"Written by long-time climber, former co-organizer of the worlds longest-running queer and trans climbing convention, and professor of gender studies and philosophy Hal Malatino, Climbing unravels the why of the sport, exploring what pushes so many of us to drag ourselves regularly to the gym and the crag, to restructure our intimate life around the pursuit of a new project, and to devote thousands of hours to cultivating the ability to not freak out doing something physically and logistically difficult dozens, sometimes hundreds, sometimes thousands of feet off the ground. Climbing susses out how the art of moving on rock can rebuild the self after trauma and help us learn how to revel in being weird, vulnerable, and radically interdependent animals temporarily gifted the complicated tragicomedy of a body. It is a story of obsession and transformation that tracks how learning how to hold yourself on the wall helps you learn how to hold the ambiguities of life on earth"-- Provided by publisher.