The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk and Going Beyond Limits
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- Create Date：2021-08-21 06:56:29
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Tommy Caldwell
- ISBN：1405924748
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Summary
A dramatic， inspiring memoir by legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell， the first person to free climb the Dawn Wall of Yosemite's El Capitan
On January 14， 2015， Tommy Caldwell， along with his partner， Kevin Jorgeson， summited what is widely regarded as the hardest climb in history Yosemite's nearly vertical 3，000-foot Dawn Wall， after nineteen days on the route。 Caldwell's odds-defying feat was the culmination of an entire lifetime of pushing himself to his limits as an athlete。
This engrossing memoir chronicles the journey of a boy with a fanatical mountain-guide father who was determined to instill toughness in a teenage son whose obsessive nature drove him to the top of the sport-climbing circuit。 Caldwell's affinity for adventure then led him to the vertigo-inducing and little understood world of big wall free climbing。 But his evolution as a climber was not without challenges; in his early twenties， he was held hostage by militants in a harrowing ordeal in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan。 Soon after， he lost his left index finger in an accident。 Later his wife， and main climbing partner， left him。 Caldwell emerged from these hardships with a renewed sense of purpose and determination。 He set his sights on free climbing El Capitan's biggest， steepest， blankest face the Dawn Wall。
This epic assault took more than seven years， during which time Caldwell redefined the sport， found love again， and became a father。
The Push is an arresting story of focus， drive， motivation， endurance， and transformation， a book that will appeal to anyone
On January 14， 2015， Tommy Caldwell， along with his partner， Kevin Jorgeson， summited what is widely regarded as the hardest climb in history Yosemite's nearly vertical 3，000-foot Dawn Wall， after nineteen days on the route。 Caldwell's odds-defying feat was the culmination of an entire lifetime of pushing himself to his limits as an athlete。
This engrossing memoir chronicles the journey of a boy with a fanatical mountain-guide father who was determined to instill toughness in a teenage son whose obsessive nature drove him to the top of the sport-climbing circuit。 Caldwell's affinity for adventure then led him to the vertigo-inducing and little understood world of big wall free climbing。 But his evolution as a climber was not without challenges; in his early twenties， he was held hostage by militants in a harrowing ordeal in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan。 Soon after， he lost his left index finger in an accident。 Later his wife， and main climbing partner， left him。 Caldwell emerged from these hardships with a renewed sense of purpose and determination。 He set his sights on free climbing El Capitan's biggest， steepest， blankest face the Dawn Wall。
This epic assault took more than seven years， during which time Caldwell redefined the sport， found love again， and became a father。
The Push is an arresting story of focus， drive， motivation， endurance， and transformation， a book that will appeal to anyone
Reviews
Angela
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Enjoyed this a lot more than Honnold's book。 Seemed a lot more personal。 Easy to read and quite compelling。 Enjoyed this a lot more than Honnold's book。 Seemed a lot more personal。 Easy to read and quite compelling。 。。。more
Annie Rose
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sweet climb， bruh
Erica Ellis
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See the Dawn Wall and read this book for additional insight and background; Tommy Caldwell is a pure soul and a gifted writer。 Also read Free Solo for accounts of the same adventures from another perspective。 I tell all of my climber friends to read this， and I'm pretty sure I can strongly recommend it to anyone else as well。 See the Dawn Wall and read this book for additional insight and background; Tommy Caldwell is a pure soul and a gifted writer。 Also read Free Solo for accounts of the same adventures from another perspective。 I tell all of my climber friends to read this， and I'm pretty sure I can strongly recommend it to anyone else as well。 。。。more
Justin Nickels
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This book is absolutely excellent。 While the excellent movie Free Solo is better than Alone on the Wall， that book is still great。 This book is better than the filmed version， The Dawn Wall。 I'm absolutely fascinated by the people who can do these extreme things and succeed with a decent level of humility and this book is a fine example of that。 I recommend it。 This book is absolutely excellent。 While the excellent movie Free Solo is better than Alone on the Wall， that book is still great。 This book is better than the filmed version， The Dawn Wall。 I'm absolutely fascinated by the people who can do these extreme things and succeed with a decent level of humility and this book is a fine example of that。 I recommend it。 。。。more
Daylee Rotenburger
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A great read。 I'm not a climber at all and I loved it。 A great read。 I'm not a climber at all and I loved it。 。。。more
Amy
