Starred Review; Named a 2024 MUST-READ & BEST READ: Independent Book Review
"Riveting...The overall quality of the writing in this book is exceptional… a beautiful, wrenching story about the trials that we endure and the rewards we reap.”

Georgia Author of the Year
Georgia Writers Conference
“It has everything a reader would want from a well-told story: a propulsive narrative; vivid characterizations of Zieman’s family and fellow climbers; rich, poetic language and a sympathetic narrator whose honesty is never in doubt.”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Zieman has produced a book that manages to be several things at once: It’s a ripping yarn, a coming-of-age story, a vivid travelogue, a medical memoir, a heartfelt paean to the great outdoors and a feminist exploration of identity — heady themes worthy of the high-altitude backdrop. Zieman’s writing is as sure-footed as her crampons, and mountains make for handy metaphors."

Lilith Magazine Review:
"Masterfully employs sensory details to describe the world around her...in lyrical and sometimes poetic writing...Reading her story emboldened me to defy my own self-imposed limitations, to step beyond my own walls."

Hippocampus Magazine Interview
"A riveting, profoundly wise coming-of-age memoir written in stunning, breathtaking detail that kept me up well past my bedtime."

Hadassah Magazine Review
"The author’s candid and descriptive language grips the reader. Dr. Zieman lays bare her private thoughts and spiritual musings, sharing experiences that frequently shift between danger and excitement and between profound natural beauty and incredible physical discomforts...fascinating.""

Hippocampus Magazine Review "I suspect you’ll be spellbound by Zieman’s breathtaking, poetry-like prose too...come as you are, with a reverence for story and an unquenchable curiosity, and leave with a deeper understanding of what it means to be human: “fragmented and whole” and electrically alive for as long as the mountain will hold you."

Alpinist Magazine
"Lyrical and compassionate, vulnerable and gritty, Zieman brings us to a realm where alpine light still illuminates hidden chasms of the spirit— and where what matters most is “the intimacy of physically caring for one another.”

Rocky Mountian Reader Review
"In many ways, Zieman’s book is an important feminist manifesto inspiring all women to forge their way up whatever mountain stands before them. Beyond liberation, Zieman dances across other big topics. Religion. Love."

Girl HQ, interview

The New Physician Magazine

Canvas Rebel, interview

Recommended Summer 2024 Read, UCSF Magazine

Recommended Summer 2024 Read, Moment Magazine

Midwest Book Reviews
"Enlightening and vivid...a thoroughly engrossing adventure that will prove hard to put down."

Kirkus
"A lively, gritty memoir (that) conveys both the tension and triumph of a wild adventure."

American Writing Awards
"Breathtaking...a symphony of courage, vulnerability, and the irresistible call of the mountains, making it a must-read for those who appreciate adventurous tales that defy the norm."

Readers Favorite, 5/5 stars
" A thrilling account of incredible adventure and an inspiring story of self-discovery."

Manhattan Book Review, 5/5 stars
"Will elicit different emotions from you; it’s touching, thought-provoking, and makes you ponder about humanity. 

When Women Inspire