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Jill Homer
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Be Brave, Be Strong: A Journey Across the Great Divide Kindle Edition

by Jill Homer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 714 ratings
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Jill is a newspaper editor from small-town Alaska who harbors an outlandish ambition: to compete in the "world's toughest mountain bike race," a 2,740-mile journey from Canada to Mexico along the rugged spine of the Rocky Mountains.

Her timid nature and chronic lack of self-confidence defy her desire to face the world as an endurance athlete. As she launches preparations that will take her from the frozen Alaska wilderness to the parched Utah desert, Jill's fears become her fuel. She is fierce when she wants to flee, but every monster she faces only brings more setbacks. A mishap during a winter race in Alaska leaves her with serious frostbite. Her career also teeters on thin ice. Her long-term relationship starts to crumble. Does racing a mountain bike down the spine of the continent even matter anymore? Still, Jill senses that this journey carries deeper meaning — even at the likely expense of spectacular failure. As she explains to a skeptical friend, "The fact that something’s impossible has never been a good reason not to try."

"Be Brave, Be Strong" is the true story of an adventure driven relentlessly forward as foundations crumble. This is an honest account of one woman's incredible journey and simple discovery: To take on the world's toughest mountain bike race, one doesn't have to be the world's toughest woman. Not even close.
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  1. Print length
    344 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    5 May 2011
  4. File size
    1221 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
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  8. See all details
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Product description

About the Author

Jill Homer grew up in Sandy, Utah, and graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in journalism in 2000. She began her career working for weekly and daily newspapers in Utah and Idaho. In 2005, she moved to Homer, Alaska, to pursue adventure in the Last Frontier. She never viewed herself as an athlete, but she was searching for a unique kind of outlet that provided both physical and psychological challenges. Endurance cycling fit that description. Two years of (mainly mis)adventures landed her in one of the most difficult endurance races in North America, a 350-mile winter traverse of Alaska wilderness called the Iditarod Trail Invitational. The unforgettable experience was the genesis of her first book, Ghost Trails: Journeys Through a Lifetime. Her second book, Be Brave, Be Strong: A Journey Across the Great Divide is a continuation of her ongoing adventures. She currently works as a freelance writer and editor in Los Altos, California.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004ZMSCQ8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arctic Glass Press (5 May 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1221 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1257658581
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 714 ratings

About the author

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Jill Homer

Jill Homer

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Jill Homer is an outdoor adventure enthusiast, freelance writer and designer living in Boulder, Colorado.

She was a community news journalist — pale-faced and risk-adverse, with a body better suited to shelving library books than scaling mountains — when her then-boyfriend convinced her to move to Homer, Alaska, in 2005. There she discovered the unique and obscure sport of snow biking, which launched her into a whirlwind lifestyle of endurance racing, travel, and adventure sports.

Her athletic accomplishments include a women's bicycle record for the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail in Alaska, a former women's record for the 2,740-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and nearly fifty ultramarathon finishes. Deep down, she's still the awkward, timid girl she was while growing up in the suburbs of Sandy, Utah.

She has authored three memoirs, a compilation of personal essays, and co-authored a biography about a man who has walked across Alaska eight (now nine) times.

Follow Jill Homer's adventures on her blog, jilloutside.com.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
714 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story engaging and interesting. They describe the book as a fantastic read with great writing style that is easy to picture and feel the author's emotions. The descriptions of the terrain and scenery are appreciated.

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StorytellingReadabilityWriting styleAuthenticity
15 customers mention ‘Storytelling’15 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging narrative and vivid descriptions of the adventure. They find the book interesting and well-written, with an interesting female perspective on the great divide. The enthusiasm and passion with which the story is told are infectious.

"Well written and genuinely engaging narrative non fiction account of Jill Homer's cycle ride on the Great Divide, starting in Canada and finishing..." Read more

"...Jill is amazingly driven and as the title of the book alludes to – very brave and strong – both braver and stronger than me...." Read more

"...Fantastic read and a real insight into doing this awesome race/ ride. Keep doing what you do jill." Read more

"I enjoyed this book which was well written and kept your interest...." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Readability’9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and inspiring. They say it's another great Jill Homer book and they enjoy reading it.

"...a 'day job' and is a cyclist in her leisure time, which makes for a great book about riding the Continental Divide on a mountain bike...." Read more

"...Fantastic read and a real insight into doing this awesome race/ ride. Keep doing what you do jill." Read more

"...Well done, Jill!" Read more

"...Definitely a great read. Then read how much fun the ride could have been by reading John Metcalf's Dividing The Great." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Writing style’9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing style. They find it refreshing and easy to read, with vivid descriptions of the terrain and scenery that make it easy to picture and feel the emotions Jill experiences. The book is described as well-written, allowing readers to quickly read through it.

"Well written and genuinely engaging narrative non fiction account of Jill Homer's cycle ride on the Great Divide, starting in Canada and finishing..." Read more

"A good well written book detailing the struggles that Jill went through as she cycles the length (and more) of the Great Divide as well as her..." Read more

"...the deserts of the SW once, I appreciated the brilliant descriptions of the terrain and scenery, conveyed with sincere feeling...." Read more

"I enjoyed this book which was well written and kept your interest...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Authenticity’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's honest and raw account of her journey along the Great Divide. They find it inspiring and realistic.

