awhile, and I love that in a good story.
Would he and I ever have been friends? Heck no- I am so far removed from his scene that our paths would never cross, and I prefer it that way. In the one-on-one it’s all about what you experience with that other person, but here the curtains are pulled back and we get to know who he truly is deep down.
Far from perfect, but then (if we’re being honest with ourselves) so are we all.
April 10, 2024
The Color of Everything By Cory Richards
Overall Grade: A
Writing: A
Details and explanations: A
Coverage of the main topic: A
Best Aspect: A wonderful memoir full of so many interesting stories and wonderful insight on life. Very insightful and full of emotion.
Worst Aspect: Descriptions are so good you may feel like you are climbing a cold mountain.
Overall Grade: A
Writing: A
Details and explanations: A
Coverage of the main topic: A
Best Aspect: A wonderful memoir full of so many interesting stories and wonderful insight on life. Very insightful and full of emotion.
Worst Aspect: Descriptions are so good you may feel like you are climbing a cold mountain.
February 19, 2024
Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Cory loved the outdoors since he was a kid. While mountain climbing,he was in an accident. This accident made him look back at his life in a different way and change the direction of his future. A good book.
July 8, 2024
Exceptional. Great personal storytelling combined with thoughtful and helpful research about mental health. This book has the potential to help a lot of people.
March 21, 2024
I wanted to read this book, because I was curious how someone ends up being a National Geographic photographer and mountain climber. I learned all of that and so much more by reading Cory Richards' story. I was instantly sucked in, by the opening story of the avalanche, and the photograph he took in the immediate aftermath. As a father/brother/human being I was captivated by Cory's story. At times I felt like the narrative was a little scattershot, but each time Cory would bring it back to the point he was trying to make. I have mixed feelings about some of the choices Cory has made in his life, but totally appreciate how open, candid and honest he was throughout the book about those choices. I also appreciate how open and honest he was about his mental health. I learned a lot about diagnosis, treatment and the ongoing daily struggle it involves, and how it affects not only Cory, but all his friends and family. Really, truly enjoyed reading Cory's book, and how it was a love letter to his Dad. I totally agree with him that you can never tell the people that matter too many times how much you love them. Will absolutely recommend this book to my friends and family.
March 15, 2024
There was little I liked about this book. I declined to review it for Netgalley.
June 3, 2024
📚🚶♂️🏔NOVEL THOUGHTS💊📷🏔📚
Part adventure manual, part textbook on mental health, part philosophical introspection, Cory Richards shares an honest and heartbreaking look into his life in this memoir dealing with so many personal issues he's faced while trying to find his way. If the reader is a National Geographic junkie, they will have heard of Cory who did some truly amazing climbs of Everest, K2 and many other famous mountains around the world all the while capturing his climbs through a camera lens. Any person who is climbing these ridiculous altitudes will be compromised by the cold, the danger, altitude sickness, the mental twists due to the fatigue and enormous challenges to their bodies, now add onto it a bipolar disorder and all that does to the brain and you have Cory Richards whose facing even more challenges as O2 , cold, and altitude messes with his mind and well being. This part of his story is really just the middle of the whole book as he shares the complicated relationship with family members while growing up in Utah. He spends much of the book trying to understand why he felt he was always chasing his feelings of inferiority and as he puts it "lack of" confidence. He never felt like he measured up though I never felt like he explained exactly where that feeling came from. After he is diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, his life goes into a spiral and he lives as a homeless person for a while thinking that he isn't worth much. He lands in a psychiatric hospital multiple times, becomes estranged from his family, especially his brother. Eventually, his life turns around when he discovers photography and follows the joy of mountain climbing that his dad and he enjoyed while he was growing up. Photos and mountains seemed to be a good match and finally he finds acceptance at Nat Geo and for several decades of his life, is a celebrated photo journalist for them. One would think this would be good enough but NO, it's not and he falls down the rabbit hole again and again due to his drinking, drugs and bad decisions. This spiral eventually sabotages a marriage, his job, his friendships and leaves him in a wasteland of unknowns.
It is a brave thing to put your life down on paper and have it there for the world to see, to mock or criticize or devalue but that's easy. The hard part is finding the road out which with a lot of help and healing he does. Richards writes from his heart and shows all of his flaws and grand mistakes as he tries to find the way to Happy. He is introspective and philosophical as he tries to explain his mental health issues and the behaviors/decisions that were a product of that. He clearly spent a lot of time researching to get into all the psychology and behavioral science that goes into someone like him trying to navigate life and relationships. Aside from his bipolar issue, I just could not understand his childhood issues. He explains the intense fights with his older brother who would never be part of his life into adulthood. He seemed to have a very good and supportive relationship with his parents during his growing years and it just doesn't seem plausible to me that all of his anger issues could stem from his brother which then turned him into the young man he became, running away, getting involved with nefarious stuff even before he reached 16. This part of the book just wasn't clear to me. I enjoyed his writing about his climbs, the photo taking, the extensive traveling he did on assignment and how he tried to find love in all the wrong places.
The cover art was actually very symbolic and metaphorical depicting a lone individual on the top of a mountain as he looks up at even higher mountains and the isolation he must have been experiencing.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book about which I gave my own unbiased opinions.
