Any book about wilderness survival is also about coming-of-age no matter what your age is. There is something about tragedy and survival situations that not only brings the best and worst out of people but also forces them ro examine themselves as individuals and spiritual beings. Grinnell has written a book that puts all this in perspective. Death on The Barrens is a riveting wilderness adventure story of an ill-fated and ill-planned expedition that resulted in the death of its leader and the rest of the team barely making it back. Yet it is also a spiritual journey for the author who, 50 years later, is still pondering the meaning of the incident in his life. Grinnell expertly weaves the events with his own life background and uses zen tales and poetry to clarify the meaning of his journey. Even though you know the result of the journey from page one it is still a harrowing tale. Yet it is also a beautiful tale showing how adversity and challenge affects and changes all of the participants. I recommend this for those who love true adventure tales but also those who like to read about the more spiritual aspects of human experience.
Marvin's Bookish Blog
Another darn place to list my reviews and to obsess about books.
Any book about wilderness survival is also about coming-of-age no matter what your age is. There is something about tragedy and survival situations that not only brings the best and worst out of people but also forces them ro examine themselves as individuals and spiritual beings. Grinnell has written a book that puts all this in perspective. Death on The Barrens is a riveting wilderness adventure story of an ill-fated and ill-planned expedition that resulted in the death of its leader and the rest of the team barely making it back. Yet it is also a spiritual journey for the author who, 50 years later, is still pondering the meaning of the incident in his life. Grinnell expertly weaves the events with his own life background and uses zen tales and poetry to clarify the meaning of his journey. Even though you know the result of the journey from page one it is still a harrowing tale. Yet it is also a beautiful tale showing how adversity and challenge affects and changes all of the participants. I recommend this for those who love true adventure tales but also those who like to read about the more spiritual aspects of human experience.
