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420 reviews for:
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North
Blair Braverman
3.89 AVERAGE
420 reviews for:
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North
Blair Braverman
3.89 AVERAGE
Not what I was expecting and not in a good way. It's an okay book but not about the North and adventure much at all. There are lots of reviews about disappointment with this one and I agree.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
For any young female adventurer/travel enthusiast who may embark on the trail alone, this is a story that many can relate to (for better or for worse).
Someone wrote down our story. When you follow your heart as a woman to work in an outdoor industry you will see parts of yourself in this story. While each of us has traveled a different path, I squirmed with familiarity. The next time you encounter a female guide, ski tech, park ranger etc. please treat us like humans instead of novelties or objects. Even in the year 2018 we have more to overcome than just learning the skills.
I honor Blair's sharing of her experiences, and recognize how courageous she was throughout all of her experiences and in writing this book. However, I found this book so difficult to follow. It was a bit of a muddled mess. I kept waiting for more focus on "finding yourself" and life in the arctic, but was disappointed. It was as if this was a book about misogyny instead, based on the numerous negative experiences the author had with various men. There's not a clear message coming from the book, which makes it frustrating to read.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexism
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube is a weird book, or at least not what I was expecting. Maybe I was hoping for more of an authentic adventure of someone facing hardships in the outdoors, but I never got that feeling. Blair Braverman is rarely ever facing any hardships other than the cold. While we nibble on small portions of her dog sledding, we're mostly force-fed a memoir that fluctuates over various timelines that is at times like watching Northern Exposure on television or Blair surrounding herself with some of the the most unlikable characters a person could come across. Most of the men in this book are sad and broken, which makes her story more depressing than adventurous.
I really had high-hopes for this book, but felt pretty let-down in the end. There's nothing really interesting or redeeming about her story, except maybe her romantic relationship with Quince, a transgender male who is pretty much the only emotionally available person that she forms a connection with.
I really had high-hopes for this book, but felt pretty let-down in the end. There's nothing really interesting or redeeming about her story, except maybe her romantic relationship with Quince, a transgender male who is pretty much the only emotionally available person that she forms a connection with.