Description
It Happened Like This is, on the surface, a memoir about what it means to live and love in one of the wildest places on the planet. But the love described is not a simple one; it's a gritty, sometimes devastating, often blood-pumping kind of feeling played out in the rugged Alaska wilderness.
In an authentic and honest voice, writer Adrienne Lindholm recounts her move to Alaska as a young woman eager to begin her career in environmental and wildlife studies. She finds herself initially out of her depth among her peers, many of whom are also "Outsiders," new to the state, but who seem more experienced, more confident. Eventually she finds her way, immersing herself in the rigors of wilderness adventures and building a community of outdoorsy friends to sustain her. Soon she falls in love with JT and gradually, at times painfully, they build a life together and decide to start a family amidst the wild.
Adrienne celebrates the many ways in which Alaska, and her outdoor adventures there, inspired self-discovery, as well as revealing her difficult and intimate journey into motherhood. Her love story encompasses the outline of massive mountains on the horizon, viewed for the first time; a caribou moving through an alder forest; the effort to climb a glaciated peak; and the peace that settles when contemplating a quiet Arctic lake. At times, her love--for JT, but also for nature and life--also feels savage, like when she charges onto a glacier alone, or when she shoots, kills, and skins her first animal.
With It Happened Like This, readers take an intimate, gently humorous, and occasionally adrenalin-spiked journey into adulthood, and into the depth and comfort of wilderness.
Product Details
| Publisher | Mountaineers Books |
| Publish Date | July 31, 2018 |
| Pages | 208 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781680511345 |
| Dimensions | 8.6 X 5.4 X 0.6 inches | 0.6 pounds |
About the Author
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 www.adriennelindholm.com.
Reviews
A love letter to Alaska. Hailing from the developed East Coast, Lindholm finds her true home in the mountains and wilderness of Alaska. Her compelling tales of Arctic adventures will transport you there, and her struggles with big life decisions back in civilization will keep you reading.--Helen Nienhueser, coauthor of 55 Ways to the Wilderness in Southeast Alaska
Adrienne Lindholm has written the truest kind of adventure story in It Happened Like This. Embedded among engaging accounts of backcountry explorations and outdoor challenges are thoughtful inquiries into what it means to become an Alaskan, what's necessary to create a full life, and what wilderness can teach about perseverance, change, loss, and hope. More than anything, this is a gracefully written, openhearted tale about falling in love--with a place, with a person, with a family, and with a future.--Sherry Simpson, author of Dominion of Bears
Adrienne Lindholm's luminous memoir chronicles the wonder and wildness of her two decades living in Alaska.--Katie Noah Gibson "Shelf Awareness"
Her luminous memoir, It Happened Like This...chronicles her journeys out and back in, exploring her efforts to live and thrive in a gorgeous, demanding inner and outer landscape.--Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams "Shelf Awareness"
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.--Nancy Lord "Anchorage Daily News"
More than half of Alaska residents were born someplace else, and so there are many stories of 'coming into the country.' What sets It Happened Like This apart is the intensity with which Adrienne Lindholm explores Alaska's wildest places--its trailless slopes, its wild rivers, its many tall peaks--and the fierceness of her love for these special places.--Miranda Weiss, author of Tide, Feather, Snow: A Life in Alaska
You won't find a better marriage proposal, or bear encounter, or life lesson from a mother moose, than the ones hiding in these pages. I loved this book for its honesty and gravity, for its fresh, buoyant language and keen storytelling. Every page embraces mystery, uncertainty, and grace and contains at least one sentence that's a perfect gem. Adrienne Lindholm is a welcome new voice to Alaska literature.--Kim Heacox, author of Jimmy Bluefeather and Rhythm of the Wild
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