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Since reading 'Into thin air' and 'Touching the Void' I have struggled to find other first-hand accounts that capture not only the thrill of climbing， but the mentality and emotion involved in pushing yourself upwards。 'The Push' （although it could maybe do with a better name） is exactly what I was after。 I was absolutely captivated， and can't stop telling people about this book。It follows the life of Tommy Caldwell， starting in his childhood， through the ups and downs of his life （and boy are t Since reading 'Into thin air' and 'Touching the Void' I have struggled to find other first-hand accounts that capture not only the thrill of climbing， but the mentality and emotion involved in pushing yourself upwards。 'The Push' （although it could maybe do with a better name） is exactly what I was after。 I was absolutely captivated， and can't stop telling people about this book。It follows the life of Tommy Caldwell， starting in his childhood， through the ups and downs of his life （and boy are there some ups and downs）， to him finally climbing the Dawn Wall。Even if you've seen the documentary about his story （maybe especially if you have seen the documentary） this book is SO worth a read。 。。。more
Rosie
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Great story of Tommy Caldwell's obsession with climbing。 It is good insight to the minds of climbers and for that matter， any athlete that has that one monumental goal in their minds。 Great story of Tommy Caldwell's obsession with climbing。 It is good insight to the minds of climbers and for that matter， any athlete that has that one monumental goal in their minds。 。。。more
Matt Ryan
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4。5/5 - a soft 5Caldwell's book is a jack-of-all-trades memoir/outdoor adventure/climbing manifesto。 He starts with his unique climbing upbringing in Colorado and ultimately finishes on his crown jewel achievement of climbing his fully developed and realized Dawn Wall route in Yosemite。 The book serves as a tremendous overview of some climbing history in the US， both techniques and people， as well as a window into the ways that some elite athletes are raised that differs so much from the standar 4。5/5 - a soft 5Caldwell's book is a jack-of-all-trades memoir/outdoor adventure/climbing manifesto。 He starts with his unique climbing upbringing in Colorado and ultimately finishes on his crown jewel achievement of climbing his fully developed and realized Dawn Wall route in Yosemite。 The book serves as a tremendous overview of some climbing history in the US， both techniques and people， as well as a window into the ways that some elite athletes are raised that differs so much from the standard life of a kid。 It then moves to his precarious first marriage which is both a huge part of his story but also felt a tad salacious as some chapters read like hot gossip。 Caldwell has been on incredible climbs and adventures and shares many。 This is a great sampler but almost makes the ending point of the book muddled。 Interspersed in his adventures are basic musings about life， risk as a climber， how to balance personal pursuits with family。 These are certainly added to provide an emotional core to the book but never gave a true landing space for the story。 Was the book just about Tommy's growth as a person and climber？ Was it about all the ins and outs， ups and downs of being a pro climber？ Was it about the Dawn Wall as a personal triumph？ The book flirts with these but never firmly lands on one。 If you are deeply entrenched in the climbing world already there might not be many new nuggets of info for you in this text。 If you are like me and know a little it opens a fascinating door into the rapidly evolving and growing world of climbing。 Cool story， even with the focus jumping and shifting。 Worth checking out if you are at all into the outdoors， adventuring， climbing， or even some reflections on what those pursuits do to relationships and family。 。。。more
trailimeli
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Excellent look into the mind of a world-class climber 。。。 who also struggles with read human things like you and me。 I have never been climbing in my life and I appreciated the hell out of this book and have mad respect for the art and sheer athleticism of climbers。
Andrew
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Fantastic。 Read the book and then watch the film
Tara
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Great book。 Very well written and engaging。 Gets you wanting to get outside， explore and be active
Greg
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I'm not sure it's a 5 star book for non-climbers， and I'm also a new father so that's in my favor as well， but i really liked this。 Particularly the detailed descriptions of pitches or individual moves， which I'd wished for in the dawn wall movie。 I'm not sure it's a 5 star book for non-climbers， and I'm also a new father so that's in my favor as well， but i really liked this。 Particularly the detailed descriptions of pitches or individual moves， which I'd wished for in the dawn wall movie。 。。。more
Bryant
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Excellent all around。 I'm amazed that the author is， well， such a great author。 I mean， someone this amazing at climbing is also an talented linguist as well， I'm just a little jealous！ Seriously though， this was a well written and enthralling book/memoir， which I would recommend to anyone。 Excellent all around。 I'm amazed that the author is， well， such a great author。 I mean， someone this amazing at climbing is also an talented linguist as well， I'm just a little jealous！ Seriously though， this was a well written and enthralling book/memoir， which I would recommend to anyone。 。。。more
Scott Louthan
