4. Questions to Consider While Reading
• When she was 17, the author’s grandmother’s last words to her
were “ Don’t waste your life the way I’ve wasted mine.” This
message resonated deeply with Fredston.
– Does making a conscious effort to take time away from one’s mundane
activities and responsibilities contribute to a “life well lived”?
• In Chapter 2 she describes both her and Doug’s unlikely career
trajectories, as well as their unlikely match, suggesting that
Alaska’s frontier culture (she doesn’t use the term) makes such
achievements and developments possible.
– Do you think the north offers more opportunities to resourceful people
and that it puts up fewer barriers than more “civilized” settings?
• What lessons can we learn from taking the time to pay attention
to nature?
