In The Wilderness: Coming Of Age In Unknown Country (1997) - Plot & Excerpts
I first read In the Wilderness when I was in high school. I remember being thrilled to be reading a book that was a coming of age story about a girl who grew up in Idaho - just like me! And I was profoundly inspired and for a brief time decided I would be a writer too. That didn't exactly last, but as I re-read Barne's intoxicatingly beautiful prose, a lot of memories flooded back to me. The story about growing up in a logging family that turned to fundamentalism and eventually was wretched away from the woods to live in town all came back to me. Reading it now was a completely different experience. For one, instead of going through coming of age, I have moved on to the position that Barnes is in as she grapples with her coming of age - able to look back and reflect on the decisions of my teenage self and how those shaped me into the woman I've become. But I also felt the same angst that I felt when I first read this book. Those nervous, inadequate feelings that I felt so often in my teenage years, all came back as I re-read passages associated with that time in my life. One of the most profound parts for me, is when Barnes struggles to reconcile the blissfully happy 12 year old she was - a devout, loving, devoted daughter - with the girl she was at 14 - an angry, defiant, teenager- and how even now she still feels both of those selves inside, and yet can't understand how she could have ever been either of those girls. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good memoir.
book group, Polly's choice. A good read, Polly. The opening portion of this book confused me with the generational jumble of characters, but the writing got better and better. The fundamentalist religion theme was only minimally interesting, but it stimulated great conversation in our group meeting. My favorite part was the reference to the land and how the main character's personality was somehow reflected in the earth experiences which influenced her. The sensory sensitivity of the author to her natural environment is apparent in her writing. The ending was well crafted. I believe the last two chapters could stand alone in essay fashion. Nice work Ms. Barnes, it is difficult to write a good ending...you best work on the beginnings or you will lose some readers, and that would be a shame.
What do You think about In The Wilderness: Coming Of Age In Unknown Country (1997)?
I enjoyed the first section of this book. There are so many memoirs out there. This one began in a unique voice describing a fresh setting and history. As the book progressed, I felt less connected to the author. I did not sense that she took any responsibility for her reckless choices. Many people in life suffer painful experiences without resorting to self destruction and self-pity. I would have liked to have more information about her healthy life with her husband. The book ends on a blue note. I guess it was the authors intent to leave the reader feeling as jarred as she felt at the moment of her coming of age. I was never able to settle back into the warm feeling I experienced at the first of the book when the setting was warm and hopeful.
—Skylar Hatfield
Central and Northern Idaho are, in ways, worlds apart from Southern Idaho, but the central wilderness is a common bond knitting us together. For that reason, I liked Barnes' book a lot. Her writing is descriptive, clear, and engaging. She tells of her experience growing up in a working class, fundamentalist Christian household in rural Idaho, her struggles with faith, and her struggle to be independent from her overbearing father.What I enjoyed most about this book was the shared experience of r
—John
Pulitzer prize finalist memoir of growing up in a serious Pentecostal, logging family in Idaho in the sixties. bright young woman pushing against the restrictions imposed by church and family makes for an element of the disaster parenting genre such as in The Glass Castle and Donʻt Letʻs Go To The Dogs Tonight. Though it is old now (originally published in 1996) and so likely to have succumbed to the weed or perish ethos of US public libraries, the writing is good and the depiction of an era in the inland Northwest history is valuable. Hopefully some few copies remain in library collections - I found one in HI state public library system - nestled away in Hana library of all places - the most remote community in the islands...
—Kate
