Angels in the Wilderness: The True Story of One Woman's Survival Against All Odds [Hardcover]

Amy Racina (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

This book is a first-person account of a disaster on a solo hiking trip. Author Amy Racina was hiking in a remote part of King's Canyon National Park in California's Sierra mountains when she lost the trail. With no warning, she suddenly fell sixty feet, breaking both legs on the rocks below. She survived for four days and nights, battling pain, fear and exhaustion, pulling herself along with her hands and refusing to give up. She was miraculously saved, her calls heard by a man who was partially deaf. It describes her dramatic rescue as she was airlifted out, swinging helplessly from two straps, dangling fearfully beneath a helicopter high above the ravine where she had fallen.It is an amazing tale of despair and courage and hope. It speaks of incredible strength and heartbreaking weakness as it details what one woman believed might be the last days of her life. It is a memory of the darkest of times and an affirmation of miracles.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Amy Racina has traveled all over the world by herself. Introduced to backpacking at the age of sixteen, Amy began soloing in her early twenties. She has trekked hundreds of miles through the wilderness that she loves, especially in the high country of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and particularly in Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Parks. She leads hiking groups, and works as a graphic artist.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Elite Books (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971088896
• ISBN-13: 978-0971088894
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,157,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An amazing tale that got lost in translation., March 26, 2007

By 

Claudine J. Taillac "summitreader" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angels in the Wilderness: The True Story of One Woman's Survival Against All Odds (Hardcover)

I met Amy at BEA where I got a signed copy of her book. She was sincerely nice, and I was honored to meet this person who survived such an unbelievable ordeal. However, when I read the book, I felt disappointed (as an editor) by the writing and lack of editing. A powerful story that could have become a huge success as a book was instead relegated to mediocrity due to no editorial direction. I had seen so many reviews of the book prior to BEA; if only the publisher had put as much effort into the book itself as it did into the marketing plan. If you are a quick reader and a backpacker, I still recommend reading the book for the power of Amy's experience. The story gets lost in the middle, however, and the details of her recovery in the hospital are too, too much, while the details of her private life get glossed over and leave the reader confused.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could benefit from another edit..., February 2, 2007

By 

Dave (Great Lake State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angels in the Wilderness: The True Story of One Woman's Survival Against All Odds (Hardcover)

While we can all agree that "Angels in the Wilderness" is the tale of the author's heroic tenacity and the equally heroic response of strangers and friends alike, I cannot agree that it is an interesting read.

I too was hooked from the first page. Unfortunately, after the third page, the author leaves her hook (the fall and stunning injury) and instead concentrates on her life history and personal philosophy. This goes on far too long, forcing me to continually fight to keep reading. My interest only resurfaced with chapter 17 and the beginning of Amy's rescue.

There is hope. Honestly, there is a very good story here. If the author were to work with an editor to trim the fat from this amazing tale, it could become a story for any reader. As is, it may appeal only to diehard solo hikers and those who know Amy personally.

Meanwhile, I look forward to the next edition and continue to pull for Amy's continued recovery.

Keep fighting Amy:)

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A courageous and oddly tender tale, October 20, 2005

By 

Fearless Reviews "D. Patrick Miller, Editor" (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Angels in the Wilderness: The True Story of One Woman's Survival Against All Odds (Hardcover)

Award-winning graphic artist Amy Racina went on her first backpacking trip with her family at age sixteen. This was the beginning of a life-long love affair. As an adult she found herself often "suffused with longing to be in the mountains as I make my way through ordinary life." Amy made it a custom to spend some time alone in the wilderness each year, and in the summer of 2003 she decided to make her "trip of a lifetime" through some of the roughest, most inaccessible, and most staggeringly beautiful terrain of the Sierra Mountains.

But in the far flung reaches of the Sierras, Amy lost her trail, and then with one life-changing step, fell over sixty feet onto a harsh slab of rock, breaking numerous bones, smashing her nose, and sustaining severe bruises all over her body. She was already off trail and had not seen another human being in two full days. This is the remarkable story of how she survived for four days, unable to stand and barely able to move, how she was rescued by three passing "angels" who heard her calls for help-and how she recovered and returned to her beloved mountains less than two years later.

More than the story itself, the writing here is suffused with glowing honesty and wonder, bracing as mountain air. "'Please let me live. Please help me,' I pray. . . . I am led to remember that eventually all humankind will die. . . . I feel the quality of the sacred in the very desperation of my situation." The "quality of the sacred" is precisely what characterizes this courageous and oddly tender tale. -- Marc Polonsky for the FEARLESS REVIEWS