A number of books come across my desk each year.  I saw that Beth Rodden had completed her Climber’s Story and I had a vibe that this one would be something extra.  I was not wrong.  

This climber’s life intertwines with some of the notable names of contemporary North American climbing. Her feats in Yosemite, and her escape with her party from terrorists in Kyrgyzstan are remarkable and have attained legendary status. Beth’s relationship with Tommy Caldwell was a climbing fairytale and its end saddened many. In the pages of her book, Beth opens up on all of these topics and, in doing so, the reader gains an intimate understanding of the highs and lows of living in a spotlight. It goes deeper, though, into the shadows that are thrown from the dark moments life presents. This is an area many writers choose not to go. 
 
Bethany Rodden is one of the most accomplished American climbers of the 21st Century. Starting young, with a hunger for high performance, she put everything into professional sport climbing competition, as well as developing her craft at the Mecca of the climbing universe - Yosemite. She teamed up with (some would say drafted off), Tommy Caldwell as a climbing partner and wife, traveling the world in pursuit of grand lines, good times, and picking up key sponsorships in the process. Beth also established the most difficult crack climb in The Valley, Meltdown (5.14c).  This significant ascent sent a message; she was a stand-alone baddass. ​

All the key Beth&Tommy ascents, and their relationship, are presented within the book, but to hear it firsthand from the Beth part of the relationship is something.  The something that Beth writes is from a women’s perspective, it is raw, and it is honest.

As I was reading, I was a little uncomfortable, feeling that Beth had invited me into her life and inadvertently Tommy’s as well.  As a writer, I would not have the courage to go as deep as Beth has in her story. In doing so, she gives us a first-hand account on living as a professional climber and mother, as well as finding her way amongst giants and not getting stomped on. For readers, how she manages the complexities of being a woman in a field dominated by men is a central tenant of her message.

These areas are painted into her story by key experiences, including Kyrgyzstan - the pivotal moment in Beth’s life. At 20 years of age, while attempting a line in the Kara Su Valley on towering cliffs in a place that God forgot, her partner, Tommy Caldwell with friends, Jason Smith and John Dickey, were fired upon by local revolutionary front folks who like to make noise and hurt people, especially Westerners. What followed was six days of fear and suspense as the party was taken hostage by the rebels.

It ended when Tommy pushed one of them off of a cliff followed by a mad mountain run to evade recapture. They made it to safety but the memory hangs with Beth like a black veil. She tells of the experience and, just as importantly, the post-traumatic trauma she has carried throughout her life since.

​Anyone who has experienced significant trauma in their life, an experience that shook them to the core, will feel the rattle as she breaks down the journey she has had and the processes she needed to prevent its darkness taking over her reason. That is a read all in itself. 

A Light Through the Cracks is just as the title suggests. It’s a climber’s story without a sponsor’s edit.  It’s a woman’s story, with full disclosure on the weight of expectation and of self-examination. It’s an athlete’s story of the psychological battle to keep your nerve when others don’t, of hiding fallibility to build a profile, of the constant fight to maintain your body for peak performance. Beth addresses all of these and her honesty will be a welcome read to other women who find themselves in similar commanding positions in their sport or in their climbing lives. In turn it is an important read for men who climb with women; we are the same, but we are different. The message I received was respect the woman and respect the differences.  Listen and learn.  ​

World-renowned climber and author of the book "A Light Through the Cracks: A Climber's Story" Beth Rodden. (Photo Credit: *)

To be honest, in the past, I thought Beth was drafting off of Tommy; she says as much in the writing. The revelation though is that she is a master of her own story. Beth Rodden is as badass as any climber I have interviewed, and what’s more, she has been honest in telling her story. By revealing the shade and the light of her experiences, she has let the light shine through the cracks. In doing so, what you end up with upon closing the last page, is a heart-felt read that will leave you thinking. Its rawness is like soft fingertips after a long day out, but by working through it, and with time, your grip will be stronger. This is a story of an accomplished climber and of a woman who once meowed but now roars. Read it, you will not be disappointed, but heh, you may also be inspired. Great ones do that.  

​A Light Through the Cracks
By Beth Rodden

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little A (May 1, 2024)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 301 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1503903796
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1503903791