It Happened Like This

A Life in Alaska

By: Adrienne Lindholm

Narrated by: Suzie Althens

Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

In an authentic and honest voice, writer Adrienne Lindholm recounts her move to Alaska as a young woman eager to begin her career in environmental and wildlife studies. She finds herself initially out of her depth among her peers, many of whom are also "Outsiders," new to the state, but who seem more experienced, more confident. Eventually she finds her way, immersing herself in the rigors of wilderness adventures and building a community of outdoorsy friends to sustain her. Soon she falls in love with JT and gradually, at times painfully, they build a life together and decide to start a family amidst the wild.

Adrienne celebrates the many ways in which Alaska, and her outdoor adventures there, inspired self-discovery, as well as revealing her difficult and intimate journey into motherhood. Her love story encompasses the outline of massive mountains on the horizon, viewed for the first time; a caribou moving through an alder forest; the effort to climb a glaciated peak; and the peace that settles when contemplating a quiet Arctic lake. At times, her love - for JT, but also for nature and life - also feels savage, like when she charges onto a glacier alone, or when she shoots, kills, and skins her first animal.

©2018 Adrienne Lindholm (P)2020 Tantor

Uninspired

At no point did this story pull me in. I am called to the mountains and the wilderness just as the author says she is. I’m sure these experiences were monumental in her life. It’s a shame that putting it to paper was unable to translate any inspiration. This book is what I’d fear would result if writing about my own experiences.