Brad Orsted’s Through the Wilderness details his emotional journey through Yellowstone. After the death of his daughter, Orsted turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with his grief. I voluntarily read and reviewed this complimentary copy of this well-written, remarkable book of the lessons Orsted learned on his journey helping him to heal and recover.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of this memoir. I am always interested in reading about how other people challenge themselves in the great outdoors, as I'm too chicken to do it myself. I was piqued by this book about a man's challenges, not just with nature but with his own demons, with grief and addiction.

His journey includes wonderful narrative of his time spent in Yellowstone and how it was ultimately nature that got him through his recovery. His love of the wild animals that he photographed was a definite source of rebirth for him.

I was taken by both his compelling personal journey as well as the insights about the wildlife in Yellowstone Park. I highly recommend this book, it is both sad and joyful.

What I loved about this book:
1. It was a hard to read memoir based on his family tragedy but the author was willing to address his journey, the difficulties and the resolution.
2. Loved the role that nature played in the healing process. His descriptions of the bears, wildlife and surroundings were stunning!

What I wished was a little different:
1. Timeline jumped around a little too much for me.
2. There were some odd repetitions in the story - felt that they were stories that had been strung together.


Thank you to Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

This is a very heartbreaking and emotional memoir. After the tragic loss of his young daughter, Brad Orsted struggled with terrible grief and found little reason to live. He continued on a path of alcohol, drugs and depression. With relocation to the Yellowstone wilderness and time in nature he found an ability to cope and found a meaning in the life he has been left to live, along with also finding a way to honor the daughter he lost. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of this memoir in exchange for a review.

Through The Wilderness is a harrowing tale of one man's journey to hell and back. Through grief he lost the will to live, through Yellowstone he found it again. Brad weaves a tale that takes you on a raw, emotional journey into the depths of grief where he eventually found the will to survive in the wilderness. Captivating and soulful, this book was a joy to read.

This affecting memoir chronicles wilderness photographer and videographer Brad Orsted's struggle with grief over the death of his toddler daughter Marley while she was in the care of his mother. With high hopes that a move to Yellowstone for his wife's new job will break his cycle of depression and addiction, Brad embraces his new environment, attempting to save himself and his family from the despair of losing a child.

Brad writes openly and honestly about his alcoholism and his journey through grief. His story is heartbreaking yet hopeful as he immerses himself in nature, seeking solace and healing. The stories of his animal encounters in Yellowstone are fascinating and awe-inspiring.

Read this one for an emotional and heartening story of a man seeking the light on the far side of trauma in the natural world.

I wish I enjoyed this more than I did. It was kind of all over the place, in terms of story structure, timelines, and basically what kind of book it wanted to be.
And sometimes, it was just boring. The author would spend pages describing a morning trek he took and then cover the dissolution of a major partnership in a couple of sentences.
I definitely felt for him and his family; and his chronicling of the loss of his daughter was heartbreaking and the most engaging part of the book.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this #arc of #throughthewilderness in exchange for an honest review.

Wilderness, humanity, adventure and life. One of my favorite best books.
As a human being, how the survival instinct gets you through all unpredictable stuffs while you're into the wild. As other creatures in the forest, in the mountain, what is calling their instincts?
Above of all, being in the social modernization and the wilderness. Which is more scary?

For more bookish posts please visit https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Through the Wilderness: My Journey of Redemption and Healing in the American Wild by Brad Orsted is a non-fiction book, documenting the struggles the author had after the death of his infant daughter. Mr. Orsted is an award-winning wildlife photographer.

I have to admire the author for pouring his heart out for all to read. Frankly, I don’t think I have it within me. The journey of pain, addiction, as well as the healing power of the magnificent Yellowstone National Park is heart wrenching.

Through the Wilderness by Brad Orsted takes place around a decade, or so. The story is powerful and honest, from his abusive childhood, to his marriage, death, and divorce, we see get a glimpse into what makes him. Stacey, Mr. Orsted’s wife got a job in Yellowstone, and the family were actually living inside the park. This was a lifeline to all of them, from the people they met, to the animals, and the vistas.

