Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin

 "I gazed down the way we had come. The magnitude of the feat we had accomplished flooded in with the crisp air as I surveyed the vastness of the valley and the distant ranges. Patience and determination had carried us up and over the obstacles to that cloud-high perch, to a view usually reserved for eagles and angels. ... Only a few people ever are given the opportunity, or accept the challenge, to climb a thirteen-htousand-foot mountain. Few ever a chance to see that sublime view, breathe that pristine air, overcome those formidable obstacles, or feel that joy-filled exhilaration. And I was one of them."

 

The John Muir Trail:  211 mile hiking trail that runs from Yosemite Valley through the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. 

Three women in their fifties, and one in her twenties.

Four weeks of adventure:  river crossings, alpenglow, lightning, snow, mountain passes, mosquitoes, wild flowers, peaks and valleys, beautiful lakes, beauty, struggle, friendship, and joy. 

"Succeeding at such a huge personal challenge changes a person. ... When we take on the nearly impossible and succeed, the impossible begins to look approachable."

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Thoughts:  I love hiking memoirs like this one. It's immersive, transportive, and inspiring. It made me wish I had adventurous hiking buddies like Joan's! Because this is the kind of adventure I've always dreamed of doing. I honestly don't know if I could handle the mosquitoes, or sleeping on the ground, not to mention having no bathrooms; and I don't know if my knees could take hiking up all those steep peaks only to then have to hike back down them. But wouldn't it be awesome to accomplish something this amazing and challenging? 

As John Muir wrote:  "Fear not, therefore, to try the mountain-passes. They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action." 

Happy Reading!

The Hard Parts by Oksana Masters

 

From the blurb:

"Oksana Masters was born in Ukraine—in the shadow of Chernobyl—seemingly with the world against her. She was born with one kidney, a partial stomach, six toes on each foot, webbed fingers, no right bicep, and no thumbs. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right, and she was missing both tibias.

"Relinquished to the orphanage system by birth parents daunted by the staggering cost of what would be their child’s medical care, Oksana encountered numerous abuses, some horrifying. Salvation came at age seven when Gay Masters waged a two-year war against stubborn adoption authorities to rescue Oksana from her circumstances.

"In America, Oksana endured years of operations that included a double leg amputation. Determined to prove herself and fueled by a drive to succeed that still smoldered from childhood, Oksana triumphed in not just one sport but four—winning against the world’s best in elite rowing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, and road cycling competitions. Now considered one of the world’s top athletes, she is the recipient of seventeen Paralympic medals, the most of any US athlete of the Winter Games, Paralympic or Olympic.

"This is Oksana’s astonishing story of journeying through a series of dark tunnels—and how, with her mother’s love, she finally found her way into the light. Her message to anyone who doesn’t fit in: you can find a place where you excel—where you have worth."

My thoughts: 

Wow! This is one of the best books I've read this year. Oksana's story is both riveting and moving. I cried for her because of all the hard things she had to endure, and I cheered all of her breakthroughs and successes. She has such tenacity and grit and determination; I really admire her fire to win and her never-give-up attitude. 

"Ugly things happened to me. They. Are. Not. Me. No matter how ugly I feel, how much I hate my body, how much I hate my memories, I'm still worthy of love. Of a good life. This is what I wish everyone who's experienced physical or emotional  trauma could grasp: You are not the product of where you came from. You are not what happened to you...there's beauty in you."

 This amazing and emotional book is truly a memoir of courage and triumph! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Swan Dive: the Making of a Rogue Ballerina

 

Georgina Pazcoguin joined the New York city Ballet when she was just seventeen. In 2013, after dancing ten years in the Corps de Ballet, she was promoted, and became NYCB's first Asian American female soloist. Her candid memoir is a revealing look into the competitive (even cutthroat), demanding, sexist, and sometimes toxic culture that exists at the NYCB. What else comes through is her fierce love of ballet. In her twenty years as a professional ballerina, she's had some exhilarating highs and some devastating lows. She's persevered through it all. And she shares her struggles and her joy with refreshing frankness, honesty, and humor. 

I've always loved reading about anything that has to do with ballet, and this book is a very engaging memoir! It's interesting and eye-opening, and it gave me an even greater appreciation for the years and years of dedication and effort, and all the hard work that these dancers put forth in hopes of becoming a professional ballerina. This book is a 5-star read!

Happy Reading!

The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung

 

"When I was a child, first discovering numbers, the secrets they yielded, the power they held, I imagined I would live my life unchecked, knocking down problem after problem that was set before me. And in the beginning, because I outstripped my classmates, my parents, and even my teachers it seemed possible that it would be so. That was pure hubris. ... Still, I never tried to hide or suppress my mind as some girls do, and thank God, because that would have been the beginning of the end."

Katherine is a math genius at a time when math is still very much a man's world. She's also half-Chinese with questions about her parentage that her father refuses to answer. And she thinks she might have found the mathematical key to solving the Reimann hypothesis. But will people believe the solution is really hers, or will they think some man helped her with it? Love, math and ambition are complicated problems for Katherine as she navigates and narrates her journey through life.

This novel is thoughtful, poignant, intelligent and beautifully written. And Katherine is a quietly compelling narrator. I admired her courage and her stubborn refusal to be viewed as less than just because she's a woman. From her third grade teacher to the college professor who claims to love her, Katherine has to battle just to have her own voice heard. It made me angry for her. (I found it a little heartbreaking, too.) Katherine's story drew me in from the very first page of this novel. (I even liked the math bits.) And though the ending left me feeling a little sad, I'm glad to count this as my first read of 2021. It's a good one.

Happy Reading!

Way To Be!

This is a gem of a book that can be read in a weekend. Written by Gordon B. Hinckley, it offers up "nine suggestions gleaned from more than nine decades of living, that will help you achieve happiness and success." And who doesn't want more happiness and success in their lives? Here are his nine ways to be:

Be Grateful
Be Smart
Be Involved
Be Clean
Be True
Be Positive
Be Humble
Be Still
Be Prayerful


"It is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence....The better way to Be is the way of these nine Be's."

--Gordon B. Hinckley

I couldn't agree more.

Here's to BE-ing!