Author David Sklar heads to new heights in “Moonstone Hero”

Hope you're not afraid of heights, because in this episode, we travel all the way up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Author David Sklar and I talk about his recently-released book, “Moonstone Hero,” and here's a look at the story.

 

What do you owe to someone whose life you’ve saved? What does that person owe you? In the early 1970s, an international group of tourists find themselves intimately connected to one another as they attempt to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro. After several miles of progress, the expedition suddenly becomes derailed when one of the climbers becomes gravely ill. Struggling with the effects of high altitude and freezing wind and snow, the climbers must confront their fears and personal limitations as well as their responsibilities to a sick stranger.

 

After a young medical student struggles over a mountain pass, determined to keep this man alive, he must soon grapple with the aftermath of his actions. Romantic feelings crop up where they shouldn’t, and he worries that he may cross a line, betraying the man he saved, and possibly his own integrity.

 

This book is largely true, and we explore the real-life story and what inspired David to turn this into his new novel. We look at the people behind it and David talks about meeting up with the one of the people from the book.

 

David's no stranger to the publishing house, having authored or co-authored more than 200 articles about medical education, emergency health care, and global health. He's also written “La Clinica,” a memoir of his experience as a volunteer in a rural Mexican clinic and “Atlas of Men,” an award-winning novel about a secret research project. We look at what was new with the writing process for “Moonstone Hero” and the challenges it provided.