Part adventure manual, part textbook on mental health, part philosophical introspection, Cory Richards shares an honest and heartbreaking look into his life in this memoir dealing with so many personal issues he's faced while trying to find his way. If the reader is a National Geographic junkie, they will have heard of Cory who did some truly amazing climbs of Everest, K2 and many other famous mountains around the world all the while capturing his climbs through a camera lens. Any person who is climbing these ridiculous altitudes will be compromised by the cold, the danger, altitude sickness, the mental twists due to the fatigue and enormous challenges to their bodies, now add onto it a bipolar disorder and all that does to the brain and you have Cory Richards whose facing even more challenges as O2 , cold, and altitude messes with his mind and well being. This part of his story is really just the middle of the whole book as he shares the complicated relationship with family members while growing up in Utah. He spends much of the book trying to understand why he felt he was always chasing his feelings of inferiority and as he puts it "lack of" confidence. He never felt like he measured up though I never felt like he explained exactly where that feeling came from. After he is diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, his life goes into a spiral and he lives as a homeless person for a while thinking that he isn't worth much. He lands in a psychiatric hospital multiple times, becomes estranged from his family, especially his brother. Eventually, his life turns around when he discovers photography and follows the joy of mountain climbing that his dad and he enjoyed while he was growing up. Photos and mountains seemed to be a good match and finally he finds acceptance at Nat Geo and for several decades of his life, is a celebrated photo journalist for them. One would think this would be good enough but NO, it's not and he falls down the rabbit hole again and again due to his drinking, drugs and bad decisions. This spiral eventually sabotages a marriage, his job, his friendships and leaves him in a wasteland of unknowns.
It is a brave thing to put your life down on paper and have it there for the world to see, to mock or criticize or devalue but that's easy. The hard part is finding the road out which with a lot of help and healing he does. Richards writes from his heart and shows all of his flaws and grand mistakes as he tries to find the way to Happy. He is introspective and philosophical as he tries to explain his mental health issues and the behaviors/decisions that were a product of that. He clearly spent a lot of time researching to get into all the psychology and behavioral science that goes into someone like him trying to navigate life and relationships. Aside from his bipolar issue, I just could not understand his childhood issues. He explains the intense fights with his older brother who would never be part of his life into adulthood. He seemed to have a very good and supportive relationship with his parents during his growing years and it just doesn't seem plausible to me that all of his anger issues could stem from his brother which then turned him into the young man he became, running away, getting involved with nefarious stuff even before he reached 16. This part of the book just wasn't clear to me. I enjoyed his writing about his climbs, the photo taking, the extensive traveling he did on assignment and how he tried to find love in all the wrong places.
The cover art was actually very symbolic and metaphorical depicting a lone individual on the top of a mountain as he looks up at even higher mountains and the isolation he must have been experiencing.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book about which I gave my own unbiased opinions.
March 7, 2024
On page one of Cory Richards The Color of Everything (Random House 2024), I knew this would be a different book. Cory Richards is an extreme photographer, world famous for taking some of difficult, death-defying pictures most photographers would avoid. He has a reputation for being fearless, brash, unstoppable, and seeing everything--a genius at his art. In this book, we see his world--filled with color, activity, challenge, detail, sound...
"... words of the salāt al-fajr, the dawn prayer, spill in. Islamabad spreads out below me as clumps of dark shapes, interrupted by dots of orange and green. A streetlight. A kitchen window. A barking dog. The soft, sticky sound of tires on wet pavement. Several blocks away, the minaret of a mosque pierces the sky, illuminated against the darkness..."
Is that beautiful? But being Cory Richards isn't easy. He has a troubled childhood despite loving, caring parents. He was an angry boy who was smart enough to get excellent grades but too confused to keep them. He couldn't be satisfied with anything without questioning and challenging. His parents tried professional help, medication, and anything else they could think of. It either didn't work or he didn't follow through. When old enough, he ran away, lived on the streets, didn't graduate high school, barely survived, came home and left again, and then, somehow, fell in love with climbing and photography.
"...the further I’m willing to go and the more I’m willing to risk, the less likely I am to sleep in the alleys and scream at trees. The decision to pursue my own edges by pushing the limits of my safety is not a conscious one and I don’t know when I make it."
These seemed to provide a lodestone for his life.
"In order to escape madness, I will live madly."
Even while he learned to be the near-best at both of those--
"It’s clear to everyone else that my ambition often outpaces my judgment and always outpaces my skill."
he fought himself. If it looked impossible, he had to try it.
"I’m a humming ball of exuberance, scars, and outsized confidence. Life feels like a long tennis volley as I bounce from car to climb to camera."
Why?
"I have a sense that the further I’m willing to go and the more I’m willing to risk, the less likely I am to sleep in the alleys and scream at trees. The decision to pursue my own edges by pushing the limits of my safety is not a conscious one and I don’t know when I make it."
Somehow, this blend of impossible challenges and mind-altering drugs kept the chaos at bay...
"...new psychiatrist gives me diazepam and I nibble half pills before climbs and on flights and after particularly heavy nights of drinking when I’m stricken with anxiety. I take antidepressants and mood stabilizers and benzos to keep me calm and level. I drink caffeine to counteract the lethargy and alcohol to calm the caffeine and inhale nicotine to calm my nerves on ledges that are overhung with ice, and I don’t see it as a problem because I don’t see it all. Lack of awareness is its own form of self-deception."
Maybe because of this--or in spite of it--he climbs Mt. Everest, without oxygen, the rare person to accomplish this feat--
"When I take the final step, there is nothing and no one and literally everything on earth is below me."
Even that amazing accomplishment can't calm his frenetic brain.
"...asking my brain if it might shut the fuck up for a minute or two, and it says no."
By 3/4s through the book, my senses ached for this troubled, desperate, soul who refused to quit on himself. This is enthusiastically recommended for those who approach life in unusual ways, trust their instincts to find a path that works even if it seems to difficult.
