North of Hope, A Review

In North of Hope: A Daughter's Arctic Journey, Shannon Huffman Polson writes about the aftermath of losing her father and stepmother in a grizzly attack on a secluded river in Alaska's Northern Slope.  Polson embarks on the same journey her dad and his wife were taking when they lost their lives.  With her are her brother and his friend, it is not safe to travel the arctic alone, even in summer.

I was drawn to this story because I loved living in Alaska as a preteen many moons ago.  I was transported back to the land of my dreams in this memoir, and I was not dissatisfied with the journey.

Part of the journey through grief Polson took, mimics my own journey through grief.  I've already shared her description of being glomped by grief and getting up but still having grief as a walking companion in an earlier post and my response to same passage.  Seeing Polson's growth through grief has helped me to understand that it is okay to feel how I feel about the hard things in life.

I really liked the descriptions of the natural world, as savage creature and flowing river and serene sunlight.  I learned more about Alaska ecology and how interconnected life is on the Northern Slope.  I got to revisit a favorite state.

I gave the book 5/5 stars for being such a good read, for soul, mind, and health.

I received my copy of the book from the BookSneeze review program on behalf of Zondervan, the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinion.