Epic Solitude

A really good book about someone destined to live life on her terms and the struggle to achieve her dreams against many, many obstacles. The books tells the life of Katherine who although born in Minnesota, dreams of a life living on her own in Alaska. Her struggles with mental health made me sympathize with her and further things I do not want to spoil for the reader really made my heart go out for her. Against long odds, she was able to raise her daughter to be successful and happy. The second part mixed throughout the book is her quest to run the Iditarod. It is very exciting to hear something about a race someone outside of Alaska really doesn't understand too well. It was interesting reading all the hardships one has to endure to race in and complete any long distance dog race. If you like stories about the outdoors and life in harsh conditions, pick up this book. You won't be disappointed.
Thank you Netgalley, Katherine Keith and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC for my honest review.

This book touched my heart in ways that I cannot describe. A story of a young woman's struggles, and how she conquers life and it's challenges in the most inspiring ways. I am a true outdoors person, every single sentence was factual, touched my heart and pushed me to keep reading to the end without many breaks. This book made me laugh and made me cry a A true inspiration to conquer and challenge life each and every day and reach for the stars to make your dreams come true.

The only thing I would change is the constant switching back in forth between time frames, this book would be so much better if written from start to finish in the order of the life events happening..

Holy wow!! Y’all need to read this book!! What a story and a life. Just a very cool journey through a life most of us will never experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an early copy of this book.

How does someone survive such loss and still lead an inspiring and positive life? Katherine Keith suffered immeasurable loss and yet her strength to carry on and help others shines through in this memoir of a life less ordinary.

A beautifully written emotional read a book of sadness a book of bravery of the beauty and the loneliness of the Alaskan landscape The sorrow the author overcomes the life she builds a captivating memoir #netgalley#blackstonebooks.

I really enjoy reading about the Alaskan wilderness. I felt that this was a well written book about how Kat found herself through her time in the wilderness and how it helped her overcome her mental illnesses. It really helped her face her demons and figure out who she wanted to be and where she wanted to be in life.

I could not put this one down! This is such a heartbreaking but powerful story. I expected a more practical description of a few dog sled races, but got an amazing powerful memoir of a very interesting person where tragic things happened to. The author has really seen rough times, but is a fighter and I often wondered how can one be so strong? Really inspirational. This is a book that made me think, and I love it when a story does that. Would I do those things? Or how would I react? Why does the author do the things she does? It is so inspirational even though it can be very sad at some parts. I had to get used to the time jumping in the beginning, but in the end I found it a great way to tell this story. Also I loved the pictures at the end. Definitely recommended!

A brave lady who struggles through life to achieve her dreams.
The book tells the story and life of Katherine a brave soul who dreams of a life most of us couldn’t even contemplate in Alaska.

Her travels take her across America, and finally to Alaska where people disappear and thousands go missing every year. Brutal living conditions are not for the weak hearted and team Katherine just wants the life that Alaska offers - chopping wood, hauling water to just survive.

She meets her soul mate and they struggle to build their dream home. Tragic losses happen throughout her life but still she soldiers on.

Throughout her sadness her quest to run the Iditarod trail sled dog race - the greatest and toughest race seemingly on the planet ( in my eyes) keeps her sane.
I did struggle with aspects of this book. It jumped around an awful lot and I found myself backing up a page or two. But Katherine’s strength and courage make this a heartwarming book set in one of the coldest and inhospitable places on earth one I won’t forget anytime soon. Great photos to track her epic journey through life.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy.

This was a beautifully written book. The style was both pragmatic and poetic. At time it was a bit too poetic and I got lost at what was going on but overall was really drawn in. I liked the timeline of going back and forth. It was refreshing to read about someone who still faces struggles and wasn't cured by wilderness but found it essential to her wellbeing. It was heartbreaking to read about what the author went through but inspiring to see how she persisted.

