I am surprised that I was drawn to this book, which is part memoir, part travelogue, part analysis of the sport of rock climbing. I have never done any climbing, but the story of how DiGiulian grew up to become of the sport's most accomplished athletes is inspiring and compelling. She writes about how femininity and strength are not opposites but complementary, how joining a sorority in college was part and parcel to whom she is. She constantly challenges herself with new climbs in odd corners of the world, She faces her grief about the death of a climber on a route that she was going to attempt head-on and how connected she was to their achievements.

Her sheer force of will and innate wisdom comes through in every page of this book, and is an inspiration, no matter if you aren't a woman, or a climber, or even involved in any sport. As she says, "climbing turned out to be the through line for nearly everything in my life, everything that I've become."

I'm such a huge fan of Sasha DiGiulian, so I was thrilled to see this pop up on Recently Added. I loved following her personal journey in climbing and in life. There's so much to unpack that I never really knew about her, and it's such a powerful journey to follow.