I have every reason to believe everything Mr. Orsted wrote. I cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like to live with a grieving man drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Drinking is a big part of this book, much more than his wife and daughters. The sadness just leaps off the pages and I’m glad he managed, with lots of help, to survive his personal hell, and become a contributing member of society.

The descriptions of wildlife, and of course the bears, are amazing. The author finds serenity tracking two orphan bears, drawing parallels to his departed daughter. Mr. Orsted’s journey of healing and redemption is just as fascinating as his wildlife work and descriptions.

This book is a must read! It is a heart wrenching, emotional, beautiful story of one man’s journey through grief and addiction.

Brad. Was a very interesting character in this book when you talked about his life.. When he was younger he seemed to drift through life. You had A dog for his constant companionship. The travel room do not jobs. Things were tough for him but he managed to get by. People really didn't understand this man. You had a troubled childhood his mother was not very nice to him. When he was eighteen he struck out on his own. He ended up in michigan and fell in love. Stacy had to Two children from previous marriage. They were enjoying life and having a really good time. They had a child. This is when the story got really interesting. His mother wanted to babysit the child and He was afraid of his mother. So he let her babysit the child and the child ended up dead. It wasn't interesting how he went through this grieving processed by drinking, and it was really hard for stacy and the children to realize he wasn't really functioning. He's Was addicted to pills. Stacy got a job in Yellow Store National park. Things were going well he was still drinking. You had some setbox there is Will. We can't friendly with the native americans. It took a long time to get his sobriety. But you can see how this man dealt with grief and how we overcame it. Some people do with grief and different ways.. I like this book especially the title. You can say ho T Ties and 2 together in the end.

Growing up in Brooklyn NY, the closest wild life I saw was when my dad took me to work with him at the Prospect Park Zoo. All the bears and killer cats lived in pens and cages, far from me. So going to Colorado and Wyoming the first time, I was woefully unprepared for just how raw and wild the American West still is. It's hard to imagine in the 21st century that there are places that man has yet to tame. Trying to live there, a person spends a great deal of his/her life just learning to cope with the elements, the terrain, the weather, and the vastness. If a soul wanted to lose himself there, it would not be hard.

Brad Orsted captures this desperate desire in his memoir Through the Wilderness. Drowning in grief from the unexplained death of his baby daughter while in his mother's negligent care, Orsted takes a job in Yellowstone to try to move on from this tragedy. Instead, the unforgiving terrain and weather almost cost Orsted his life. He wanders into a field of sage not realizing the danger lurking in the brush. Deeper and deeper he goes only to find himself struggling with each step. It doesn't help that his drunken haze hampers his ability to navigate his way back to safety. Unaware, Orsted comes face to face with a grizzly, the king of the West. The harrowing encounter scares him into an eventual path to sobriety and healing with the help of a Crow elder. Orsted honestly and sometimes maudlinly, recounts his personal journey to healing and health.

Orsted harnesses the inner strength to face his grief, his demons, and the struggle to sustain in Wyoming's brutal endless winters. His narrative does a great job of capturing the experience of a man and the wilderness that challenges and eventually helps him find his way. The ruggedness of the West and the reality of the Natives who live there are richly detailed. It's hard to imagine a place where it starts to snow in September and can still be snowing in June. Life deep in the Rockies takes a certain inner strength to carve your place there and survive. Orsted's narrative harkens to the inner survivor in all of us. Not only does he paint Yellowstone in wonderous raw colors, it makes one want to visit. He also shows how tenuous and fragile life is. His story shows the power of nature to help heal the deepest of wounds, physical and emotional.

Interesting story, but it was not very well written. There was some odd repetition and he really jumped all around the timeline, which was confusing. Unfortunately, I did not find Brad to be a likeable person. What happened to his daughter was absolutely heartbreaking. That part was hard to read, but it was also the most compelling for me. I think this book would have benefitted from some more serious editing.

An outstanding story. I’d recommend to anyone.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance readers copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.

<b>The Story</b>
What a beautiful storytelling and journey.

