I crested the last green rise and was level with the turquoise lake and the slim twist of water flowing out of it. Here the creek is so narrow that I jumped over it. I turned my gaze toward the cirque in front of me, rimmed by cliffs on three sides. Dall sheep traversed vertical chutes above the lake.
At once I felt so comfortable in this place, in my skin. I began to breathe slowly, consciously. Surprisingly, my attention easily turned to my breath and the stillness in the rest of my body. I noticed a breeze ever so gently tickle the hair on my arm and touch my cheek. Then I was outside my body, looking at myself sitting beside the lake. All that was left was awareness. That awareness was like a band wrapping around the valley, over the mountains, across Alaska, and stretching all the way around the globe. {It Happened Like This: A Life in Alaska by Adrienne Lindholm}
In an authentic and fluid voice, writer Adrienne Lindholm tracks her migration from the East Coast to the Last Frontier—a classic story about a young person eager to begin and build a life. While initially out of her depth among her peers, Adrienne gradually finds her way, immersing herself in the rigors of wilderness adventures and in building a community of like-minded friends to sustain her. Eventually, she falls in love and must consider what family means in this outsized landscape. A seemingly familiar coming-of-age tale, It Happened Like This is heightened by the many ways in which Alaska itself has informed Adrienne’s distinct and fearless journey—one that readers will follow into an adrenalin-spiked adulthood, and into the comfort of wilderness.
“In the end, It Happened Like This is a life-affirming story about the ways we test ourselves against our physical selves, our connections to home and wild places and our beliefs. And it’s about love — of wilderness, friends, family, and an imagined future. Lindholm’s generous and graceful sharing of her life should prompt readers everywhere to think about what we value and how we reconcile those values with how we live,” said Nancy Lord of Anchorage Daily News, who recently reviewed the book.
Adrienne will be celebrating the launch of her book at The Red Chair in Anchorage, Friday, November 2, 2018, at 5:30 pm. All are Welcome!
Adrienne Lindholm lives in Eagle River, Alaska, where she oversees the Wilderness Stewardship Program for the national parks in Alaska. Since 2000 she has worked for the National Park Service as a backcountry ranger, park planner, compliance officer, and natural resource manager. She is also a mother, speaker, and writer. In addition to a memoir about thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, she’s the author of several backpacking guidebooks, and her essays and articles have appeared in a variety of magazines and literary journals. She is inspired by wild unhindered places, the flash of wonder in her daughter’s eyes, and passionate friends and strangers who work to create a more compassionate and just world. For more information about Adrienne and her work visit adriennelindholm.com. It Happened Like This: A Life in Alaska can be found wherever books or sold or online at Mountaineers Books, an independent nonprofit, publisher.
Everyone is invited to the book launch celebration in Anchorage on Friday, November 2, 2018 at the Red Chair Cafe downtown (337 E. 4th). Complementary hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 pm, presentation 6:00-6:30 pm, cash bar, books for sale. Facebook event.
[Editor’s note. Spotlight on Alaska Books is an occasional series submitted directly by authors and publishers. If you are a current or former Alaskan, we’d like to know about your book. Read the submission guidelines.]