THE COLOR OF EVERYTHING

A lyrical memoir of fear, growth, mental illness, adventure, and mostly it's about a man's journey to reframe his own story. Adventurer and National Geographic photographer Cory Richards explores his life, much of it spent in some of the world's most far-flung locations, set against the reality of a lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder and childhood trauma, until the remarkable moment of clarity when he realized he no longer had to risk his life in order to save it.

Growing up in the small ski town of Alta, Utah, Cory grew up in a seemingly idyllic childhood, learning from his father to be a great outdoorsmen and mountaineer. However, the Richards' home was fraught with violence, grief, and mental illness, and even a child, Cory felt lost. After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and dropping out of high school, Cory discovered he could feel a sense of freedom being completely absorbed in the worlds of photography and climbing, seeking out the farthest reaches of the world in order to escape the darkness within himself.
Suddenly though, in the midst of an incredibly successful career in adventure photography, a catastrophic avalanche changed everything for him and forced the author to confront the trauma of his past and eventually he started to write. With exquisite prose and disarming candor, Richards excavates the psychological roots and effects of trauma, charts the storms of mental illness, addiction, and recovery that finally drove him to climb out of the mess of self-destruction.

Cory Richards is an internationally renowned photographer, filmmaker/director, and writer. In 2011, Richards became the first and only American to climb one of the world's 8000m peaks in winter. His documentation of the climb and aftermath of the experience was made into the award-winning documentary, COLD, and appeared on the cover of the 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic Magazine. In 2012, Richards received the prestigious designation of National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and in 2014 was named a National Geographic Photographer Fellow. He is a two-time recipient of an Explorers Grant and has photographed twelve feature assignments for the magazine. Richards has an active speaking career, in which he speaks about conservation, mental health, leadership, and vulnerability. Richards has over 980K Instagram followers and an active speaking schedule.