Helen Hoover and her husband Adrian left the hustle and bustle of 1960s Chicago behind to move to the woods of Northern Minnesota. Immersed in nature with all its beauty and harsh realities, Helen wrote a series of books. A Place in the Woods narrates the beginning of their story.

This book, first published in 1969, connects on two levels. First, Helen’s clear-eyed description of the wilderness is rich. She was attentive to the tiniest details. It’s not enough to say that she encountered a mouse in the cabin or a weasel in the woods—these animals had unique personalities. The boreal forest comes alive under her pen.

Second, for readers living in the always-connected twenty-first century, the thought of leaving most technology and connection behind to be present in the wild is almost incomprehensible—yet desperately compelling.

Helen’s prose paired with Adrian’s illustrations makes northern Minnesota of the 1960s come to life, even if we can’t live there today.

Hoover, Helen. A Place in the Woods. 1969. U of Minnesota Press, 1999.