"... words of the salāt al-fajr, the dawn prayer, spill in. Islamabad spreads out below me as clumps of dark shapes, interrupted by dots of orange and green. A streetlight. A kitchen window. A barking dog. The soft, sticky sound of tires on wet pavement. Several blocks away, the minaret of a mosque pierces the sky, illuminated against the darkness..."
Is that beautiful? But being Cory Richards isn't easy. He has a troubled childhood despite loving, caring parents. He was an angry boy who was smart enough to get excellent grades but too confused to keep them. He couldn't be satisfied with anything without questioning and challenging. His parents tried professional help, medication, and anything else they could think of. It either didn't work or he didn't follow through. When old enough, he ran away, lived on the streets, didn't graduate high school, barely survived, came home and left again, and then, somehow, fell in love with climbing and photography.
"...the further I’m willing to go and the more I’m willing to risk, the less likely I am to sleep in the alleys and scream at trees. The decision to pursue my own edges by pushing the limits of my safety is not a conscious one and I don’t know when I make it."
These seemed to provide a lodestone for his life.
"In order to escape madness, I will live madly."
Even while he learned to be the near-best at both of those--
"It’s clear to everyone else that my ambition often outpaces my judgment and always outpaces my skill."
he fought himself. If it looked impossible, he had to try it.
"I’m a humming ball of exuberance, scars, and outsized confidence. Life feels like a long tennis volley as I bounce from car to climb to camera."
Why?
"I have a sense that the further I’m willing to go and the more I’m willing to risk, the less likely I am to sleep in the alleys and scream at trees. The decision to pursue my own edges by pushing the limits of my safety is not a conscious one and I don’t know when I make it."
Somehow, this blend of impossible challenges and mind-altering drugs kept the chaos at bay...
"...new psychiatrist gives me diazepam and I nibble half pills before climbs and on flights and after particularly heavy nights of drinking when I’m stricken with anxiety. I take antidepressants and mood stabilizers and benzos to keep me calm and level. I drink caffeine to counteract the lethargy and alcohol to calm the caffeine and inhale nicotine to calm my nerves on ledges that are overhung with ice, and I don’t see it as a problem because I don’t see it all. Lack of awareness is its own form of self-deception."
Maybe because of this--or in spite of it--he climbs Mt. Everest, without oxygen, the rare person to accomplish this feat--
"When I take the final step, there is nothing and no one and literally everything on earth is below me."
Even that amazing accomplishment can't calm his frenetic brain.
"...asking my brain if it might shut the fuck up for a minute or two, and it says no."
By 3/4s through the book, my senses ached for this troubled, desperate, soul who refused to quit on himself. This is enthusiastically recommended for those who approach life in unusual ways, trust their instincts to find a path that works even if it seems to difficult.
May 3, 2024
I went to a Christian school from pre-school through ninth grade. This school was very small and not well-funded, so they were open to anybody even though, technically, you had to be a professed Christian to attend. The school attracted parents of "troubled" kids because they probably hoped the Christian education would whip them into shape. It didn't. Most of them lasted a year or two then either got expelled or went back to public school. The kids cursed and threatened teachers and acted up in class and were always causing, well, trouble. I remember a few of them by name, standouts who were always getting detention and suspension. One got expelled for threatening a teacher with a plastic butter knife. Another I saw over a decade later at the college where I tutor and teach, and he told me he'd spent time in prison between middle school and when I saw him again.
Reading the first third of The Color of Everything was like reading about one of these kids' lives. Cory was a "troubled" kid, and he "acted out" and caused heartache for his parents and for the other adults in his life. He talks about his birth and his early childhood and the trauma he experienced. He provides context for his behavior, and he takes ownership for the wrongs he committed. However, I still didn't particularly like Cory or feel much sympathy for him because it felt like he made a lot of excuses.
Once Cory got into his early adulthood, the book vastly improved for me. Even when I'm reading fiction, I don't like the early parts of the story when the main characters are kids if I know they're going to grow into adulthood in the book. I know those stories are foundational, but I feel that authors, in memoir or in fiction, spend way too much time on the context, thinking it's more important than it is. Once Cory is 19 or 20 and begins traveling, his story really takes off. I grew to know him and to really like him, even to love him. I appreciated that he no longer made excuses and was very open and honest about his choices and mistakes. He talks about climbing and photography and love and mental illness. I learned a lot from this book about psychiatry and climbing and mental health in general. I really enjoyed the journey, especially the ending.
What drew me to this book is that I've been watching a lot of climbing docs with my dad after reading a book about the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (title escapes me at the moment), but I'm glad this book wasn't just about climbing. I enjoyed those parts, too, but it was refreshing to read about the person involved in the climbing and not just about the expeditions themselves. I started following Cory on Instagram early on in this book, and his page is fascinating for this reason, too.
The intro to this book touches on these topics: mental health, climbing, and photography. It ends with Cory's most famous photo, one I'd never seen before. I cried looking at it after reading about the context. Cory's prose is impactful. It made me stop and think often, contemplating how I felt about identity or bipolar or trauma. I wish I'd read a physical copy, so I could have dog-eared pages to refer back to. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I recommend this book to people who enjoy memoirs, climbing, photography, love, travel, and more. There are triggers, though: suicide, loss, grief, trauma, violence, strong language, sexual harassment, and others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
Reading the first third of The Color of Everything was like reading about one of these kids' lives. Cory was a "troubled" kid, and he "acted out" and caused heartache for his parents and for the other adults in his life. He talks about his birth and his early childhood and the trauma he experienced. He provides context for his behavior, and he takes ownership for the wrongs he committed. However, I still didn't particularly like Cory or feel much sympathy for him because it felt like he made a lot of excuses.
