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North of Ordinary: How One Woman Left It All Behind for Wilderness and Wonder in Alaska's Frozen Frontier

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About the Book

North of Ordinary: How One Woman Left It All Behind for Wilderness and Wonder in Alaska's Frozen Frontier

In the raw, untamed wilds of Alaska, only a rare few figure out how to survive. Sue Aikens, the breakout star of National Geographic's long-running TV show “Life Below Zero,” is one of them. At her remote outpost 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, she weathers more than just brutal winters and hungry bears. Sue battles isolation, injury and the ghosts of a turbulent past, forging a life in a place most people wouldn't last a day. Left to fend for herself as a child, Sue's fight to survive began long before she ever set foot in Alaska. In NORTH OF ORDINARY, she tells the unforgettable story of abandonment, grit and fierce independence --- from navigating deadly storms and surviving a horrific bear attack to learning how to build a life, a home and a sense of self where most would see only desolation.

North of Ordinary: How One Woman Left It All Behind for Wilderness and Wonder in Alaska's Frozen Frontier
by Sue Aikens with Michael Vlessides

  • Publication Date: March 10, 2026
  • Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction
  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks
  • ISBN-10: 1464242569
  • ISBN-13: 9781464242564