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Here's Tommy Caldwell's book list for when he's not climbing.
Here's Tommy Caldwell's book list for when he's not climbing. (Photo: Corey Rich/Red Bull)

What Climber Tommy Caldwell Is Reading Right Now

Five favorite books from the Dawn Wall pioneer and aspiring environmentalist

Published: 
Here's Tommy Caldwell's book list for when he's not climbing.
(Photo: Corey Rich/Red Bull)

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You probably know Tommy Caldwell for his pioneering ascent of El Capitan鈥檚 Dawn Wall, the blankest section on Yosemite鈥檚 marquee granite monolith and, at 5.14d, possibly the world鈥檚 hardest big wall. His years-long assault on the route with climbing partner Kevin Jorgensen is the centerpiece of the Sender Films feature documentary 鈥The Dawn Wall,鈥澛爓hose one-night theatrical release last month聽was so successful, a聽.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a trip,鈥 says Caldwell, adding that the ensuing media tour has left him with a lot of time on airplanes and trains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 given me a lot of time to read, which I don鈥檛 often get at home with the kids.鈥 Here are the books he鈥檚 carrying with him while he promotes the film.

鈥楾he Nature Fix鈥 by Florence Williams ($18)

(Courtesy W. W. Norton & Co.)

鈥淚 spend so much time outside, and I know it brings me peace and energizes my mind and body, but 聽has the actual data and science on benefits to spending time in nature. It discusses nature-deficit disorder in kids, which reinforces the way my wife, Becca, and I raise our kids, Fitz and Ingrid: most days, we鈥檙e outside at least some of the day. We鈥檙e also renting out our house soon聽and going on the road for a year, so we can travel and get Fitz and Ingrid outside as much as possible before they start school. Fitz would be starting kindergarten this year, but we鈥檙e going to homeschool him for this year. Except I call it World School.鈥


鈥楲et my People Go Surfing鈥 by Yvon Chouinard ($17)

(Courtesy Penguin Books)

鈥淚鈥檝e been a Patagonia ambassador for nine years now, and I love it. They have a greater goal than the bottom line and they鈥檙e not just in the business to make money. Athletes are becoming more , and Patagonia, along with and the American Alpine Club鈥檚 event, has given us avenues to do that.鈥


鈥楾he World Without Us鈥 by Alan Weisman ($11)

(Courtesy Picador)

鈥溌爓as a recommendation from Alex Honnold. It鈥檚 about what the world would look like without people, which is good baseline knowledge for when you鈥檙e trying to be an environmentalist聽and think about positive ways we can impact the environment or reverse the damage we鈥檝e done in the past.鈥


鈥楳y Absolute Darling鈥 by Gabriel Tallent ($16)

(Courtesy Riverhead Books)

鈥淚 don鈥檛 read a lot of fiction, but Gabriel鈥攁 climber himself鈥攄escribes scenes more vividly than any author I鈥檝e ever read. The subject matter [the isolation and abuse of a child] is intense and can be hard to read, but it鈥檚 an , one of those you can鈥檛 stop thinking about when you put it down.鈥


鈥楳issoula鈥 by Jon Krakauer ($23)

(Courtesy Doubleday Publishing)

鈥淚 read all the Krakauer books. 聽is about rape in America in general, but especially cases at the University of Montana between 2008 and 2012. He profiles the people involved, telling their stories and talking about how their lives were affected. It鈥檚 really poignant given some recent current events. I鈥檓 very much a privileged white male, a one-percenter, and I think there鈥檚 a responsibility to try and better understand these issues in this day and age.鈥


Books I Read to My Kids

鈥淚鈥檓 reading all the kids鈥 books with Fitz and Ingrid聽too鈥Harry Potter, all the Roald Dahl books, that sort of thing. We do a lot of reading to each other when we鈥檙e driving. Quite honestly, that鈥檚 the majority of the reading I do. That鈥檚 probably why the rest of the list is so heavy鈥擨 need to create balance.

Lead Photo: Corey Rich/Red Bull

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