Braving It

A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild

By: James Campbell

Narrated by: Roger Wayne

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 15-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.

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. 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.

©2016 James Campbell (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Campbell expertly blends facts on the flora, fauna, and general life in the Alaskan bush with his reflections on being middle-aged, with many adventurous years behind him, as opposed to his daughter, whose quest for adventure has only just begun. Informative, humorous, and full of a love of nature." ( Kirkus)

a plain great book

you feel like descriptive stories about nature wildlife in the Arctic weather in the Arctic Zone in Alaska you'll love the story but a father and daughters outing to Alaska it's just beautiful and it's also interesting

worth reading

I liked this story, well written about nature, family and overcoming our fears, growing up and parenting

An interesting father's story

My husband and I struggle to find books that we can listen to together. We chose this one because it was something we could both relate to, a father's story about an incredible journey with his daughter. I ended up enjoying this more than he did, although we both liked it. I couldn't help but wonder in all of this what his wife and other daughters were doing at home while he was making these incredible journeys with his one daughter. Seeing the personal growth of this daughter and the touching portrayal of their relationship made this book special. The author described the area beautifully and it made me yearn to see Alaska. It was exciting and tender at times. I would recommend this book.

Brought Back Many Memories from my Time in Alaska.

It's been many years since my time in Fairbanks, AK. This book rekindled all my memories from my Time there. It's my dream/life goal on my bucket list to go back. This book sparked that interest Good book. Thanks!

Great book....

The book was great. I loved the fact that the Author was from Wisconsin as I am too. However, the fact that the narrator didn’t know how to pronounce his “hometown “ of Lodi was irritating. It’s Load-eye, not Load-ee as the narrator read several times. Picky, yes. But it diminishes the authenticity of the book.

#GirlDad book

Fantastic GIRL DAD book. Inspiring & motivating. If you are a girl dad and enjoy the outdoors this book is a must!

Excellent story

Loved this book. It describes what most people feel , that pull to go back to Alaska. Great story and narrative.

Best book I've listened to in years!

What a great listen. The only part I didn't like was when it was over. I wish there was a sequel! great adventure and great narrator.

A great adventure story

Having been to Alaska and camped in Alaska, it was a great story of adventure and bonding with a father and daughter. It was descriptive of what we felt in Alaska. I enjoyed hearing of their research prior to their last trip and learning of preparation for such an adventure. Enjoyed the narrator, made the book wanting to hear the end

Realistic

My daughter and I have traveled near the Arctic Circle, and have mushed dogs for the last three years. The story line is realistic without much of the drama adventure stories attempt to introduce. My 11 year old said "it reminds me of a lot of the things we do, and that's amazing to listen to on behalf of someone else's perspective." We were interested the second we saw this title. A father-daughter story, perfect to listen to whilst on a boating trip to take our minds off the long journey ahead.

Truly a first rate book. If you like a bit of suspense mixed with a splash of story telling, we highly recommend this book to you. We have enjoyed listening to this book as well as other related mixed genera books. James Campbell sure did a fantastic job relaying the one in a life time adventure between a father and his daughter.