YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE

Former TV and radio journalist Giese presents a recovery memoir, a travelogue, and an account of a health care odyssey.

The author’s lifelong love of waterfall hiking makes this remembrance a breath of fresh air. After experiencing an unfortunate fall downstairs at her Los Angeles home in 2018, Giese weathered severe complications involving an Achilles’ tendon injury, thanks to her “tragic optimism” about her recovery and rushing into surgery too quickly. She found that “recovery was my full-time job,” and as she tells her story, she periodically counts the days and hours since the accident. Her accounts of navigating the U.S. health care system alternate with outdoor adventures galore, complete with helicopters, bears, and forest bathing. The book doubles as a travel remembrance, showcasing trips to such locales as the Montana wilderness, Chilean Patagonia, India, and Brazil. The outdoor chapters animate the author’s life and illuminate the frustration of weathering a severe injury when hiking is no longer an option. Splitting a narrative between natural wonders and a long health recovery is no easy feat, but the author’s confident voice ensures that the pages turn easily for readers. What emerges is Giese’s positive, inspiring tale of suffering a great many challenges, including a harrowing experience in “the glass coffin”—an oxygen chamber—and, of course, interactions with many doctors over the course of her convalescence. The book also features full-color photos, mostly by the author, that ground the action in reality, as well as hiking tips and etiquette suggestions for national parks at the end. The road to recovery is rarely nonlinear, and this book offers a reminder that one should not give up hope, despite setbacks.

An inspiring remembrance with hiking adventure highlights.