A great story for a fighter/survivor, as truly challenging situations rise up and characters is developed in the coping. This story is gripping, scenic, and a workout for your emotions. I was captivated and inspired. Very nicely done, very visual. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

An amazing memoir about a young woman who beats the odds and so much adversity to find her way through incredible challenges and pain. I had to take some time to digest all that she went through after I was done reading it, and then all that she did to work on herself in the latter part. It’s really quite admirable, and I’m glad she had family to help at times. I just flew through this book like a person starved for text, it was so readable to me and kept pulling me along. I was hooked, and had to know what came next. It's truly a story that will make you wonder how much a person can take, yet shows you how some can keep going on in the face of harsh adversity. This is one tough lady with tons of determination. I recommend for those who like to read about people with high adrenaline lives. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Katherine Keith, and the publisher.

Epic Solitude is a lot like Strayed's Wild. Katherine Keith had many personal,issues and drifted around. She hiked the Pacific Crest Trail searching for relief and redemption before moving to Alaska. She found love again, only to have most of her family torn away from her in less than two years. Still, she persevered and embarked on many adventures. I did wonder how she managed financially after the end of her second marriage with no visible means of support. It's a quick read and uplifting to readers who face their own challenges.

A story of love and loss and finding yourself in desperate times. At first I find the book a bit hard to read because of the jumps in time, but you get used to it. It’s a very moving story of a woman, Katherine, who’s struggles to become who she wants to be because of the trauma she is suppressing. When she finally makes it to Alaska everything seems right and she seems at peace. All that she goes through is not something you make up, but it could have been written for one of the most drama heavy tv series of our time.
You really feel for her and I admire her strength to keep going after everything.

An engaging and at times heartbreaking memoir about a woman and her love of the outdoors. It was different than I was expecting – there was less focus on dogsledding than on the trials in her personal life, but this was not a bad thing; her life story is at times devastating and told with honesty.

She writes with an openness and clarity that you can tell is genuine; she doesn’t try to sugar coat anything or make excuses. That being said, I could have dealt with a different structure to the story. The actual dogsled races in the second half are broken up by longer chapters about her life fifteen years prior, which served to distract from the races and made them all blend together. Granted, other than a few interesting occurrences during each one, I’m sure most of dogsledding would seem rather boring from someone reading about it. From what she explained, the sport is long stretches in the wilderness broken up by either resting or calamity. I would love to try it someday!

Stronger than the dogsledding are her sections about trying to make a life in the wilderness. I could have used a bit more physical description of the areas, though I’m sure if I wasn’t using a Kindle edition the photos would have helped.

There is a growing focus in the novel on her spiritual journey as well. While this is something I tended to skim, there wasn’t too much of it to make me bored. It’s clear she’s not trying to convince anyone to join her way of thinking but to show one of the methods she used to right herself psychologically after her numerous traumas.

Overall, a very compelling story about an incredibly brave and resilient woman.

If you have been to Alaska, you know it's a ruggedly beautiful place. And if you haven't been, you can read Epic Solitude by Katherine Keith and imagine yourself in the wild beauty of  our 49th state.

What caught my attention was the idea that Katherine heads to Alaska, not an easy place to reside, and decides to pursue dog sledding. These are not things that the average person does in their lifetime so I love the glimpse we can into Katherine's life. I am such a huge fan of memoirs and this one is very well done.

All her life, Katherine Keith has hungered for remote, wild places that fill her soul with freedom and peace. Her travels take her across America, but it is in the vast and rugged landscape of Alaska that she finds her true home. Alaska is known as a place where people disappear--at least a couple thousand go missing each year. But the same vast and rugged landscape that contributed to so many people being lost is precisely what has gotten her found.

She and her husband build a log cabin miles away from the nearest road and create a life of love. An idyllic existence, but with isolation and brutal living conditions can also come heartbreak. Chopping wood and hauling water are not just parts of a Zen proverb but a requirement for survival. Keith experiences tragic loss and must push on, with her infant daughter, alone in the Alaskan backcountry.

Long-distance dog sledding opens a door to a new existence. Racing across the state of Alaska offers the best of all worlds by combining raw wilderness with solitude and athleticism. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the "Last Great Race on Earth," remains a true test of character and offers the opportunity to intimately explore the frontier that she has come to love.

With every thousand miles of winter trail traversed in total solitude, she confronts challenges that awaken internal demons, summoning all the inner grief and rage that lies dormant. In the tradition of Cheryl Strayed's Wild and John Krakauer's Into the Wild, Epic Solitude is the powerful and touching story of how one woman found her way--both despite and because of--the difficulties of living and racing in the remote wilderness.

