North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both - Hardcover

9780062289865: North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 

Sex, drugs, and . . . bug stew? In the vein of The Glass Castle and Wild, Cea Sunrise Person’s compelling memoir of a childhood spent with her dysfunctional counter-culture family in the Canadian wilderness—a searing story of physical, emotional, and psychological survival.

In the late 1960s, riding the crest of the counterculture movement, Cea’s family left a comfortable existence in California to live off the land in the Canadian wilderness. But unlike most commune dwellers of the time, the Persons weren’t trying to build a new society—they wanted to escape civilization altogether. Led by Cea’s grandfather Dick, they lived a pot-smoking, free-loving, clothing-optional life under a canvas tipi without running water, electricity, or heat for the bitter winters.

Living out her grandparents’ dream with her teenage mother Michelle, young Cea knew little of the world beyond her forest. She spent her summers playing nude in the meadow and her winters snowshoeing behind the grandfather she idolized. Despite fierce storms, food shortages, and the occasional drug-and-sex-infused party for visitors, it seemed to be a mostly happy existence. For Michelle, however, now long separated from Cea’s father, there was one crucial element missing: a man. When Cea was five, Michelle took her on the road with a new boyfriend. As the trio set upon a series of ill-fated adventures, Cea began to question both her highly unusual world and the hedonistic woman at the centre of it—questions that eventually evolved into an all-consuming search for a more normal life. Finally, in her early teens, Cea realized she would have to make a choice as drastic as the one her grandparents once had in order to save herself.

While a successful international modeling career offered her a way out of the wilderness, Cea discovered that this new world was in its own way daunting and full of challenges. Containing twenty-four intimate black-and-white family photos, North of Normal is Cea’s funny, shocking, heartbreaking, and triumphant tale of self-discovery and acceptance, adversity, and strength that will leave no reader unmoved.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Back Cover:

In the late 1960s, Cea Sunrise Person's subversive family fled to the Canadian wilderness to grow pot, embrace free love, and live off the land. A riveting memoir of growing up off the grid amid multiple generations of dysfunction, North of Normal chronicles one woman's journey to reclaim her life on her own terms.

Determined to abandon civilization for a hand-to-mouth existence in the wild, Cea Sunrise Person's charismatic grandfather Papa Dick uproots the Person clan from suburban California to the forests of Canada when she is just a baby. Together with her teenage mother, Michelle—her father long gone—Cea will spend the next decade of her life living in and out of canvas tipis with neither electricity nor running water, at the mercy of fierce storms, food shortages, and an array of grown-ups more interested in having a groovy time than in parenting a child.

As a young girl who knows no other world, Cea is happy enough playing in the meadows and snowshoeing behind the grandfather she idolizes. But for Michelle, one crucial element is missing: a man. When Michelle strikes out to look for love, spinning from one boyfriend to the next, Cea is forced along for the ride—and into a harsh awakening. Consumed by a desire for a more normal life, she begins to question both her highly unusual world and the hedonistic woman at its center. But the escape she finds, a career as an internationally successful model, brings its own challenges.

Shocking, heartbreaking, yet often funny, and infused with warmth toward her damaged family, North of Normal is Person's singular story of her desire to live life on her own terms—no matter what it takes. Her journey of self-discovery and acceptance, which comes full circle after she has children of her own, is profoundly moving. Eloquently navigating the minefields of regret, longing, and family, North of Normal celebrates the strength we all carry within us to shape our own destiny.

About the Author:

CEA SUNRISE PERSON is the author of the bestselling book North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Counterculture Family, and How I Survived Both. She has spoken publicly about her unusual life at numerous events, including TEDx, and also teaches memoir writing. She lives in Vancouver with her husband and three children.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherHarper
  • Publication date2014
  • ISBN 10 0062289861
  • ISBN 13 9780062289865
  • BindingHardcover
  • Number of pages352
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780062289872: North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780062289872
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 2015
Softcover

  • 9781443424394: North Of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Counterculture Family, and How I Survived Both

    Harper..., 2015
    Softcover

  • 9781443424370: North Of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Counterculture Family, and How I Survived Both

    Harper..., 2014
    Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by Harper (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0062289861

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 23.64
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by Harper (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Wizard Books
(Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0062289861

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 24.65
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.50
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by HarperCollins (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
LibraryMercantile
(Humble, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # newMercantile_0062289861

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 25.61
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by Harper, New York, N.Y., USA (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover First Edition Quantity: 1
Seller:
rarefirsts
(Charlotte Hall, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. First Edition stated, with correct number line sequence, no writing, marks, underlining, or bookplates. No remainder marks. Spine is tight and crisp. Boards are flat and true and the corners are square. Dust jacket is not price-clipped. This collectible, " NEW" condition first edition/first printing copy is protected with a polyester archival dust jacket cover. Beautiful collectible copy. GIFT QUALITY Size: 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Book. Seller Inventory # 002948

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 24.95
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 6.95
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by Harper (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0062289861

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 30.35
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by Harper (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Front Cover Books
(Denver, CO, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0062289861

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 30.30
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.30
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by Harper (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Books Unplugged
(Amherst, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk0062289861xvz189zvxnew

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 42.85
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by Harper (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Book Deals
(Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0062289861-new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 48.86
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by Harper (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Hafa Adai Books
(Moncks Corner, SC, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # Hafa_fresh_0062289861

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 46.21
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.95
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Person, Cea Sunrise
Published by Harper (2014)
ISBN 10: 0062289861 ISBN 13: 9780062289865
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Pieuler Store
(Suffolk, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: new. Book is in NEW condition. Satisfaction Guaranteed! Fast Customer Service!!. Seller Inventory # PSN0062289861

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 88.90
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 31.53
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds