The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 218 ratings

Price: 17.72

Last update: 12-27-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Marcia
4.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening portrayal of living with bipolar…phenomenal memoir!
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024
Cory Richards memoir was heartbreaking. His descriptions of his ongoing battle with bipolar depression and how it affected himself and those in his life were so very harrowing. I cannot imagine the frustration he and his family felt while he was growing up, as well as the women in his life struggling to understand him. Those passages were so very chilling to read. I found myself wondering what direction his life may have taken if his dad had not been so invested in teaching he and his brother winter survival skills during their childhood. His mom and dad seemed to always be there to support him in spite of the challenges inherent in doing so over and over again.
As an adult, his drive to put his life at risk to climb the unforgiving mountains over and over, living in such remote locations and dealing with the excruciating weather, sleeping sitting up on the side of a steep mountain, constantly worrying about an avalanche, all while trying to run from the feelings caused from his bipolar depression will remain with me for many years to come. The realization that he was so adept at chronicling his travels and experiences for National Geographic makes his prowess that much more impressive.
My heart felt for Topo after his years of training and his anticipation for their last climb, he must have felt betrayed, not having any realization of the torturous struggles Cory was trying to overcome. I am hoping that they have since been able to heal their rift.
One of the most impactful passages for me was when he moved to the other side of the world with the woman he loved so dearly in an effort to live their lives, but his inner thoughts, fears, and judgmental feelings destroyed the relationship. His awareness that he had used women in a similar fashion over the years was my first glimmer that he was beginning to realize his impact on those around him.
So many random things will linger with me…his satisfaction with the act of sweeping, ouroboros, the phrase “Go gently!”.
Many many thanks to Cory Richards for having the strength to share his internal struggles, Random House, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this eye opening portrayal of living with bipolar.
Michael D. Schwartz
5.0 out of 5 stars Courageous, vulnerable, and brilliantly written.
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024
I've been a fan of Cory's photography and had high hopes but this book exceeded all expectations.
J. Stein
4.0 out of 5 stars Memoir
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 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.
Susan Kaplan
5.0 out of 5 stars A man finds himself
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
In The Color of Everything, Cory Richards narrates his journey from troubled kid to an adult who finds himself. That’s the heart of the book. What makes the book something far beyond the usual mental health narrative is who he became publicly, and, privately, along the way.

Mr. Richards always climbed with his father. And, after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated for it sporadically, he developed an interest in photography, in which he excelled. His love of climbing led him to scale the most challenging peaks in the world, and his photographs of those and other journeys earned him not only publication in The National Geographic, but a photo of himself on an issue of the magazine.

I think he traveled the world for about a decade, seeking experiences that would, as he says, calm his internal chaos, including a silent Buddhist retreat in Thailand in addition to the self-medication provided by the adrenaline rush of harrowing climbs, in all but one case without supplemental oxygen. He returned home when his father was diagnosed with cancer, but still the restlessness of feeling that he neither knew himself nor who he was in the larger scheme of things persisted. He tried many kinds of therapy and medication, but it took a then unorthodox treatment to literally reset his mind.

There is so much to this book - adventure, an introduction to feminism, mental illness, relationships, and, above all, the quest for self and meaning - that a comprehensive review would take many pages. Cory Richards is extremely talented. The writing is outstanding. And the willingness to bare his journey and soul on the page is a remarkable achievement.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

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