Ahhhh, love it! A strong amazing woman and an incredible story.

Beautiful book!

This book was a quite a ride, I can tell you that. It broke my heart several times over.

The first half of this memoir I was not convinced. Though I felt for the author, I could not quite connect to the writing style and I struggled with the way Katherine expressed herself. When you are reading a memoir, you want to feel connected to the person telling his or her story and this what was not happening for me in the beginning. However, I think this changed the moment she arrived in Alaska.

The second half of the book had me hooked. I cried with Katherine as she experienced her losses and rooted for her as she bravely fought to be the best she could be, both for herself and the people that needed her.

I once spent five days on a dogsled in the Arctic and it was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had, so reading about that part of her life brought back amazing memories and made me smile.

I feel like I have been through the wars at the end of this book, so I can only imagine how Katherine Keith must feel. I am so grateful that she shared her experiences with us, the readers. I am full of admiration for this woman.

If you are interested in stories of survival and hardship, read this book. It is worth your time!

An excellent memoir that included touches of arctic adventures and quiet reflections. The writing was transportive; you could share in the cold numbing air and next enjoying the sun warming your skin. Excellent addition to any library and book club prospect.

As a lover of solitude, I was drawn to this book by its title and then the cover cinched the deal. My dog Bea is a retired sled dog and I thought it would be interesting to get a glimpse into her former profession.

I like a good outdoor adventure story, especially those about women. Keith became enraptured with Alaska after reading Arctic Daughter by Jean Aspen when she was ten years old. Growing up in Minnesota she’d camped with her brother and dad which grew her love of nature.

After marrying at a young age, Keiths’ world is rocked when she starts having unbearable nightmares of abuse. She turns to harmful physical behaviors to mask her emotional pain. After divorcing, Keith turns for relief to the wilderness.

The first 20% of the book was a challenge for me to read. Keith’s rawness resonated and I needed to put the book down for a few days. I’m glad I picked it back up because the story took off for me as Keith writes about her move to Alaska. She purchases an old ice cream truck that doubles as her home and heads north. She’s no trust-fund baby but takes odd jobs along the way to pay for food and gas.

Throughout the memoir Keith mentions some of the ways she’s made money to make ends meet: kayak guide, selling guns (she had a federal firearms license), putting on bake sales, going on wooly mammoth ivory hunting expeditions, to name a few. The issue of money is, I imagine, a big question for people who would like to live a similar lifestyle.

Surprisingly, Keith doesn’t mention the prize money for dog sled races. She instead focuses on her love of being out with her dogs. Perhaps it is isn’t intentional that she doesn’t mention the prize money because, really, just surviving these races sounds like her primary goal. But since she mentions other modes of income, I did wonder why prize money wasn’t mentioned (unless I missed something, which is entirely possible). She doesn’t shy away from including the fact that races are protested by animal rights groups.

In the Lower 48, Keith had found a balm in nature excursions, but in Northern Alaska, she finds deeper healing:

"Here, above the Arctic Circle, my life is no longer a living nightmare. The threat of self-extinction seems far off, obscure, and absurd. Certain words or phrases still trigger flashbacks, but they have become more manageable. Arctic solitude highlights all shortcomings and sensitivities. My thoughts can get trapped in the past, leading to a few days of total exhaustion, negativity, and pain. Dark periods exist, but instead of months they now last only days. I hope that perhaps even these will pass. Flashbacks and self-harm don’t belong in the life I am building."

Alaska helps her deal with old demons even as the unforgiving conditions of camp life create new horrors. Keith learns the hard way that naive optimism can kill in an environment as harsh as the Arctic Circle.

After the death of her infant daughter and then her husband, Keith heads to the University of Alaska, gets her degree, a pilot’s license, and becomes a musher.

"I study the art of running a team of dogs and surviving the Arctic winter. A month after I arrive, I drive a small dog team for the first time solo. Two weeks later, I am on the runners of a fourteen-dog team. There is no turning back. The lifestyle completes me and transforms all my past goals and dreams into something better."

The chronology of Epic Solitude is confusing at times because the writing isn’t always clear and the structure of the story goes back and forth in time between sled-dog races and other life events. This didn’t terribly distract from the reading because Keith’s story is so compelling, but stronger editing could have helped make for a smoother read.