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I first read Alex Honnolds book and was worried I would feel similar about this book。 While they are both insanely talented climbers Honnolds book was tough to get through and made me like him less sadly。 However， I felt completely different with this book。 It was less about technical climb moves， though it had that， and was more about what the toll of this life is。 Tommy made me even like Alex again 😂。 I would suggest this book strongly to anyone out there interested in climbing and or athletic I first read Alex Honnolds book and was worried I would feel similar about this book。 While they are both insanely talented climbers Honnolds book was tough to get through and made me like him less sadly。 However， I felt completely different with this book。 It was less about technical climb moves， though it had that， and was more about what the toll of this life is。 Tommy made me even like Alex again 😂。 I would suggest this book strongly to anyone out there interested in climbing and or athletic pursuits stories。 。。。more
TJ Wilson
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Such an honest and intelligent account of a life。 Caldwell shows that he is a human， excelling at his craft and his life's philosophy along the way。 Such an honest and intelligent account of a life。 Caldwell shows that he is a human， excelling at his craft and his life's philosophy along the way。 。。。more
Susan Griggs
，
There are at least five reasons why you would read “The Push” by Tommy Caldwell: 1。tYou know who Tommy Caldwell is。2。tYou love rock climbing。3。tYou have seen the movie “The Dawn Wall” and want to learn more。4。tYou are determined to read any New York Times best-selling book。5。tYou picked it up at a book sale and were interested in the cover art。 Yes， “The Push” has a limited audience， but you will love this book if you relate to any of the above reasons。 Maybe I should give it more credit， consid There are at least five reasons why you would read “The Push” by Tommy Caldwell: 1。tYou know who Tommy Caldwell is。2。tYou love rock climbing。3。tYou have seen the movie “The Dawn Wall” and want to learn more。4。tYou are determined to read any New York Times best-selling book。5。tYou picked it up at a book sale and were interested in the cover art。 Yes， “The Push” has a limited audience， but you will love this book if you relate to any of the above reasons。 Maybe I should give it more credit， considering it is a New York Times bestseller。 This memoir chronicles Caldwell’s life， beginning with his early challenging years。 The book ends with him becoming the first person to free climb the Dawn Wall， which is part of Yosemite Valley’s El Capitan。 Two things that impressed me most about this book: 1） The story itself and 2） Caldwell’s writing。 Caldwell writes concisely but does not leave a detail out in the stories he chooses to share。 This book could have easily been a retelling of someone’s exciting adventures。 Still， Caldwell does a great job of tying events together and leading you into the next story。 Caldwell takes ordinary memoir writing to the next level。 He pulls together the memories that make him and leads each story into the next exciting moment， so you never get lost。 Caldwell also opens a window into his feelings at each stage of his life。 I specifically remember two times I had to stop reading to catch my breath。 And， these moments had nothing to do with Caldwell putting his life at risk with climbing。 The movie “The Dawn Wall” is one of my favorite movies， but I was even more blown away by the book， which is the basis of “The Push。” I was very impressed with this book and highly recommend it。 。。。more
Cheryl Sturgis
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Such a great story！ I watched the movie first then read the book。 Both amazing！
Mitchell Keo
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Super awesome read。 There’s something to be said about fighting since being put on this earth。 Inspiring and made me more determined in my convictions。
Eduardo Santiago
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There’s an awkward balance when writing a memoir， between full disclosure and reasonable privacy: you want to tell your story， while also honoring those who’ve played roles in it， remembering that what you show is only one perspective of a greater whole。 Caldwell’s balance on peppercorn-sized rock grains is unequaled， but in this story I don’t think he got it right。 There were long stretches where I felt uncomfortable reading his portrayals of his loved ones， and even of himself。 Sure， he’s youn There’s an awkward balance when writing a memoir， between full disclosure and reasonable privacy: you want to tell your story， while also honoring those who’ve played roles in it， remembering that what you show is only one perspective of a greater whole。 Caldwell’s balance on peppercorn-sized rock grains is unequaled， but in this story I don’t think he got it right。 There were long stretches where I felt uncomfortable reading his portrayals of his loved ones， and even of himself。 Sure， he’s young， but maybe a good editor would’ve encouraged him to make a few small changes？ （Maybe they did）。 Anyhow， there was a lot more in here than I'd expected or in fact wanted。 Perhaps more than his family or past connections wanted， too。No need for me to say more。 If you’re a climber， you’ve probably already read this or are going to。 If you’re not， there isn’t much need for you to read it。 。。。more
Jordan
，
Bad title， fantastic book。
Elvan
