Alaska is beautifully described in this book. It is as dangerous as it is beautiful, and it’s a hard slog to live there. ‘How could a place be as alive as Alaska, as beautiful and cruel?’ (p.299) Do you think Leni was resigned to these changes at this point? What did you think about her character at the start of the story? In Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature.

When they arrive, they are all bewitched by the immense beauty of Alaska in summer—the vivid colors, the sounds of animals they had never seen in person before, the feel of living off the land. Yet they know that winter is not that far away, and they've heard that many people don't even survive one winter in Alaska. With limited money and supplies, they prepare as best they can, but they are buoyed by the generosity of the community they've moved into, despite Ernt's resentment that others are providing for his family. This novel shows a place on the brink of change. Tom Walker believes that progress and more development is key, whereas people like Ernt doesn’t want anything to change. Why do you think people are so resistant to change? Do you believe this also applies to certain communities today? It's 1974 and the world is bursting with music, movies and glamour...and Leni finds herself isolated and alone. Trapped with an increasingly violent father and surrounded by an unforgivingly harsh land.In 1974, when thirteen-year-old Leni Allbright's volatile, unpredictable father, Ernt, a former POW, loses another job, he makes an impulsive, desperate decision: he will move the family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the land in a spectacular wilderness. Ode, Kim (February 9, 2018). "Review: 'The Great Alone,' by Kristin Hannah". Star Tribune . Retrieved March 21, 2021.

Leni was spellbound. She still couldn’t believe that an army could march in and take a teenager from her apartment. How could anyone be safe any- where in a world like that? And how did a rich teenager become a revolutionary named Tania? He promises he’ll do better, that he’ll cut down on drinking. Leni has seen this all before but she won’t put up a fuss about moving again. She’ll do as she’s asked.If you experienced the seventies, what was it like to read about those years? Did it match up with your memories of it, or color the story for you? Did the popular culture references remind you of your own life? And if you didn’t experience the seventies, what did you learn about the era from the novel? Leni sat down beside him. He put an arm around her, pulled her in close. “The world is being run by lunatics. It’s not my America anymore. I want…” He didn’t finish, and Leni didn’t say anything. She was used to her dad’s sadness, his frustration. He stopped sentences halfway through all the time, as if he were afraid of giving voice to scary or depressing thoughts. Leni knew about that reticence and understood it; lots of times it was better to stay silent. I think I could write “I LOVE THIS BOOK! I LOVE THIS BOOK! I LOVE THIS BOOK!” at least million times! This is not only my last year’s favorite book but this is also one of my all-time favorite books.