A Royal Life
Most people wouldn’t need seven volumes to tell their life story but then again, most people aren’t Royal Robbins. In My Life: To Be Brave ($19.95, royalrobbinsthebook.com), the first in this autobiographical series, Robbins lays bare the driving forces external and internal that have shaped him. Chapter one dives straight into his landmark solo of the Leaning Tower: the insecure belays, the pumped arms, and the stubbornness it took to overcome the ominous wall. This insightful, 221-page book chronicles Robbins’ life from birth, to his first glimpse of climbing on a Boy Scout trip to the Valley, when his 14-year-old mind scoffed at the idea of climbing El Cap. In-between are myriad childhood adventures, from jumping trains, to Sierras escapades with the Scouts.
Amanda Fox