"...She provides a raw and real account of her journey along the Great Divide detailing all her emotions, pains and injuries throughout in a way that..." Read more

"A very honest and emotional story of suffering and personal growth. If you are a cyclist dreaming of a similar trip this is a must read." Read more

"Fantastic, inspiring and realistic. Thought it was going to develope into a love story at one point...!!! But thoroughly enjoyed the book." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Duncan Light
    5.0 out of 5 stars An American Classic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Well written and genuinely engaging narrative non fiction account of Jill Homer's cycle ride on the Great Divide, starting in Canada and finishing at the border with Mexico 2700 miles later.
    Best read after Jill's first book (Ghost Trails) which ends one year before this book starts this is a highly personalised account of an epic mountain bike journey through North America, detailing all the highs and lows of endurance cycling.
    John Metcalfe has written a excellent book on the same subject (although Jill Homer is taking part in a race) but his is written from an English point of view whereas Jill is a native American. She provides a raw and real account of her journey along the Great Divide detailing all her emotions, pains and injuries throughout in a way that would be unusual for a British writer.
    This book is better edited than her first (albeit she still calls her speedometer an odometer and seems to think a stallion is a female horse) and better written, and I read through the book quickly.
    For anybody interested in non fiction adventure this is pretty much essential and the cost of a kindle purchase is only slightly more than that of a quality newspaper. Highly recommended.
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  • David Bew
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very Brave and Very Strong
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 July 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A good well written book detailing the struggles that Jill went through as she cycles the length (and more) of the Great Divide as well as her relationship break up. You really do feel her pain and her struggles that she endures during the race. Jill is amazingly driven and as the title of the book alludes to – very brave and strong – both braver and stronger than me. My only criticism is that as she suffers she makes sure you know that she suffers - it was her choice to do the race in the first place. The book could’ve been a little more descriptive of the landscape and mountains but that’s a small grumble.
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  • L. Clark
    5.0 out of 5 stars Genuinely good writing about a genuine adventure experience
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 May 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Unfortunately many adventure books suffer from either not being particularly brilliantly written or not having a particularly strong story to tell. This book however has both which puts it in a class with precious few other first-person adventure books. Just because somebody can do amazing things doesn't mean they can necessarily write about them but Jill is a writer as a 'day job' and is a cyclist in her leisure time, which makes for a great book about riding the Continental Divide on a mountain bike.
    If you are looking to adventure vicariously through a book then this is a great choice.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Tatakai Tony
    5.0 out of 5 stars stuff of dreams
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 February 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I love jill she is so much like me but on a braver and grander scale, does things that 99.9% can only dream about whilst always understating how good she is, letting us think she us just that geeky girl next door door when in fact she is an athlete, she just doesn't believe it. Fantastic read and a real insight into doing this awesome race/ ride. Keep doing what you do jill.
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  • Alan House
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent description of mammoth journey and scenery
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 October 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is a down-to-earth account of an amazing cycling adventure; I found myself willing Jill on all the way and couldn't put the book down for long. Although I've only visited the deserts of the SW once, I appreciated the brilliant descriptions of the terrain and scenery, conveyed with sincere feeling. It takes guts to write so openly about your doubts and feeling. We're keen cyclists ourselves but have only toured for about 200 miles on roads and cycle paths, I can appreciate some of the challenges but how you made it up mountains and hills in succession is beyond belief!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Cocodemer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty girl
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book which was well written and kept your interest. Not my idea of fun but I do hand it to these people who go out alone into the wilderness! Well done, Jill!
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  • Kimber
    5.0 out of 5 stars Much much more than a great epic about a journey
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Could not put it down. Two great stories in parallel, both of which could have been a book in their own right. Adversity in adventure overcome by shear guts and determination the likes of which one rarely imagines happens in real life. Definitely a great read. Then read how much fun the ride could have been by reading John Metcalf's Dividing The Great.
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  • Rachel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 February 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A great account, well written and inspiring. Refreshing to read
    A book in the knowledge that the author is a genuine sports person without the boring frills of celebrity and is still in awe of those celebrated endurance athletes , that pursuant to her various endeavors, ultimately have become her peers
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Betcher108
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond endurance
    Reviewed in Canada on 1 August 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Great riding adventure.
    Jill takes us inside life as an endurance cyclist and captivates the reader. I didnt want the book to end
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  • Adaugean F.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, definetely inspiring!!
    Reviewed in Brazil on 13 February 2018
    Verified Purchase
    For all those whom plan on making the Great Divide or have personal divide line to cross. Now go now
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
    Reviewed in Australia on 21 August 2018
    Verified Purchase
    An epic, inspirational and extremely well written adventure down the Tour Divide. This book had me hooked from the start.
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  • Stephan Wiesner
    4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, interesting, too long
    Reviewed in Germany on 4 October 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The book is fun to read, the descriptions are vivid and inspiring.
    Gets a little long, though. There are just too many days on the bike that are more or lesse the same
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  • Reporting Consumer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great.
    Reviewed in Canada on 19 November 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A great tale and required reading to learn about the route and where it takes you physically and mentally (not spatially). Would have been 5 stars if the boyfriend breakup up would have received the weight it deserved (a semicolon).
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