North of Ordinary by Sue Aiken

This is definitely not my normal type of read but I was enraptured by the title! I absolutely love reading about others adventures so this one was a super cool read! This story details a story of bear attacks, horrible weather, and more! But that’s not all that is needed to be faced out there..a battle with loneliness, past memories, and so much more are also things one must learn to live with!

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

North of Ordinary is a page turner of a memoir. Sue Aiken’s life is definitely far from ordinary. Her sad, abusive childhood is a mixture of The Glass Castle and Where the Crawdads Sing culminating when her mother takes her to Alaska. They pitch a tent in the wilderness 50 miles from Fairbanks. Then her mother leaves her - for two years. Sue is twelve. She survives and learns never to rely on another person. She leaves for the lower 48 and has some happy experiences there but Alaska is in her heart and she returns. Now comes what I would call Part 2. Sue becomes caretaker of the Kavik River Camp on the North Slope, the cold, isolated and northernmost county in the United States. Except for an early and ill chosen partner, she is alone. Her many adventures (and misadventures) lead to a reality tv show, Life Below Zero which aired for twelve years.

North of Ordinary is a unique memoir that reads like fiction. It’s packed with experiences far different from those of the reader. And it is occasionally terrifying. The bear attack is one of the most horrific scenes I have ever read. I knew Aikens survived because she wrote the book but…I had doubts. I loved the peaceful description of the snow covered landscape, the friendly foxes, the submissive wolf and more. This is a must read! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS and Sue Aikens for this ARC.