The Sun Is A Compass – Hill Nadell Literary Agency

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(Hardcover) (Paperback)

Caroline Van Hemert
The Sun Is A Compass: A 4,000 Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds
(Little Brown Spark, Hardcover March 2019, Paperback February 2020)

Winner of the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Competition: Adventure Travel
An Amazon Best Books of March 2019 pick
PNBA IndieBound Bestseller: Paperback Nonfiction April 2020
One of Outside‘s Best New Books of March
One of Bustle‘s “29 New Memoirs Out in Spring To Help You Welcome Warm-Weather Reading”
An Amazon Best Book of 2019 so far

For fans of Hope Jahren, Helen MacDonald, and Cheryl Strayed, the gripping story of a biologist’s journey from Washington State to high above the Arctic Circle — traveling across remote and rugged terrain solely by human power — to rediscover birds, the natural world, and her own love of science.

During graduate school, as she conducted experiments on the peculiarly misshapen beaks of chickadees, ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert began to feel stifled in the isolated, sterile environment of the lab. Worried that she was losing her passion for the scientific research she once loved, she was compelled to experience wildness again, to be guided by the sounds of birds and to follow the trails of animals.

In March of 2012 she and her husband set off on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic. Traveling by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe, they explored northern landscapes so remote there were no maps or guidebooks to mark them. Together, they survived harrowing dangers while also experiencing incredible moments of joy and grace — migrating birds silhouetted against the moon, the steamy breath of caribou, and the bond that comes from sharing such experiences. A unique blend of science, adventure, and personal narrative, the book explores the bounds of the physical body and the tenuousness of life in the company of creatures whose daily survival is nothing short of miraculous. It is a journey through the heart, the mind, and some of the wildest places left in North America.

In the end, The Sun Is a Compass is a love letter to nature, an inspiring story of endurance, and a beautifully written testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Praise for The Sun Is a Compass

“A truly astounding journey, beautifully written. Caroline Van Hemert follows in the tradition of wilderness adventurers John Muir, Margaret Murie, Cheryl Strayed, and Robert Macfarlane, but she is not one to stick to well-trodden trails. Alongside her husband, she faces predatory bears, roaring rivers, and 4,000 miles of the world’s most remote, wild country. She also weaves in her doubts, questions, and insights as a woman and bird biologist. An edge-of-your-seat thrilling read, but with a refreshing humility and grace. My favorite book of 2019, and one the best Alaskan books I have ever read.”
―Eowyn Ivey, author of To the Bright Edge of the World and Pulitzer Prize finalist The Snow Child

“Van Hemert’s vibrant and elegant book transports, educates, and inspires. To read The Sun Is a Compass is to be masterfully guided through the wild by an expert not only on nature itself but on the deep and often hidden connections between the natural world and our human lives.”
―Barbara Natterson Horowitz, MD, coauthor of Zoobiquity

“I thoroughly enjoyed The Sun Is a Compass. It is an exciting modern adventure story in the far north that will appeal to anyone with a yen for experiencing wild nature.”
―Bernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven

“In The Sun Is a Compass, adventure and romance journey hand in hand, covering 4,000 tough miles, reminding all of us that the easy way may not be the best way.”
―Bill Streever, author of Cold

“Ornithologist and naturalist Caroline Van Hemert has written a thrilling account of an epic journey from the Pacific Coast to the Arctic Ocean. A triumph in wilderness travel, scientific curiosity, and adventure writing that exposes the sublime thrill and loving touch to be found in nature and our fellow human beings.”
―John Marzluff, Professor of Wildlife Science and author of Welcome to Subirdia

“I was thoroughly charmed by Caroline Van Hemert’s memoir of arctic travel. The astonishing length of the journey she and her husband chose to make — on foot, by rowboat, and on skis — leaves you shaking your head in wonder. Her honesty about her own anxieties, her informed thought about fearful and beautiful encounters along the way, and the gritty determination with which she and her husband faced each day offer us a rich and compelling story.”
―Barry Lopez, author of Horizon

“Imagine trekking four times farther than Cheryl Strayed did in Wild, without a trail, through swarms of mosquitoes thick enough to suck caribou dry. In this marvelous tale of grit and grace, ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert leaves behind a lab full of caged chickadees to embark on her own epic migration to the Arctic, reconnecting with the reverence for nature that drove her to science in the first place. For those of us less skilled at fashioning our own sea kayaks, dodging avalanches, and fending off hungry bears, this intimate book is a precious window into a remote wilderness of formidable beauty.”
―Emily Voigt, author of The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World’s Most Coveted Fish

“What a marvelous book. An enthralling blend of adventure story, insightful memoir, and keen-eyed nature observation. Van Hemert is a fearless spirit and a master storyteller, to be admired equally for her astonishing grit and her elegant, compelling prose.”
―Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Genius of Birds

“Van Hemert proves equally adept at exploring the inner dialogue that accompanied the harrowing physical feats, touching on love and loss, new parenthood, and the struggle to combine her passions for scientific inquiry and adventure. She leaves nature lovers with a story—of adventure, of environmental awareness, and of personal discovery—worth savoring.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“For all the readers’ vicarious thrills and Van Hemert’s admirable writing, it is the author’s candor regarding her doubts and her appealing vulnerability that make this memoir so resonant. One follows this engrossing adventure feeling as eager as the travelers to see what’s around the next bend in the river, on the next island, across the next coastal passage, or over the next mountain pass.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“This inspirational memoir is riveting. Reading it will incite wanderlust.”
–Library Journal

“The story of [Van Hemert and her husband’s] trip is worth telling on its own, but Van Hemert’s eye for detail—she’s a bird biologist at heart—pushes The Sun Is a Compass into something more interesting than a straightforward adventure narrative. She paints a vivid picture of the landscape they walked, biked, and paddled through, but she also patiently and clearly examines why she felt the need to go. In less careful hands, the story could have come off as self-centered, but she makes it relatable and honest.”
–Outside

“A beautiful and utterly engrossing book…the prose is richly detailed….Caroline Van Hemert so clearly loves our world, with all its challenges, beauty, and mysteries. Her book is a welcome invitation to do the same.”
–Anchorage Daily News

“Van Hemert’s six month, 4000 mile, odyssey along the Pacific Coastal Ranges and into the Alaskan wilderness, is the very definition of rugged. This book is a candid insight into the struggles of harmonizing her work as a scientist with human partnership, and ultimately finding home in the wilderness. Fantastic!”
–Paul McSorley, 2019 Banff Mountain Book Competition Jury

“The blend of rugged adventure, woven science and well-crafted memoir captivates readers, leaving them sad to have turned the last page of The Sun Is a Compass—and perhaps contemplating a new adventure of their own.”
–Cassidy Randall, Forbes

Caroline Van Hemert is a biologist and adventurer whose journeys have taken her from the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean to the swamps of the Okavango Delta. She currently works at the US Geological Survey Alaska Science Center and regularly publishes articles in scientific journals about birds and other wildlife in the north. Her research and expeditions have been featured by the New York Times, MSNBC, National Geographic, and more. She lives in Alaska with her husband and two young sons.