Book review 'With Bare Hands': Story of a real life Spiderman

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NiileshA

21 November, 2011

I am sure in your life you might have encountered individuals who are known to have the fear of heights - Vertigo? The author Alain Robert shares his side of the story in his autobiography 'With Bare Hands' as to how he overcame this in life.

ALL OF us must have, at one point or another, encountered individuals who are known to have the fear of heights - Vertigo, which results in a feeling of dizziness when one encounters difficulty in standing or walking. While many try to overcome vertigo through medication the author Alain Robert, a French and urban climber famous for scaling skyscrapers, shares his side of the story of how he overcame this in his autobiography “With Bare Hands” a recent collection by JAICO Publishing House.

To overcome the fear of heights, Alain decided to make climbing his passion. The countless injuries left him upto 66% disabled but today he holds the reputation for being the best solo climber. In the book the author has shared interesting accounts of how he went ahead to tour the world, surmounting the summit of some of the landmark urban skyscrapers, which many have only heard of let alone seen. It was his way of proving to the real world of how one can conquer fear by exceeding one’s own limits.

Alain Robert has scaled nearly 100 skyscrapers worldwide: from the Petronas Towers in Malaysia to Taipei 101, from Chicago’s Sears Tower to Canary Wharf in London. Reward and punishment have been received in equal measure – the flamboyant Frenchman has gained international fame and raised thousands of dollars for charity, but has also been arrested, beaten and prosecuted. The appeal of the book includes a collection of over 20 colored photographs that showcase his climbing adventures right from the early stages including the effect, climbing had on his hands with countless injuries.

Alain admits, “Spiderman is my nickname, but I have no supernatural powers. When I climb skyscrapers, there’s no special effect. No safety net!” For many people this may sound like madness to undertake such tasks without the use of safety equipment. According to the author the madness lies if one is not able to pursue their dreams.

If you would like to know how an individual conquered his worst fears of overcoming vertigo, surpass all limits, and hold the record for being the world’s greatest urban climber - the title “With Bare Hands” makes for an interesting read.