3.5 Stars Out Of 5
3.5 out of 5
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(8)
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Quality:
4.1 out Of 5
(4.1 out of 5)
Value:
3.9 out Of 5
(3.9 out of 5)
Meets Expectations:
3.3 out Of 5
(3.3 out of 5)
71%
of customers would recommend this product to a friend.
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Displaying items 1-5 of 21
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  1. Pilar Arsenec
    New Jersey
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Brilliant!
    May 1, 2013
    Pilar Arsenec
    New Jersey
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for North of Hope: A Daughter's Arctic Journey.
    Shannon Huffman Polson is a virtuoso. She writes with such brilliance, as she weaves her story of loss and hope. She takes you on her pilgrimage through the Alaskan Artic in search for answers. Her experiences will leave you breathless, in wonder and awe.

    I love memoirs like this one, written with such depth, thoughtfulness and creativity. Besides which, Shannon Huffman Polson is an extraordinary writer.

    I highly recommend North of Hope, it is brilliant. One of the best memoirs I have read in a long time.
  2. NewChristianBooks
    Chicago, IL
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Beautiful writing, help for those who are grieving
    April 9, 2013
    NewChristianBooks
    Chicago, IL
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for North of Hope: A Daughter's Arctic Journey.
    How is it possible to write so beautifully about such a painful topic? Polson is a gifted writer whose words will bring comfort to those who have lost loved ones. I highly recommend this book for many reasons, not the least of which is the beautifully executed prose.

    Polson's parents are killed by a grizzly bear during a rafting and camping trip through the Arctic wilderness. Polson eventually responds to this tragic event by retracing their steps through the Alaskan wilderness, taking the same white water rafting trip herself. The book describes the trip, but also her own journey of grief and healing.

    She writes: "This was not simply a trip into the wilderness, though that would be challenge and adventure enough. This was a journey over the jagged edge of loss."

    While it's a heavy topic, the book is ultimately uplifting. Polson is honest about her faith, and her doubts, questions and anger at this senseless tragedy. Her ultimate resolution feels authentic and honest.

    Interwoven with the travelogue are chapters about another interesting piece of Polson's grieving process: she signs up to sing the Mozart Requiem with the Seattle Symphony. Her descriptions of the rehearsals and the music itself are beautiful, and it creates an interesting counterpoint to the descriptions of her white-water rafting adventure.

    This would be a great resource to recommend or give to anyone who has lost a loved one. It would also be a great tool for grief support groups or pastors who counsel those who grieve.
  3. DeannaMary
    Palmdale, CA
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Finding Hope in Despair
    April 1, 2013
    DeannaMary
    Palmdale, CA
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for North of Hope: A Daughter's Arctic Journey.
    Handlebar Publishing in conjunction with Zondervan provided a complimentary book, North of Hope: A Daughter's Arctic Journey, in exchange for an honest review.

    Grief of any kind can lead us down a path of uncertainty. We look for the why, the purpose in the face of such loss. But, when tragedy strikes and the loss is compounded everything we hold dear to mixes into a matrix of confusion. Death stops us in our tracks. How does one stare grief down with courage and begin to live again? Where does hope intersect grief?

    Author Shannon Huffman Polson answered that call to search for answers and courageously shares her journey when her life seemed to shatter. In June 2005 Polson received a phone call shaking to her core: her dad, Richard, and stepmother, Kathy, had been killed by a grizzly bear as they camped along the Hulahula River. Raised in Alaska Polson understood nature's dichotomy of its inherent beauty and wild nature. However, she never fathomed the brutality the arctic landscape could claim.

    The loss of her beloved parents leads Polson to embark on the same journey down the Hulahula that stole her family one year later. Through adventure, beauty and sadness she finds life amongst her tears and questions. There are some answers that will never be known, but other questions were answered in ways she didn't expect. It would be an understatement to say this was a trip of a lifetime. Many never have to face such harrowing circumstances.

    Any reader would be blessed to steal a glimpse of this woman's experience. I was completely mesmerized with Polson's beautiful eloquence. She is a master at her craft to overlay elegance on top of wild grief. Yet, the harshness of the Arctic is tangible. Her heartache bores into the reader. There has never been an author I have admired more in a memoir. The author lends words to the heart that are often difficult to put words to.

    Even if grief isn't rending your heart, North of Hope will capture yours in a beat. This memoir will engage your emotions that many books simply cannot do. It can encourage the grief-stricken to look forward and up at the horizon and see hope is there. Rainbows will be seen in the storms. Hope is what will walk you through the valley. Polson captures much of the human experience in 252 pages. I found bits of myself reflected throughout. It is validating to share in someone's journey and come to understand something more of myself. I cannot recommend North of Hope enough, nor capture its soul in a review. It is beautiful book of the heart.
  4. Ihopeyoudance
    Kansas
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Excellent Read! Loved it!
    March 25, 2013
    Ihopeyoudance
    Kansas
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for North of Hope: A Daughter's Arctic Journey.
    I was really excited about reading this book because of the adventure that Shannon has going to the Arctic! I also found the history and wildlife information fascinating. That being said, this book jumps back and forth between the present and past and the inter workings of the author's mind. I loved this book, but others might not enjoy reading because it can get a bit boring and confusing when going from one thing to the next. I know many readers enjoy fiction and this is not fiction. This is straight up real life, and it is not pretty to read the many details about her parents death, which she does include. The author did a ton of research prior to her trip and I would highly recommend this book!!

    There is not really a book to compare to this one but it reminds me of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

    North of Hope hits stores April 9, 2013!!

    "I received this book for free from Handlebar Direction for Publishing in exchange for an honest review".
  5. Jennifer M
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    May 5, 2013
    Jennifer M
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 4
    This review was written for North of Hope: A Daughter's Arctic Journey.
    "I wasn't sure whether I'd come to this wild space to find myself or lose myself, or whether I had the capacity for either." ~ Shannon Huffman Polson

    North of Hope tells the true story of Shannon Huffman Polson, whose father and step mother were tragically killed by bears while rafting and camping in the remote Alaskan Arctic. Ms Polson decides to undergo a life-changing journey, both figuratively and literally, by leaving her home in Seattle and traveling to the Arctic to re-trace her father's steps. She writes in great detail about both the trip and her emotional experiences in coming to terms with the loss while she's there, as well as weaving in back story all throughout the book.

    The author has a lovely, almost poetic, style of writing, and the book is very rich in vivid imagery. I truly felt like I was experiencing the journey with her, as her descriptions of both the Alaskan wilderness and her mental state at the time were clear, specific, and painstakingly transcribed. The emotional anguish of the trip was palpable, especially in the latter quarter of the book, as she gets closer and closer to the spot where her father camped and ultimately died.

    Unfortunately, the book's strength proved to be a weakness as well. At times the detail was so great and so lengthy that it bogged the book down, and made certain sections drag unnecessarily. I found myself reading with great interest on minute, and then skimming the next.

    However, as it was by all accounts a very intimate and personal story, it doesn't seem too fair to nitpick its delivery. This was her journey, and I admire her strength and tenacity in both choosing to take it at all, and then so beautifully sharing it with others.

    *I received this book from Zondervon and Handlebar Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*
Displaying items 1-5 of 21
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