Once Cory got into his early adulthood, the book vastly improved for me. Even when I'm reading fiction, I don't like the early parts of the story when the main characters are kids if I know they're going to grow into adulthood in the book. I know those stories are foundational, but I feel that authors, in memoir or in fiction, spend way too much time on the context, thinking it's more important than it is. Once Cory is 19 or 20 and begins traveling, his story really takes off. I grew to know him and to really like him, even to love him. I appreciated that he no longer made excuses and was very open and honest about his choices and mistakes. He talks about climbing and photography and love and mental illness. I learned a lot from this book about psychiatry and climbing and mental health in general. I really enjoyed the journey, especially the ending.
What drew me to this book is that I've been watching a lot of climbing docs with my dad after reading a book about the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (title escapes me at the moment), but I'm glad this book wasn't just about climbing. I enjoyed those parts, too, but it was refreshing to read about the person involved in the climbing and not just about the expeditions themselves. I started following Cory on Instagram early on in this book, and his page is fascinating for this reason, too.
The intro to this book touches on these topics: mental health, climbing, and photography. It ends with Cory's most famous photo, one I'd never seen before. I cried looking at it after reading about the context. Cory's prose is impactful. It made me stop and think often, contemplating how I felt about identity or bipolar or trauma. I wish I'd read a physical copy, so I could have dog-eared pages to refer back to. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I recommend this book to people who enjoy memoirs, climbing, photography, love, travel, and more. There are triggers, though: suicide, loss, grief, trauma, violence, strong language, sexual harassment, and others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
July 24, 2024
I HOPE EVERYONE READS THIS BOOK.
This book is art and truth and mental health advocacy and adventure. A coming of age account of life and all its shadow folds and bright spots, crevasses and climbs, attempts, fails, summits, descents, all the other colorful everything stops along the way.
Cory shares his story through a lens of rigorous honesty. He looks at the hard parts of life fearlessly and shares them as they relate to his own life experience and story, with an invitation for exploration to anyone who may have- or have had - a similar or relatable experience.
This book is part welcome mat, stepping stone, & outstretched hand to anyone who feels "broken," "damaged/spoiled/rotten," "othered," "unseen," "conditionally or only partly accepted/acceptable or loved/lovable," and "not entirely okay," (as we all do), as is Cory himself.
There is truly something in here for everyone. This book looks fearlessly at mental health systems and experiences, at sexual expression, identity, and relating, at gender identity, expression, & relating, at power dynamics, and at a million different "identity hats" we all wear, seeking connection, that in the end seem to keep us more separate than a part. The continuously hinted invitation I perceive from Cory's book and life is "to thine own self be true," which is no easy task and requires the shared stories of experience, strength, and hope from those like Cory who truly dare to live their own lives as their true selves as best we can in each moment of each day.
This book is very appropriately named.
Cory Richards is as talented a writer as he is a photographer, and as beautiful a person as the mountains he climbs and the people and experiences he keeps in his life.
I truly hope this book reaches the hands, eyes/ears, hearts, & collective consciousness of the millions in the world who struggle with feeling alone in their experience(s), the friends and family members who love them, and the therapists, healers, teachers, clinicians, healthcare workers, social workers, old timers, and seekers who dedicate their lives to dispelling the myth that we are all separate and alone.
Also, as a scientific researcher with a PhD in Biomedical Science and Neuroscience and postdoctoral training in clinical mental health, complementary and integrative health, and social justice, I'll add that the Neuroscientific components are this book are both acurate and audience-appropriate, and the commentary on clinical mental health systems and approaches is one I fully endorse.
This book is art and truth and mental health advocacy and adventure. A coming of age account of life and all its shadow folds and bright spots, crevasses and climbs, attempts, fails, summits, descents, all the other colorful everything stops along the way.
Cory shares his story through a lens of rigorous honesty. He looks at the hard parts of life fearlessly and shares them as they relate to his own life experience and story, with an invitation for exploration to anyone who may have- or have had - a similar or relatable experience.
This book is part welcome mat, stepping stone, & outstretched hand to anyone who feels "broken," "damaged/spoiled/rotten," "othered," "unseen," "conditionally or only partly accepted/acceptable or loved/lovable," and "not entirely okay," (as we all do), as is Cory himself.
There is truly something in here for everyone. This book looks fearlessly at mental health systems and experiences, at sexual expression, identity, and relating, at gender identity, expression, & relating, at power dynamics, and at a million different "identity hats" we all wear, seeking connection, that in the end seem to keep us more separate than a part. The continuously hinted invitation I perceive from Cory's book and life is "to thine own self be true," which is no easy task and requires the shared stories of experience, strength, and hope from those like Cory who truly dare to live their own lives as their true selves as best we can in each moment of each day.
This book is very appropriately named.
Cory Richards is as talented a writer as he is a photographer, and as beautiful a person as the mountains he climbs and the people and experiences he keeps in his life.
I truly hope this book reaches the hands, eyes/ears, hearts, & collective consciousness of the millions in the world who struggle with feeling alone in their experience(s), the friends and family members who love them, and the therapists, healers, teachers, clinicians, healthcare workers, social workers, old timers, and seekers who dedicate their lives to dispelling the myth that we are all separate and alone.
Also, as a scientific researcher with a PhD in Biomedical Science and Neuroscience and postdoctoral training in clinical mental health, complementary and integrative health, and social justice, I'll add that the Neuroscientific components are this book are both acurate and audience-appropriate, and the commentary on clinical mental health systems and approaches is one I fully endorse.
