About the Book
"Roy Taylor's account of his family's faith, joy, arduous work, setbacks, strengths, and skills will lift readers' hearts. This is the most endearing memoir you will ever read." -LAURA KALPAKIAN, novelist and author of Memory into Memoir
"The Road to Courage offers readers a warm hug." -JES HART STONE, author of Turbulent Waters: A Pacific Northwest Thriller, www.jeshartstone.com
"More daring than the Ingalls clan, the Taylor family will stay in your heart forever." -SEÁN THOMAS DWYER, author of A Quest for Tears: Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury
Set in the mid-twentieth century, The Road to Courage is narrated by a young boy as he journeys with his family to new and wild territory on the Alaskan frontier, a land where life's priority is survival rather than comfort. This memoir sketches a portrait of his complex family-courageous, committed, flawed, and yet resilient-and, through a series of terrifying adventures, traces the unbreakable bond between the timid narrator and his fearless, fun-loving brother.
The family's faith remains a central thread as the preschool brothers work beside their minister father to construct a log church in Valdez without power tools. Along the way, the reader is given a rare glimpse into life in Old Valdez, a town destroyed by the 1964 earthquake.
About the Author :
Roy Taylor's childhood veered into unknown territory when his family moved to the Alaskan frontier before it became a state. For the last decade, he has been writing his wilderness stories, some of which have been published in anthologies. Now retired from a forty-year career as a vascular surgeon, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, and keeping up with his grandchildren.
Review :
"Roy Taylor's remarkable recall of character-forming people, events in his fifth year of life, and candor about conquering fears deliver a spellbinding story of Alaska's territorial days. I couldn't put it down. Our lives intersected during the late 1950s when the Taylor family homesteaded near my hometown of Ninilchik, Alaska, and helped with our fishing business."-LOREN LEMAN, fisherman, engineer, legislator, and Alaska lieutenant governor
"Four-year-old Roy and five-year-old James trundle up the Alcan highway with their adventurous parents in 1954. The boys' father, a minister, has been called to a post in Valdez, Alaska, where, as it turns out, the church he was to serve is only a hole in the ground. He and his little sons set about building a log cabin church in the three months before winter sets in. The Road to Courage abounds with a lively, unforgettable cast of hardy people living in Valdez. It remains a monument to a town that would disappear in an earthquake ten years later. Roy Taylor's account of his family's faith, joy, arduous work, setbacks, strengths, and skills will lift readers' hearts. This is the most endearing memoir you will ever read." -LAURA KALPAKIAN, novelist and author of Memory into Memoir
"The Road to Courage is the gentle story of a young family's survival in a cold, hostile environment. Embracing an opportunity to create a new life, the struggling Taylor family packs their meager belongings and heads north to the Alaskan frontier. Wrapped in their faith, humor, and love for each other, they confront challenges from poverty to wild beasts. Narrating the family's story, Roy, the youngest boy, learns to overcome fear and survive hardships through his parents' strength and his older brother's courage. In our current environment of turmoil and anxiety, The Road to Courage offers readers a warm hug. -JES HART STONE, author of Turbulent Waters: A Pacific Northwest Thriller, www.jeshartstone.com
"If you've ever wondered about life in Alaska's hinterlands, you've found the perfect book to satisfy your curiosity. The story, vivid and compelling, is told with a gentle voice that ranges from soothing to heartbreaking. As a small child in a vast expanse teeming with danger, Roy Taylor had no say in where his family landed. Despite fighting isolation and the elements at every turn and facing truly terrifying events, the family remained steadfast in the face of the impassive Alaskan challenge. This elegant, deeply touching memoir will give you chills. More daring than the Ingalls clan, the Taylor family will stay in your heart forever." -SEÁN THOMAS DWYER, author of A Quest for Tears: Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury
"Ride along with Roy as he recounts his family's epic journey along the Alcan Highway and early challenging days in Valdez, Alaska, where the saying holds true: 'What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.'" -BOB DORGAN, author of Sea Pay
