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blossy 's review for:
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
As someone who is into wilderness, exploration, and the somewhat spiritual nature of it all, i enjoyed the book. For an autobiography, it was well set out, well-paced, and you felt the author was presenting an authentic interpretation of themselves. There were many paragraphs and interpretations the author proposed that I enjoyed, and that made me put down the book myself and think.
The way the landscapes and the descriptions are presented are also quite compelling - it is, without a doubt, a well-written book. It is easy to imagine yourself in the world with the author.
But, like all autobiographies, it suffers from the author's rigid perception of the world.
Everyone, whether they realise it or not, has a perception of the world and views that perception as the "right" way to think (or live). In this book, there is little room for disagreement. Whilst they do talk about the frustrations of living the way they do, and they present an honest journey, there is little room for counter-thinking.
The book is, somewhat philosophical, but is it important to note that the author is not a philosopher, and so the book can come across (at least, to me) as somewhat pandering.
Almost everyone they meet is in awe of their journey, and society is greatly demonised. As someone who enjoys the wilderness and the idea of living off-grid, there comes a point where you realise that society and these ideals can live together. We can work towards a society that is better from the inside out. We can be doctors, helicopter pilots, or hunters, who can both live with one foot in nature and one foot in the community. Technology and progression are not automatically the enemy, although sometimes it seems as though it is in this book.
And, ultimately, the book can sometimes come across as a little bit tone-deaf. There is something to be said about the author's exclusions of talking about how privileged they are to be able to live the way they do without racial discrimination. Many Indigenous communities from all over the world (Including my home country, Australia) face incredible government and social persecution, including forced removal, when living in the wilderness in the same way as the authors. So whilst reading this book, it is sometimes hard not to roll my eyes when the author talks about how "freedom is free" whilst ignoring the incredible historical context that allows her to live this way.
That being said, I did enjoy the feminist tones throughout the book. I enjoyed the author's character, and her inner turmoil that is often presented. I relished the concept of the author's hunting and the way they respected the animals and land. At the end of the day, it is a good book, and I enjoyed it thoroughly and will most definitely carry some of the messages of the book with me. I would recommend it to anyone interested in wilderness living or connecting to the land, but hesitate to recommend it to anyone who may want a more convincing argument for transitioning society into the wilderness.