Read
July 23, 2024I didn’t know what to expect from this book – and loved it. Cory Richards gives us a (presumably) frank, uncensored glimpse into what it means to face ongoing mental health issues. His bipolar drives him to forever seek new extreme adventure, which makes this book fascinating. It made me feel a range of emotions, from dismay and sadness, to triumph and hope, and I was totally gripped right the way through.
Cory’s writing is often profound and wise. He’s philosophical and insightful. He writes beautifully and captivatingly. He explores so many of life’s big questions, such as how we define our identity, and the stories we tell ourselves about our lives. And, most importantly, how we can escape victimhood and rewrite our stories.
Not only does the reader get real insights, backed up by research, about a number of mental illnesses, including bipolar and complex PTSD, but also an absolutely spellbinding account of what it’s like to prepare for, and then tackle, the most dangerous mountains in the world.
From a young age, Cory knows that his brain is wired differently. His parents never really knew which version of himself they would have to deal with that day – the sweet Cory, or the difficult Cory. He becomes a defiant, rebellious young man in troubling relationships with his parents, brother, friends and colleagues.
Cory is often fearful: of his ‘madness’ and the things he imagines will go horribly wrong (he’s a master of catastrophic thinking). But he’s the first to admit that this fear also drives him to greater achievements. He also craves stimulation and becomes addicted to a range of substances, from caffeine to antidepressants and nicotine, which don’t help to stabilise his moods, and eventually lead him to rehab.
His life is filled with irony. He realises that he takes pills to counteract his ‘madness’ in order to be able to do mad things. He tries to stay sane in order to attempt the insane, which helps him escape insanity.
Highly recommended.
Cory’s writing is often profound and wise. He’s philosophical and insightful. He writes beautifully and captivatingly. He explores so many of life’s big questions, such as how we define our identity, and the stories we tell ourselves about our lives. And, most importantly, how we can escape victimhood and rewrite our stories.
Not only does the reader get real insights, backed up by research, about a number of mental illnesses, including bipolar and complex PTSD, but also an absolutely spellbinding account of what it’s like to prepare for, and then tackle, the most dangerous mountains in the world.
From a young age, Cory knows that his brain is wired differently. His parents never really knew which version of himself they would have to deal with that day – the sweet Cory, or the difficult Cory. He becomes a defiant, rebellious young man in troubling relationships with his parents, brother, friends and colleagues.
Cory is often fearful: of his ‘madness’ and the things he imagines will go horribly wrong (he’s a master of catastrophic thinking). But he’s the first to admit that this fear also drives him to greater achievements. He also craves stimulation and becomes addicted to a range of substances, from caffeine to antidepressants and nicotine, which don’t help to stabilise his moods, and eventually lead him to rehab.
His life is filled with irony. He realises that he takes pills to counteract his ‘madness’ in order to be able to do mad things. He tries to stay sane in order to attempt the insane, which helps him escape insanity.
Highly recommended.
April 23, 2024
The Color of Everything is the personal memoir of Cory Richards. He is a renowned climber and photographer for National Geographic. His father is a math teacher and ski patroller and he spends many years teaching Cory and his brother how to ski and climb.
Richards has a tough childhood. He clashes with his brother constantly. He has a hard time relating and getting along with others. As a result of the violence in the household, it eventually becomes determined that Richards has mental illness, particularly bipolar disorder. He drops out of HS and uses the skills he has learned from his father to emerge himself in photography, particularly climbing and filming the highest mountains of the world. He does this to help suppress the darkness that he feels inside of him.
He eventually makes a name for himself by being the only American to climb the highest mountain peaks, over 8000 mts, in winter, with and without oxygen. His pictures get picked up by National Geographic and he is sent by them on many filming expeditions. He started out by flying all over and climbing these peaks. It is unclear to me how, in the beginning, he was able to do this without a job or money.
No matter how much he tries, his mental illness still rises to the surface and for awhile he is debilitated by it. Much of the story is about mental illness. Getting through the psychological part of it was sometimes tough as it is at times very technical. He also goes off on tangents on patriarchy, feminism, and sexual humor. These parts I found hard to get through although I did find his life experiences to be interesting. His writing is good. Some of his pictures are strange but his mountain views are amazing.
Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy.
Richards has a tough childhood. He clashes with his brother constantly. He has a hard time relating and getting along with others. As a result of the violence in the household, it eventually becomes determined that Richards has mental illness, particularly bipolar disorder. He drops out of HS and uses the skills he has learned from his father to emerge himself in photography, particularly climbing and filming the highest mountains of the world. He does this to help suppress the darkness that he feels inside of him.
He eventually makes a name for himself by being the only American to climb the highest mountain peaks, over 8000 mts, in winter, with and without oxygen. His pictures get picked up by National Geographic and he is sent by them on many filming expeditions. He started out by flying all over and climbing these peaks. It is unclear to me how, in the beginning, he was able to do this without a job or money.
No matter how much he tries, his mental illness still rises to the surface and for awhile he is debilitated by it. Much of the story is about mental illness. Getting through the psychological part of it was sometimes tough as it is at times very technical. He also goes off on tangents on patriarchy, feminism, and sexual humor. These parts I found hard to get through although I did find his life experiences to be interesting. His writing is good. Some of his pictures are strange but his mountain views are amazing.
Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy.
May 29, 2024
I devoured this book, like I do every other book about mountain climbing. But as much as this book is about climbing, it's also about mental health and the struggles the author has had throughout life dealing with different mental health issues. For those expecting a book entirely devoted to climbing, this might come as a bit of a shock. However, it was quite insightful reading about Richards' struggles with depression and bipolar disorder. Even though he's known for achieving some pretty big things in the climbing world and struggling to attain those achievements, his struggles and achievements when dealing with his mental health are just as impressive.
