The River in My Backyard

by Mikkel Aaland

OF ALL THE HAUNTING MEMOIRS THAT I HAVE READ, Mikkel Aaland's The River in My Backyard, is at once the most heart-rending and the most courageously triumphant. Aaland explores two rivers, the literal one that runs past his ancestral home in Norway, and the metaphorical one that runs in the blood of his ancestors, himself, and now his two daughters. By the time the two rivers flow into one another, through crystalline prose and shadow fretted photographs, his story has become a healing journey of epic proportions. -- Phil Cousineau, author of The Art of Pilgrimage

The River in My Backyard is more than an exploration into the world of patricide, madness and ghost genes. Ending with a dramatic pilgrimage to holy Mt. Kailash, and atonement for a brother's sins, it provides an inspiring roadmap to inner peace and healing. The book is beautifully illustrated with both the author's photographs and vintage family reproductions.

256 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2016

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished reading “The River in My Backyard” by Mikkel Aaland and highly recommend it. He is a local from Livermore and it is a book that will touch your heart taking you from here in the Bay Area to Norway and back. The author explores two rivers, the one that runs beyond his family's home in Norway and the spiritual one that runs in the blood of his ancestry and posterity. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down. Mikkel is a well known photographer and the beautiful photos sprinkled throughout the book (both his original ones and vintage family ones) are amazing.

[Pallavi Deshpande · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book introduces us to life and family tree of the author which is based in San Francisco, Livermore, Norway and towards the end in Tibet. Tibetan journey is spiritual and the narration is excellent.
While I did not find the book telling an exceptional or a gripping story, I quite liked it because it was real and the readers can easily relate to it. Because of my current location I could relate to the parts which were based against the Backdrop of San Francisco and Livermore. And description of beauty and the life in Norway makes me want to visit that place.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring memoir of a man struggling to come to terms with family issues. Includes stunning photos.