The Arctic Circle is a land of extremes that suits Keith perfectly as she is a self-confessed woman of extremes. Her descriptions of daily life way — way — off the grid and her sled dog race experiences are epic. She’s completed both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. The volunteer support at rest stops for these races sounds amazing — from people who clean up after the dogs to veterinarians and medical personal for the humans — but for the most part, mushers and their dogs are alone out there. (The Yukon Quest doesn’t allow mushers to carry two-way communication devices. Mushers have an emergency transmitter that once pushed sends help and automatically eliminates them from the race.)

You can’t read this memoir and not admire Keith’s tenacity. What she’s been through is jaw-dropping. Her physical determination as a musher and Ironman athlete is buoyed by the love of family and friends as well as her exploration into spiritual traditions. She’s written this memoir to help others get through their own hard times:

"No words have the power to take away the pain and emptiness all people carry from the impact of loss. I share my story to empower others to search for their way to live life to the fullest despite that pain. Find the beauty. It’s epic."

I highly recommend this memoir to outdoor adventure enthusiasts, memoir readers, and folks working on healing their own demons.

When I read books, I like to collect quotes that speak to me. Sometimes, I only find one or two quotes in a whole book. In Epic Solitude, I didn't even get out of the introduction and I already had a long list of quotes I didn't want to forget. What a wonderful memoir from start to finish!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis

Katherine Keith is epic and so is her manuscript. In a world where people breakdown or have a conniption-fit if their phone runs out of power there are others; extraordinary, resilient, talented, survivors that put the rest of us to shame. Whilst most of us consider we have had a bad day if we miss a phone call or a connection at the airport; this woman deals with exceptional challenges and never fails to meet them head on.

Katherine takes us on a journey from her most formative years as an adolescent and on to her 20’s. Partly forgotten memories emerge and create dissonance that she combats through the implementation of superhuman physical challenges. She tries to rein in her early experiences against the back drop of mountains, wild rivers, and valleys.

At 21 years old Katherine moved to Alaska and performed several jobs before finding her reason to remain. Happiness is fleeting, and an accident leads her to dig deep and change her circumstance. Coping with deep-seated loss, she seeks to drive away the overwhelming sadness with training; ultimately competing in the Iron Man Race and in several triathlons. Practical problems require practical solutions and we are there along for the ride as Keith uses academia to elevate herself substantially, economically, and psychologically. She endures through pilot training and engine malfunctions to earn her private pilot certificate.

One cannot help but feel inadequate for all that this woman achieves through sheer brute determination and personal application. Set against all the trials and tribulations is Keith’s passion for the wilderness and its solitude. In the wilds facing down the elements, living on the edge, and racing across the environment you feel she is the freest.

Interspersed through the book are Keith’s recollections of her Endurance Dog Sled Races. These races include: the Yukon Quest, the Iditarod, the Kobuk 400, and the Kuskokwim 300. They occurred during a period that spanned from 2012 to 2017 set against numerous and increasingly destructive personal experiences.

I am filled with admiration for Katherine Keith’s ability to get up again and again and continue fighting. She is all the more exceptional as she was also a single parent with all the responsibility that brings.

Her spiritual beliefs she found to be irreplaceable. When times were at their worst, she gained solace in their tenants. We are left in no doubt that without her core beliefs she would have had to struggle even harder to survive.

Conclusion

I have no reluctance in recommending this book to you. Katherine Keith’s tale is genuinely epic, as is the woman herself. After all the adversity, grief, heartache, misery and misfortune Katherine has never given up on her goals. She is currently working her way to climb 7 Summits in 3 years.

They are as follows:

Mt. Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elbrus, Vinson Massif, and Carsten Pyramid / Puncak Jaya or Mt. Koscuiuszko

When she isn’t planning the next adventure, she can be found working in her company with John Baker, owners of Remote Solutions, LLC based in the town of Kotzebue, Alaska. They provide the community with essential project management support and design tailored for remote communities.

Acknowledgment

My sincere thanks go out to: NetGalley, the Author, Katherine Keith, Blackstone Publishing (2020) for affording me the opportunity to review; Epic Solitude.