The writing has a certain poetic nature to it, though it can feel choppy at times. However, I think it works with the story the author is trying to tell. The story itself is choppy; jumping from the avalanche that nearly took his life, to his childhood, to different climbs and the aftermath of quitting climbing, all while interspersed with stories of him crumbling under the weight of his mental health crises. At times you really feel for him, but then there are times you don't. We all are responsible for our actions, but it feels as if the author doesn't always take responsibility for his. And while there are times when his struggles with mental health may be to blame, I don't feel as if this is always the case. However, I do applaud him for speaking candidly and openly, especially during his allegations of sexual harassment.
While I do wish there had been a little more regarding climbing, I was surprised on how much I enjoyed the rest of the book. Recommended for those who want a deeper look not only into the struggles of climbing, but the struggles of battling yourself.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The writing has a certain poetic nature to it, though it can feel choppy at times. However, I think it works with the story the author is trying to tell. The story itself is choppy; jumping from the avalanche that nearly took his life, to his childhood, to different climbs and the aftermath of quitting climbing, all while interspersed with stories of him crumbling under the weight of his mental health crises. At times you really feel for him, but then there are times you don't. We all are responsible for our actions, but it feels as if the author doesn't always take responsibility for his. And while there are times when his struggles with mental health may be to blame, I don't feel as if this is always the case. However, I do applaud him for speaking candidly and openly, especially during his allegations of sexual harassment.
While I do wish there had been a little more regarding climbing, I was surprised on how much I enjoyed the rest of the book. Recommended for those who want a deeper look not only into the struggles of climbing, but the struggles of battling yourself.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 1, 2024
Thank you to Cory Richards, Random House Publishing, and Goodreads. I won this ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway and providing a voluntary spoiler-free review.
I did not start reading this book, thinking I was going to learn something about myself. I expected to learn about climbing, persevering, and overcoming fears. I did learn what a crampon is, and it is not a cross between a cramp and tampon, which is all I could think of until I googled it 🤭😁.
Some things amazing about this book are that I love the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and how Cory Richards ties them into his story mostly directly. I love how he shares his story through multiple lenses within a single chapter connecting visceral childhood memories alongside his adult introspection based on different therapies he explored. Speaking of therapy, Richards does an excellent job explaining scientific factual information without making it boring. Lastly, I love the concept of "the circle of life," which Cory explores extensively across cultures. Although called by different names, I believe if you read this book, you may have a full circle moment of your own.
My rating is 4.5/5, but it deserves the round up because I will absolutely recommend this book to everyone! I will be purchasing a published copy.
My only real disappointment is directed to Marie Pantojan, senior editor for Random House. In the beginning of the ARC I received, is a letter addressed to the reader (which is me) stating that this book is "accompanied by stunning, never-before-seen photographs from his career" I found this statement misleading and false. I hope the published version of the book has more than one photo in the ARC.
I did not start reading this book, thinking I was going to learn something about myself. I expected to learn about climbing, persevering, and overcoming fears. I did learn what a crampon is, and it is not a cross between a cramp and tampon, which is all I could think of until I googled it 🤭😁.
Some things amazing about this book are that I love the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and how Cory Richards ties them into his story mostly directly. I love how he shares his story through multiple lenses within a single chapter connecting visceral childhood memories alongside his adult introspection based on different therapies he explored. Speaking of therapy, Richards does an excellent job explaining scientific factual information without making it boring. Lastly, I love the concept of "the circle of life," which Cory explores extensively across cultures. Although called by different names, I believe if you read this book, you may have a full circle moment of your own.
My rating is 4.5/5, but it deserves the round up because I will absolutely recommend this book to everyone! I will be purchasing a published copy.
My only real disappointment is directed to Marie Pantojan, senior editor for Random House. In the beginning of the ARC I received, is a letter addressed to the reader (which is me) stating that this book is "accompanied by stunning, never-before-seen photographs from his career" I found this statement misleading and false. I hope the published version of the book has more than one photo in the ARC.
June 25, 2024
I received a digital advance copy of The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within by Cory Richards via NetGalley. The Color of Everything is scheduled for release on July 9, 2024.
The Color of Everything is the memoir of Cory Richards, a photographer and climber known for being the only American to summit an 8000 meter peak in winter. I was not familiar with Richards prior to reading this book, so didn’t know what to expect going in. The book opens with Richards caught in an avalanche, then backs up in time to take to that moment and beyond. After the first chapter, I thought this might be an adventure memoir, but quickly realized this was more than an adventure tale. This was search of a man for peace in the chaos of his mind.
Throughout the book, Richards explores his struggles with mental illness (bipolar disorder) and the relationships that impact his mental health and are in turn impacted by his mental health. In the end, Richards does not give us any clear answers, but does leave us with a feeling of hope and progress.
As I was reading a digital advance copy, there were not pictures in the book, which I missed. Richards often describes images that he captured as he is detailing the events around them, and I would have liked to have those images in the text. I am curious if they are present in the physical book.
Overall, The Color of Everything is a memoir of an adventurer in the wilds of nature and the wilds of his own mind.
The Color of Everything is the memoir of Cory Richards, a photographer and climber known for being the only American to summit an 8000 meter peak in winter. I was not familiar with Richards prior to reading this book, so didn’t know what to expect going in. The book opens with Richards caught in an avalanche, then backs up in time to take to that moment and beyond. After the first chapter, I thought this might be an adventure memoir, but quickly realized this was more than an adventure tale. This was search of a man for peace in the chaos of his mind.
