• Braving It

  • A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild
  • By: James Campbell
  • Narrated by: Roger Wayne
  • Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (989 ratings)

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Braving It  By  cover art

Braving It

By: James Campbell
Narrated by: Roger Wayne
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Publisher's Summary

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)

What listeners say about Braving It

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Nice performance with a repetitive story

Overall the performance was good and the story was good, but it was a bit redundant. Basically dad and daughter go to Alaska multiple times and each time seems relatively similar. The book was worth the time but it was just average in my opinion.

52 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Felt like I was right there, with them!!!

As an avid hiker with a dream to someday hike in Alaska, I LOVED this book! Ive watched Heimo & Edna Korth on The Last Alaskans. and I love the detailed interpretation of their life. I appreciate the narrator's voice changes and could invision the scenery as he was describing them. If you have an ounce of wanderlust in you, I would highly recommend this book!

38 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Inspiring story marred by low quality

Overall great. Lots of fowl language, would be Rated R if a movie. Story got bogged down a bit in places. Spoiler - it's actually 3 trips to AK. Inspirational and thought provoking story for all of us who wrestle w/ modern life in suburbia when our hearts yearn for adventure. Warmed my teen daughter daddy heart too.

Reader and recording quality were mediocre at best.

33 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it.

awesome story that keeps you wanting more. I listened to it twice. the narrator does a wonderful job.

18 people found this helpful

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impressive trips!

Wonderful story and the reader was easy to listen to. Only frustrating part was the mispronounciation of some of the words - Lodi is actually pronounced with a long I, not Lodee; slough is slew and I know the bird merganser as being pronounced with an emphasis on the second syllable. Just some Wisconsin oddities - at least he didn't have to pronounce Wausau or Chequamegon!

17 people found this helpful

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Must read

If you have a daughter this is a must read. A lot of situations in the book I could relate to. Very very good book I look forward to his daughters books.

16 people found this helpful

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Entertaining and Adventurous

Very well written. Kept me engaged. A must read for those enamored by the Alaskan Wild. It takes you there.

15 people found this helpful

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Great book, female voice painful

Really loved the story. Narrator was great, but the portrayal of the teenage girls voice was painful. Something about the tone and style didn't sound like the strong willed teenage girl that she has proven her self to be. Given he central role it was distracting. But the rest was fantastic!

13 people found this helpful

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I felt I was on the adventure with them.

So many high points of the story! Three Adventures packed into a fast read. If you love the outdoors, you will love listening to the details of their excursions.

9 people found this helpful

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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.

8 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Simon Alexander
  • Simon Alexander
  • 05-10-21

Brilliant story

Loved the story and range of experiences. Absolutely hated the narrator impersonating a 15 year old girl and other characters. Shocking voice acting.

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Profile Image for FaMa
  • FaMa
  • 01-15-21

Great story but...what is up with the female voice 'do overs'... seriously!!!

The narrator does a great job of Male voices but the female voices.....why!!! Seriously messed up the whole book for me.