• Call of the American Wild

  • A Tenderfoot's Escape to Alaska
  • By: Guy Grieve
  • Narrated by: Steve West
  • Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,459 ratings)

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Call of the American Wild

By: Guy Grieve
Narrated by: Steve West
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Editorial reviews

If you've ever felt frustrated with modern life, if you've longed, in some strange primal way, to reconnect with nature in its cruelest and deadliest incarnation, then Guy Grieve's Call of the American Wild will resonate and fascinate.

Performed with aplomb by actor Steve West, whose frank and almost conversational style suits this intimate work well, Call of the American Wild tells the story of Guy Grieve's one year retreat into the Alaskan wilderness, where he builds a cabin, learns to live off the land, and contemplates questions of self-reliance, humility, family, and modernity. This audiobook contains a wonderful mix of practical information and existential consideration, perfect for adventure seekers and memoir addicts alike.

Publisher's summary

A man, an axe, and a dog named Fuzzy.... Let the adventure begin!

Trapped in a job he hated and up to his neck in debt, Guy Grieve’s life was going nowhere. But with a stroke of luck, his dream of escaping it all to live in remote Alaska suddenly came true. Miles from the nearest human being and armed with only the most basic equipment, Guy built a log cabin from scratch and began carving a life for himself through fishing, hunting, and diligently avoiding bears.

Packed with adventure, humor, and insight, this is the gripping story of an ordinary man learning the ways of the wild.

©2012 Guy Grieve (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about Call of the American Wild

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American wild

This was an awesome book and I enjoyed the struggles and triumphs of this man With no experience in the wild

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Inspirational and Compelling

This book is wonderfully written and immerses you into each character effortlessly. Personally, playing this audio in my work truck every day for the last two weeks has given me a reprieve from daily monotony and simultaneously taken me somewhere I have always desperately wanted to go.

This book will be more than worth your time.

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All’s Well That Ends Well

I found this one difficult to get into, but in the end I thoroughly enjoyed it. It might be because I have spent so much time in the backcountry, but I felt annoyed and critical of the author for some time. Once he starts to appreciate the dog, I enjoyed the story more. I see a lot of yahoo’s in the backcountry leaving their toilet flowers and polluting the water with soap… It’s pretty frustrating. Hopefully Guy has gained more knowledge of how to be in the woods. I am glad that I listened all the way through despite my misgivings.

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Kept me coming back

Kept me interested the whole way through. Great way to pass the time while commuting.

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A must read book!!!

A great story, in my top 5 favorites. Wish I could find more books like this.

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Live life

Would you consider the audio edition of Call of the American Wild to be better than the print version?

Probably not

Who was your favorite character and why?

Fuzzy. Dog always show you what they are thinking whether you like it or not.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, because I had to fight off the urge to drop everything and take off to

Any additional comments?

The fact that Guy made a decision for himself with huge consequences is beautiful and challenging. The life circumstance he runs into are heart felt and real. His last chapter paints his journey well and its one of the most powerful parts of his journey.

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SUPER LISTENING

Where does Call of the American Wild rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best action books that I've listened to. My preference is usually travel and this one fits the adventure/travel/suspense category.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Call of the American Wild?

The most memorable moment was when I finished reading the book!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I never wanted to stop listening to the story

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Great experience!

I Love this book! I have this same dream and listening to this audio book really was a fantastic experience. Guy, great job with this. Thanks for sharing your experience. I hope to see a follow up with your life after this.

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A journey with some boring parts

This is a great book which follows a Scottish fellows journey from his bland office life to discovering what it's like to live as a true frontiersman away from the office life that many have. I pictured Guy as a chubby cheery bloke upon arrival to Alaska and leaving looking more like Grizzly Adams. My only quarrel with the book is the random and lengthy phone calls to his family and children, they really have no part in the story and are very boring. The ending also comes fast and leaves you asking if something else happens or if Guy just returns to an office life later on. The book is ok, I got a few good laughs but hoped something more would happen.

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Excellent.

For those that want a more modern, updated version of Dick Proenneke's "Alone In The Wilderness" this is a great story. One year in great detail. Well done.

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