Throughout the book, Richards explores his struggles with mental illness (bipolar disorder) and the relationships that impact his mental health and are in turn impacted by his mental health. In the end, Richards does not give us any clear answers, but does leave us with a feeling of hope and progress.
As I was reading a digital advance copy, there were not pictures in the book, which I missed. Richards often describes images that he captured as he is detailing the events around them, and I would have liked to have those images in the text. I am curious if they are present in the physical book.
Overall, The Color of Everything is a memoir of an adventurer in the wilds of nature and the wilds of his own mind.
June 29, 2024
Being interested in both photography and mountaineering, I was familiar with Cory Richard's work - beautiful, dreamy, painting-like portraits and images of faraway places. But I had no idea how complicated and fascinating the person who made those photos was.
If you are expecting another volume of reckless high-altitude adventures, you may be surprised - there are plenty of those here, of course, but the main theme of this book is mental health. “If you know anything about my life (and that’s a pretty big if), I imagine that some of you are wondering if I’m the same person who climbed mountains at all. I’m guessing that some are googling if there are two Cory Richardses and they’ve picked up the wrong memoir and are reading someone else’s memories,” he writes after a few first heart-wrenching chapters about his difficult upbringing and struggle with bipolar disorder. But it made him who he is, and it made both his climbing and artistic careers possible.
His writing is raw, authentic, and compelling. He is very open about both his problems and the harsh realities of the high mountains: “To the ancient part of the brain, it’s all the same thing; in that five-hundred-million-year-old piece of the mind, there is no poetry or story and we can tell no lies to escape the fact that the neurobiological basis of climbing is simple: Don’t die. Chaos is what I know best”.
Highly recommended not only to die-hard mountaineering literature fans.
Thanks to the publisher, Random House, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
If you are expecting another volume of reckless high-altitude adventures, you may be surprised - there are plenty of those here, of course, but the main theme of this book is mental health. “If you know anything about my life (and that’s a pretty big if), I imagine that some of you are wondering if I’m the same person who climbed mountains at all. I’m guessing that some are googling if there are two Cory Richardses and they’ve picked up the wrong memoir and are reading someone else’s memories,” he writes after a few first heart-wrenching chapters about his difficult upbringing and struggle with bipolar disorder. But it made him who he is, and it made both his climbing and artistic careers possible.
His writing is raw, authentic, and compelling. He is very open about both his problems and the harsh realities of the high mountains: “To the ancient part of the brain, it’s all the same thing; in that five-hundred-million-year-old piece of the mind, there is no poetry or story and we can tell no lies to escape the fact that the neurobiological basis of climbing is simple: Don’t die. Chaos is what I know best”.
Highly recommended not only to die-hard mountaineering literature fans.
Thanks to the publisher, Random House, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
March 14, 2024
I was familiar with the name Cory Richard’s from his National Geographic photography but had no idea about his struggles with mental health and how these issues of trauma and distress governed his actions. Richard’s, an accomplished mountain climber, is at his best as a writer in his descriptions of the numerous places he’s visited and the climbing experiences. His honesty with his battles of bi-polar mania and depression are heartbreaking and enlightening. In his trying to understand his actions he has undergone various therapies and treatments ranging from cognitive therapy to hallucinogenic drugs to meditation practices. And as an intellectual he has read extensively on mental health and other issues that controlled his lifestyle. For me, some of his treatises on these issues felt like self-aggrandisement especially when he tried to address inappropriate sexual behavior and the limits of feminism.
Richards is to be commended for his honest treatment of his mental health and addictive behaviors in his story.
Recommended for those interested in insight into mental health and coping behaviors and those interested in mountaineering. An intriguing and thought-provoking memoir.
Richards is to be commended for his honest treatment of his mental health and addictive behaviors in his story.
Recommended for those interested in insight into mental health and coping behaviors and those interested in mountaineering. An intriguing and thought-provoking memoir.
July 8, 2024
Amazing! In spite of serious mental health issues and a rather chaotic, to put it nicely, upbringing and family life, Cory Richards becomes a world renowned mountain climber, a photographer and is later employed by National Geographic. I will not go into that part of his life and add spoilers, but his accomplishments are so noteworthy. And this is not simply a flat retelling of his life from a young age; he has a strong way with words and his philosophical descriptions that give this story a depth that I don't always see in autobiographies. He's brutally honest about his failures, his shortcomings and the immense roll that his mental health has played in his life and in the setbacks that ensued.
I am not drawn to mountain climbing but I would read this book and feel like I was there, on Everest. Fascinating and terrifying, he brings it to life. And the story of his life rounds out the picture of a complicated, intelligent man. I would recommend this book to everyone, mountain climber or not!
This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.
I am not drawn to mountain climbing but I would read this book and feel like I was there, on Everest. Fascinating and terrifying, he brings it to life. And the story of his life rounds out the picture of a complicated, intelligent man. I would recommend this book to everyone, mountain climber or not!
This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.
June 7, 2024
Cory Richards grew up in the mountains of Utah, surrounded by the outdoors. As a teen, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and subsequently immersed himself in a world filled with photography and mountain climbing. In this memoir, Cory chronicles his struggles with bipolar disorder alongside his avid pursuit of photography and extreme mountain climbing.
