The Great Alone by Kristin HAnnah
The Great Alone is a book about learning how to survive in the tough Alaskan environment. Will reading it motivate you to get outside more?
It’s easy to lose motivation, making it difficult to find the energy to get out of the house. Reading books about the great outdoors is one the best tricks to inspire yourself to get your butt outside and enjoy the benefits of being in nature.
Reading a book about the outdoors is motivating because it gets your imagination going. You start remembering how great it is to be outside and makes you want more.
This post reviews The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. This book is likely to inspire you to spend more time outdoors and possibly sharpen your survival skills!
The Great Alone: the Plot
The Allbright family rushes off to Alaska wildly unprepared because Ernt, the father and a former POW, believes this new beginning will help him get better. Young Leni, the main character, is thrown into a situation where she must learn how to survive in Alaska and to deal with her father’s abusive tendencies. The story follows Leni as her family adapts to life off the grid and adjusts to the Alaskan Environment. Read more about the plot here.
- Story
- Characters
Will it motivate you to get outdoors?
I grew up in a rural part of Southeast Alaska and thought The Great Alone captured the struggles and the types of people you will find there quite well. Sometimes it felt like the author was describing parts of my childhood to a T. Some of the characters were exact replicas of the folks I grew up with.
This book made me think about my childhood a lot and brought out my inner secret desire to live off the grid. It definitely made me want to spend all my time outside!
After listening to it, I would start conversations with my BF about living off the grid here in Arizona (I don’t like to be cold, so going back to Alaska is out of the question). It made me wish I didn’t have to have a job! For me, this book was extremely motivating to get outdoors more.
Is The Great Alone worth the Read?
Before I tell you if this book is worth reading or not, I want to mention that this book is tragic. Leni is faced with terrible situation after terrible situation. There are good, more uplifting parts but overall it is not a happy story. If you are looking for a feel good read, The Great Alone is not it. But if you are looking for a great story, with interesting characters and some motivation to get outdoors, then yes, it’s definitely worth a read!
Hikes to inspire you to get outside
Reading about other people’s hikes and looking at their great photos can be so motivating. You think I want to do that! Check these out for more inspiration:
