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Braving It
Braving It: A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey Into the Alaskan Wild | James Campbell
The powerful and affirming story of a father's journey with his teenage daughter to the far reaches of Alaska Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to only a handful of people, is a harsh and lonely place. So when James Campbell's cousin Heimo Korth asked him to spend a summer building a cabin in the rugged Interior, Campbell hesitated about inviting his fifteen-year-old daughter, Aidan, to join him: Would she be able to withstand clouds of mosquitoes, the threat of grizzlies, bathing in an ice-cold river, and hours of grueling labor peeling and hauling logs? But once there, Aidan embraced the wild. She even agreed to return a few months later to help the Korths work their traplines and hunt for caribou and moose. Despite windchills of 50 degrees below zero, father and daughter ventured out daily to track, hunt, and trap. Under the supervision of Edna, Heimo's Yupik Eskimo wife, Aidan grew more confident in the woods. Campbell knew that in traditional Eskimo cultures, some daughters earned a rite of passage usually reserved for young men. So he decided to take Aidan back to Alaska one final time before she left home. It would be their third and most ambitious trip, backpacking over Alaska's Brooks Range to the headwaters of the mighty Hulahula River, where they would assemble a folding canoe and paddle to the Arctic Ocean. The journey would test them, and their relationship, in one of the planet's most remote places: a land of wolves, musk oxen, Dall sheep, golden eagles, and polar bears. At turns poignant and humorous, Braving It is an ode to America's disappearing wilderness and a profound meditation on what it means for a child to grow up--and a parent to finally, fully let go. From the Hardcover edition.
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review
Kalalalatja
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Panpan

I had somewhat high hopes for this #ParentChildMemoir, but the book didn‘t deliver. I had hoped for a nuanced look at a father/daughter relationship, which I think Campbell tried to portray. However, he fell into the stereotypical “I‘m not saying I wanted a son, but” kind of language about his daughter. He doesn‘t get her, and even though they spend a lot of time together in Alaska, it felt like he‘s more interested in his own thoughts and aches⬇️

Kalalalatja Than he was in getting to know his daughter. He describes her in a kind of vain way, which I think is a shame, because Aidan Campbell seems like a really cool young person, but her father doesn‘t see that. At least not enough. #Booked2020 3y
squirrelbrain Great review - shame about the book! 3y
TrishB That doesn‘t sound good ☹️ 3y
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BarbaraBB That is frustrating. 3y
Cinfhen Too bad it was a stinker 😩 3y
Kalalalatja @squirrelbrain @TrishB @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen I‘m probably being too harsh, but I was just annoyed with Campbell. He had the opportunity to really show what a bad ass daughter he has, but he made it about himself, somewhat about nature, and how much his daughter was upset about her appearance 🙄 3y
Cinfhen He sounds like a jerk 😬👎🏼👎🏼 3y
59 likes7 comments
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Kaila-ann
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Pickpick

An enjoyable listen. A little sow to start but the fact this 15 year old girl was able to take on the Alaskan wilderness was definitely impressive. Aiden and her father take 3 separate trips to Alaska, one in the middle of winter. Over all, a good story.

Bookwormjillk I liked this book a lot. 4y
Kaila-ann @Bookwormjillk I did too. It wasn‘t my usual cup of tea but it was good. 4y
16 likes2 comments
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TheSpineView
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#AugustABC @Eggs
#DaringAdventure

I know I have posted this one before. Yet, I can't think of a better boon for the prompt. It is the ideal daring adventure.

Eggs Great choice! I think I used adventure at the beginning of the month 😳🤪 too 5y
TheSpineView @Eggs Yeap. I had to look because I couldn't remember. No worries! 😋 5y
58 likes1 stack add2 comments
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TheSpineView
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#manicmonday @JoScho

📘 Tagged
📽 Deliverance
🎵 Fields of Gold.