I did not know much about Cory Richards before I picked up this book. However, I was instantly intrigued at the beginning where he starts with being trapped in an avalanche. I think I enjoyed Part I the most as it chronicles growing up and his struggle with bipolar disorder. Although I did enjoy Parts II and III, I thought sometimes it was a little too wordy. Overall, I appreciate how candid Cory is about his mental illness throughout the book, and it was cool to learn more about mountain climbing as well. If you enjoy memoirs, especially those focusing on mental health, this one is for you! I give it 3.5/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I did not know much about Cory Richards before I picked up this book. However, I was instantly intrigued at the beginning where he starts with being trapped in an avalanche. I think I enjoyed Part I the most as it chronicles growing up and his struggle with bipolar disorder. Although I did enjoy Parts II and III, I thought sometimes it was a little too wordy. Overall, I appreciate how candid Cory is about his mental illness throughout the book, and it was cool to learn more about mountain climbing as well. If you enjoy memoirs, especially those focusing on mental health, this one is for you! I give it 3.5/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 9, 2024
Charisma, fame, good looks, superhuman physical and artistic achievement. Some people seem to have done everything and to be everything you dream of becoming. And as Cory Richards shares in this book, everything can be nothing and anything can be the opportunity for presence, mindfulness and connection to who and what matters most.
A great book is one you can’t put down that you miss when it’s over. The Color of Everything is such a book and I highly recommend reading it.
The Color of Everything tells the story of his journey with mental health and how it has shaped his life, his path as an adventurer and artist and his decision to walk away from climbing and photography to move to LA and become a writer. It’s a profound, must-read book and I’m sure you’ll see it on many best of the year lists come December.
You can listen to my interview with Cory about The Color of Everything on my podcast Choose the Hard Way here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
A great book is one you can’t put down that you miss when it’s over. The Color of Everything is such a book and I highly recommend reading it.
The Color of Everything tells the story of his journey with mental health and how it has shaped his life, his path as an adventurer and artist and his decision to walk away from climbing and photography to move to LA and become a writer. It’s a profound, must-read book and I’m sure you’ll see it on many best of the year lists come December.
You can listen to my interview with Cory about The Color of Everything on my podcast Choose the Hard Way here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
February 21, 2024
Cory Richards’, “The Color of Everything” was a phenomenal read. It’s a memoir that is full of adventure and heartbreak. Its beautifully written, in that it reads like prose yet carries such a tasteful poetic flavor to it. I haven’t had a page turner in quite some time, but I found it with this one.
Cory’s life is nothing short of wild. Adventure and fast living exist as a survival mechanism and method of escape from the chaos that he experiences within. Eventually the weight of his past and inability to slow down catch up with him. Through a long series of hardships and losses, he’s forced inward and almost loses himself in the process.
I feel wiser and more contemplative having read Cory’s words. Truthfully, I didn’t want the book to end. It’s the first book I’ve given five stars to in a while.
Thanks to Random House Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Cory’s life is nothing short of wild. Adventure and fast living exist as a survival mechanism and method of escape from the chaos that he experiences within. Eventually the weight of his past and inability to slow down catch up with him. Through a long series of hardships and losses, he’s forced inward and almost loses himself in the process.
I feel wiser and more contemplative having read Cory’s words. Truthfully, I didn’t want the book to end. It’s the first book I’ve given five stars to in a while.
Thanks to Random House Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 11, 2024
“It’s very easy to be certain amidst comfort. It’s easy to fight when consequences are still just abstractions.” ‼️‼️‼️
“The problem with an unwell mind is that it makes you blind to the world.” 🥺
Wow this book packs a punch. Cory is bipolar and this book is a look into every nuance of his life and how his mental health has shaped it. If you have ever loved someone with mental illness you will feel his struggles viscerally. How he runs from it, but also towards it. How he makes mistakes but then beats himself up for them.
Amongst all of this is his desire to climb. Climb Everest. Climb wherever. Thank you, Corey, for telling your story.
The audiobook is narrated by the author himself and so you know that it is done with the perfect inflection of emotion as he knows what he knows about what he wrote.
Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Random House, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC.
“The problem with an unwell mind is that it makes you blind to the world.” 🥺
Wow this book packs a punch. Cory is bipolar and this book is a look into every nuance of his life and how his mental health has shaped it. If you have ever loved someone with mental illness you will feel his struggles viscerally. How he runs from it, but also towards it. How he makes mistakes but then beats himself up for them.
Amongst all of this is his desire to climb. Climb Everest. Climb wherever. Thank you, Corey, for telling your story.
The audiobook is narrated by the author himself and so you know that it is done with the perfect inflection of emotion as he knows what he knows about what he wrote.
Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Random House, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC.
March 29, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.
It's difficult to write a review for an autobiography as it seems to be a judgement of a person. So focusing on the writing I found the first 2/3 of the book is very well written. From the beginning you are pulled into the story very quickly. Hearing about mental illness and addiction from a person who experienced both yet accomplished quite a bit in their life was very informative and refreshing.
The last third of the book is a combination of a inner monologue, lecture and incomplete narratives. I felt like there was something underlying that we weren't told maybe just skimming the surface of something that should be expanded. The author is entitled to withhold or provide vague narratives but I was left with the feeling I wasn't given all the facts.
It's difficult to write a review for an autobiography as it seems to be a judgement of a person. So focusing on the writing I found the first 2/3 of the book is very well written. From the beginning you are pulled into the story very quickly. Hearing about mental illness and addiction from a person who experienced both yet accomplished quite a bit in their life was very informative and refreshing.
The last third of the book is a combination of a inner monologue, lecture and incomplete narratives. I felt like there was something underlying that we weren't told maybe just skimming the surface of something that should be expanded. The author is entitled to withhold or provide vague narratives but I was left with the feeling I wasn't given all the facts.
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