Living Without Walls

With humor and insight, Julie O’Neill chronicles her family’s journey on the John Muir trail in the High Sierras as she battles her inner fears reliving a backpacking adventure turned disaster that almost took her life 16 years earlier. Along the way, she sets a powerful case for children and adults to unplug in nature, in order to reconnect in everyday life, and in Julie’s case, find healing. Living Without Walls convincingly shows that the more high-tech we get, the more we need to take the time to introduce our children—and reintroduce ourselves—to nature and to our very own humanity. Part memoir, part manifesto, Living Without Walls is a testament to the power of nature to tend to the whole person as portrayed in this blazingly honest, entertaining, and savvy account. From Julie’s near-death experience in 1996 that nearly stopped her from setting foot in the wilderness again to the heartwarming moments that come from uninterrupted time as a family on the trail, Living Without Walls will captivate and inspire, as you join the O’Neills in their summer cruising at 2 ½ miles per hour.