Book Reviews

Raised in Ruins: A Memoir by Tara Neilson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many of us have dreamed of escaping the stressful demands of our current life with the wish for a simpler one, surrounded by a breathtaking view. For most, it is a fleeting thought at the least or a recurring gnaw at our hearts at the most. For fewer still, it is more than a dream. It becomes a burning desire that sinks into their souls and cannot be quenched without moving forward. Such were the desires of Romi and Gary Neilson when they relocated their family of five young children from the Lower 48 to a burned-out, abandoned cannery in Southeast Alaska. Tara Neilson authentically shares how her family stepped into this new world with no illusions of an easier life in her memoir, Raised in Ruins.

Whether living on their floathouse in a land of unpredictable weather and seas or a cabin with visqueen windows between them and wolves and bears prowling the wilderness they all shared, the Neilson’s love of family and their surroundings was always constant. While life was tough and work was hard, the family played just as hard. Their creativity was unlimited. Another adventure was always waiting around the next rusting skeleton of equipment or massive tree in the rainforest of Southeast Alaska. Music, art, books, theatrical performances, and fantastical play were also parts of their daily lives, and Neilson makes her readers feel as if they are another cousin come to visit and play among the ruins with her and her siblings.

Tara Neilson has the unique ability to focus her writing through the lens of a microscope into the thoughts and hearts of her loved ones, helping us to get to know each one and the importance of the role they play in the survival of their pioneering family. Just as easily, her perspective zooms out, giving us a birds-eye view of the magnificent natural beauty and then transcends time to when the cannery was a vibrant community. Her curiosity and connection to those who came before her family lead her to discover who some of the individuals were who worked and played equally as hard in the very spot, decades before the Neilsons landed on their island.

I give this heart-warming and honestly written book which is full of joy, laughter, heartache, and lessons of survival, 5 Stars. I predict your only regret, like mine, will be when the book comes to an end.