Friday, June 21, 2019

Backlist Nonfiction Mini-Reviews: The Wilderness Edition

Braving It: A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey Into the Alaskan Wild by James Campbell (2016)

James Campbell recounts three trips to Alaska he took with his daughter Aidan over the course of a year.

I bought this book for my dad a couple years ago, as he is an avid outdoorsman, and I finally got around to reading it myself!  I really loved this travel memoir and also seeing the relationship between Campbell and his daughter grow.  Their first two trips to Alaska were to visit Campbell's cousin in the Arctic National Wildife Refuge; during the summer they helped him build a new cabin, and in the winter they helped him trap furs.  The third trip was a hiking and rafting trip with friends.

Campbell's writing is easy to read, but he doesn't skimp on the description.  I really feel like I got a good sense of the terrain and what it takes to live off the grid in the Arctic.  He isn't afraid to admit when he made mistakes and also doesn't sugarcoat anything when it comes to Aidan - when she's being a sullen teenager, he points it out.  Aidan, however, is an incredibly capable and impressive girl.  She is a hard worker and quick learner, and Campbell's pride in watching her grow, learn, and overcome her fears comes through so well.  4.5 stars


Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar (2013)

In 1959, a group of hikers was found dead in the Ural Mountains of Russia, underdressed with no shoes, some injuries, and far from their torn-up tent.  Author Donnie Eichar uses government reports, the hikers' journals and photographs, and interviews to try to find an explanation for what happened to the group.

This book was fascinating - creepy, but fascinating.  Eichar, kind of by accident, came across the story of Igor Dyatlov and his group of friends, and he became obsessed with figuring out what happened to them.  The structure of the book was interesting - he interspersed chapters of his own research and trips to Russia with a narrative account of the hikers' trip, all leading up to a final chapter, which is purely speculative but attempts to lay out what Eichar thinks happened, based on his ability to rule out many possible theories.  And the theories are crazy - was there an avalanche that chased the hikers from their tent?  Were they attacked, by animals or humans?  Did they see something they shouldn't have, like a missile launch, and were murdered because of it?  Was it aliens or radioactivity?  The context of life and politics in Russia during the 1950s added additional layers to the case.

The book was a fairly short, quick read, which was good because I couldn't put it down; I needed to know what he would conclude.  The addition of excerpts from the hikers' journal and photographs they took along their trip made it feel so much more personal.  4.5 stars

20 comments:

  1. Braving It sounds really good. I like how you say Campbell doesn't sugarcoat when it comes to his daughter. I'll keep a look out for this book!

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  2. Both of these sound interesting. Off to check my library for them. :-)

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  3. These are both new to me and sound great! You're not helping my current library hold crisis ;-)

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  4. the second one really looks fascinating, I like how it explores different possibilities

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  5. The Dead Mountain story sounds interesting. You're the first I've heard of it.

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  6. I like Braving it for being from the POV of the father and his experience with his daughter in tha situation.

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    1. It was a really lovely read, and my dad loved it, too!

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  7. Both of these books are on my TBR list, so I’m glad you rated them so highly!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  8. These both sound really good. That first one really stands out to me because of the father/daughter relationship.

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  9. I love photographs in books so I think I will have to read Dead Mountain. I am really glad to hear you enjoyed it so much. Traveling in Alaska sounds like another great book. My brother has been to Alaska a few times. I will also have to check this one out. Glad these were both enjoyable!

    Mary

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    1. Thanks, Mary! I would highly recommend both!

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  10. I've seen a couple of reviews of Dead Mountain in addition to yours and it sounds like a fascinating story! Definitely one I'd like to pick up :)

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I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!