Cathythoughts Fields of Gold ♥️💔 5y
JoScho 😊🏕💚 5y
45 likes3 comments
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TheSpineView
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#LetsTravelAugust @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620
#Camping

I read this book several years ago about a father and daughter that go to Alaska several times. Once in the middle of winter.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ⛺️📚🙌🏻 5y
OriginalCyn620 👌🏻📚🏕 5y
78 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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TheSpineView
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#hellothursday @wanderinglynn

1. Rural
2. Beach
3. Jet Skiing
4. Hotel
5. Tagged

wanderinglynn I enjoy the beach too! 👍🏻 Thanks for playing! ⛺️ 5y
52 likes1 comment
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JenReadsAlot
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Pickpick

Enjoyable story of a father/daughter adventure. Now I want to explore Alaska but I'm not this brave! Bonus - they live in Wisconsin 😉 #audio

16 likes1 stack add
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tricours
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Mehso-so

Did I get tired of hearing of how hard life is in the wild nature of Alaska? Yes. Did I cringe every time the narrator did a female or TEENAGE FEMALE voice? YES. Still, quite enjoyable. If you can get past the heartfelt father-daughter stuff, that is. I just wanted a nature fix.

Anna40 Fire Season by Philip Connors is excellent - if you want to read about nature and solitude. 6y
37 likes1 comment
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TrishTheBibliophile
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Mehso-so

Eh. Could‘ve been better, could‘ve been worse. The first 2/3 was slow, so slow. The last 1/3 was much better paced, but the ending was abrupt and rushed after all the time put into the first parts of the book. There were some fragmented parts that bothered me as well. Still a cool thing he did with his daughter, regardless.

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TrishTheBibliophile
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Starting reading this last night after picking it up from the library (such bad barcode placement - tsk tsk!). I‘m about 1/3 in and so far, it‘s okay. Not so bad that I‘m ready to bail, but not good enough to keep me awake at night. We will see how it progresses 📚

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Lissa00
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Pickpick

The author and his fifteen year old daughter trek to the Alaskan bush in order to help his isolated cousin build a cabin. This book is full of beautiful imagery and provides great insight into a father/daughter relationship. It is very refreshing to read about a place that is still so isolated from society and about a teenage girl who chooses to travel there.

108 likes4 stack adds
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Briannas_Books
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Pickpick

Wishing I was on the adventures talked about in this book instead of cleaning house. Summer in Alaska? Yes please. #alaska #bravingit #adventurebooks





#2017bookchallenge
#newbooks #oldbooks #Booklove #bookphotography #hygee #cozy #bookworm #booknerdigans #bibliophile #fromwhereiread #readingmom #bookishmom #momswhoread #TNReads

MrBook This one's on my TBR. Welcome to @Litsy ! We hope you enjoy your stay 😊👍🏻. I think you're going to like it here 😉🙌🏻. It's the most positive, tight-knit, passionate community of bibliophiles 😎👌🏻! 7y
Briannas_Books @MrBook thank you! I am enjoying Litsy so far. This book was a great read for me. 😊 7y
MrBook 🙌🏻🙌🏻 7y
BooksTeasAndBookishThings Welcome to Litsy!!! 😊❤️🙌📚🎉 7y
Briannas_Books @BooksTeasAndBookishThings thank you I'm loving it!! 7y
13 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Jennie748
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Pickpick

Exceeded my reading goal by 15! Braving It was probably my best read if the year. (I say probably because it's so hard to narrow it down!)

MrBook Wow! Congratulations 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻! 7y
Reviewsbylola 🎉🙌🏻🎉🙌🏻 7y
8 likes2 comments
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Hoopiefoot
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Anyone else on the east coast see the storm track & think about all the reading they'll get done this weekend?

LauraBeth Get he candles and charge your kindle! 8y
SharonGoforth Yikes! 8y
Suzze My sister is here in Michigan visiting me. She was going to leave to drive back to Florida (just N of St. Pete) yesterday but put it off until tomorrow. Hope they don't end up in the middle of it in Georgia. 8y
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Hoopiefoot @Suzze Oh gosh, that could be bad. Hope they have safe travels! 8y
Loreen That's what I did when I lived in the carolinas! You are one of my people, for sure. 😬😬😬 8y
kdwinchester I'm traveling this weekend. 😳 8y
32 likes6 comments
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Hoopiefoot

Anyone else on the east coast see the storm track & think about all the reading they'll get done this weekend?

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Jamielouise
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Pickpick

Loved this! So interesting to learn about the Alaskan wild, with the added warm fuzzies of the father/daughter bond.

MrBook Nice cover! 8y
5 likes1 comment
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Jamielouise
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A cold, rainy morning in Maine.

thebookmagpie Love the mug! 8y
5 likes1 comment
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Cynbalch
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Got this for my dad for father's day. Can't wait for him to finish so I can borrow and read it, too☺. Looks so good!!

BeckyRoy @Halechr this looks up your alley! 8y
5 likes2 stack adds1 comment