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This book is remarkable in so many ways。 Not because it is a book about the incredible first ascent of the Dawn Wall， but because it is a book about all the falls， both literal and figurative， Tommy Caldwell had to take to successfully climb that monumental wall eventually。 It is remarkable also because of the combination of humility， compassion， confidence， restraint and resilience examplified by the author and the people he has collaborated with。 If you have at any point in your life faced som This book is remarkable in so many ways。 Not because it is a book about the incredible first ascent of the Dawn Wall， but because it is a book about all the falls， both literal and figurative， Tommy Caldwell had to take to successfully climb that monumental wall eventually。 It is remarkable also because of the combination of humility， compassion， confidence， restraint and resilience examplified by the author and the people he has collaborated with。 If you have at any point in your life faced something that you felt was unsurmountable， and yet somehow managed to push through， you would relate to this book on many levels。 Highly recommended for everyone， but especially for those who are still facing their seemingly-unsurmountable challenges。 Amazing read。 。。。more
Kale
，
#kalepolandfitnessreviews I really related to this book。 Tommy's penchant for going over the top（figuratively and literally） as a rock climber， and his struggle to balance regular life with deep passion is well-documented。 Unlike some sporting memoirs that are self-aggrandizing and ego-driven， Tommy is vulnerable and critical of himself。 The reader really WANTS success for the likeable Tommy。 The Kyrgyzstan hostage situation could have been a best-seller on its own， but makes for an unbelievable #kalepolandfitnessreviews I really related to this book。 Tommy's penchant for going over the top（figuratively and literally） as a rock climber， and his struggle to balance regular life with deep passion is well-documented。 Unlike some sporting memoirs that are self-aggrandizing and ego-driven， Tommy is vulnerable and critical of himself。 The reader really WANTS success for the likeable Tommy。 The Kyrgyzstan hostage situation could have been a best-seller on its own， but makes for an unbelievable origin-story for him later in life。 Must read。 Also， watch The Dawn Wall， the documentary！ 。。。more
Elinor Scruby
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Incredibly engaging and inspiring。 Tommy Caldwell has led an incredibly exciting life and his journey is told in such a way that it keeps you engaged and emotionally invested throughout。 Highly recommend。
Jessica
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As an， mostly， indoor climber it's really fascinating to read about big wall projects and climbing。 The perseverance and planing that goes into these climbs is amazing， and everything he went through leading up to it was a big part of him making the final pusg up the Dawn Wall。 I enjoyed this almost as much as watching The Dawn Wall-documentary。 As an， mostly， indoor climber it's really fascinating to read about big wall projects and climbing。 The perseverance and planing that goes into these climbs is amazing， and everything he went through leading up to it was a big part of him making the final pusg up the Dawn Wall。 I enjoyed this almost as much as watching The Dawn Wall-documentary。 。。。more
Clíona
，
Motivating and fascinating read， gives me a whole new level of respect for Tommy plus I now have to put big wall climbing on my climbing bucket list
Amy Brouwer
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Incredible story。 I watched his Netflix documentary "the Dawn Wall" just before starting this book and so I could picture everything he talks about。 This book is making me want to get back into climbing again！ Incredible story。 I watched his Netflix documentary "the Dawn Wall" just before starting this book and so I could picture everything he talks about。 This book is making me want to get back into climbing again！ 。。。more
Jack Paton
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Great story， well written and inspiring。 Surprisingly open。
Doug
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As a climber and someone who's seen the Dawn Wall， I was itching to finally get around to reading this book。 Tommy does a fantastic job of detailing his adventures both on the wall and in life。 The pages flew by and despite already knowing most of the stories he was telling， I found myself enthralled and couldn't put the book down。 He does a great job of explaining the climbing lingo for those who aren't climbers。Highly recommend picking this up if you are at all interested in climbing or just i As a climber and someone who's seen the Dawn Wall， I was itching to finally get around to reading this book。 Tommy does a fantastic job of detailing his adventures both on the wall and in life。 The pages flew by and despite already knowing most of the stories he was telling， I found myself enthralled and couldn't put the book down。 He does a great job of explaining the climbing lingo for those who aren't climbers。Highly recommend picking this up if you are at all interested in climbing or just interested in reading about the fascinating life story of a bucktooth kid turned professional athlete。 。。。more
Moira McPartlin
，
Even if you aren't a climber you can still enjoy this autobiography。 The pure dedication of Tommy Caldwell to work on his climbing career and spend years pursuing a first free climb of Dawn Wall in Yosemite is truly inspirational。 Even if you aren't a climber you can still enjoy this autobiography。 The pure dedication of Tommy Caldwell to work on his climbing career and spend years pursuing a first free climb of Dawn Wall in Yosemite is truly inspirational。 。。。more
Sandi
，