Grieving father. The timeline like flashbacks. Complex parent relationships. Trajectory of personal profession. Dependency. Resiliency. Guilt and shame. Drawing from nature. Capturing the art of it and profession. Meaningful relationships.

Some comedic, lighthearted bits in there too.

Different struggles and grievances yet finding solace, there’s relatability and it’s a very beautiful, detailed account.

<b>The Writing</b>
Great storytelling in the sense of capturing the deeper emotion of circumstance, descriptions that from geological formation to questions about life, and the wanting and yearning after much loss.

I will look forward to more.

<a href="https://ericarobbin.com">Blog post</a>

An award-winning photographer and documentary filmmaker recounts his long search for refuge and redemption in America's greatest wilderness, following the mysterious death of his fifteen-month-old daughter, whom he'd left in the care of his mother overnight.

MY THOUGHTS
Brad Orsted has written a compelling account of his grief, addiction, recovery, and restored hope set amid the grandeur of Yellowstone. I dare anyone who opens this gripping memoir to put it down until the last page. Highly recommended for fans of the West and readers who love great true tales that break, then remake the heart.

This is Brad Orsted first book. Wow!

The book starts with Brad telling his own personal story of losing his daughter and the crippling effects that had on him. His wife and daughters stick with him through all the heartbreak they each feel.

Brad doesn’t know how to process the pain he feels so he does they only thing that he can think of drinking alcohol and taking pills. He describes himself as walking wounded or more likely staggering wounded.

Have you ever experienced pain from losing someone you loved? This book could be a great help to you as Brad shares his story.

Please read Brad’s story as you read of the hope that Brad discovered.

Thanks to St. Matin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

An evocative and introspective memoir that delves into the depths of grief and the journey towards healing. Orstad bares his soul as he recounts his turbulent relationship with his mother, which was slowly on the path to reconciliation, until an inexplicable tragedy struck—his beloved daughter, Marley, passed away under mysterious circumstances while in her grandmother's care. This devastating loss sent Orstad spiraling into a ten-year abyss of addiction, grappling with alcohol and drugs. Yet, amidst the darkness, his unwavering wife and daughters stood by his side, a testament to the power of love and resilience.

However, a glimmer of hope emerges when Orstad finds himself employed at Yellowstone National Park, a pivotal turning point in his recovery. It is here that he encounters a bear and experiences a profound revelation, illuminated by the majestic forces of nature and the wisdom imparted by Native American teachings. This memoir paints a vivid portrait of Orstad's transformative journey, intricately weaving together the threads of his restoration, aided by the remarkable healing powers of the natural world and the guidance of indigenous communities.

While the narrative is skillfully crafted and brimming with profound insights, some aspects could have been further explored. Descriptions of Orstad's struggles with alcohol tend to become repetitive, occasionally detracting from the overall impact of the storytelling. Additionally, the character of Stacey, his wife, could have been more fully developed to provide a deeper understanding of her perspective and her unwavering support throughout Orstad's darkest days.

Nonetheless, the memoir remains a well-written and thought-provoking account of one man's arduous path to recovery. Orstad's introspection offers readers an intimate glimpse into the complexities of grief and the redemptive power of nature. Special thanks to Netgalley for providing the Advance Reader Copy (ARC). Overall, this book is a compelling and worthwhile read that will resonate with those seeking solace and inspiration amidst life's most challenging trials.

This book was written based in the intense pain the author experienced with the death of his daughter. The wilderness helped saved him from his lowest ebb.
I liked the Yellowstone setting and all the animal descriptions.
Being out in nature can be one of the most holistic approaches to healing that a person can experience.
Maybe this book will touch someone who has reached rock bottom and feels there is no hope.
If reading Orsted’s book doesn’t prove there is hope, little else will.

A heart wrenching story ,when Brads daughter dies while in the care of his mother he spirals down into madness drugs .He tells the raw horrifying tale of his emotional breakdown .His wife moves him and their two living children to Yellowstone park and we follow him till he finally begins to heal.This-is a tough read so compelling so involving.#netgalley #st.martins