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Eventually a Sequoia: Stories of Art, Adventure & the Wisdom of Giants
". . .a soulful, visually stunning journey through art, adventure, and the quiet power of growth." -- Rue Mapp ― Founder and CEO, Outdoor Afro
A graphic memoir that brings together adventure, community, conservation, and personal growth from an award-winning artist and storyteller
Based on Jeremy Collins’ extensive, art-filled travel journals, Eventually a Sequoia is part memoir, part manifesto. Collins, already highly regarded as an artist and climber, was invited to bring his sketchbook on a new kind of adventure: documenting the experiences of those who live along the endangered Amazon River. From there, his art and his curiosity took him to other endangered corners of the world, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the mountains of Nepal, Bears Ears National Monument, and the soaring redwoods of California.
Collins’s art-based storytelling captures these experiences in visceral form, from the wonder of passing caribou to the terror of a venomous snakebite. Through it all, he profiles the "sequoias" he meets--people whose small seeds produce enormous results, like explorer and film director Céline Cousteau, community organizer and educator Prem Kunwar, Ancient Forest Society founder Wendy Baxter, and more.
Eventually a Sequoia is an inspirational and vivid exploration of the natural world and how it can empower an individual to grow, change, heal, and thrive.
A graphic memoir that brings together adventure, community, conservation, and personal growth from an award-winning artist and storyteller
Based on Jeremy Collins’ extensive, art-filled travel journals, Eventually a Sequoia is part memoir, part manifesto. Collins, already highly regarded as an artist and climber, was invited to bring his sketchbook on a new kind of adventure: documenting the experiences of those who live along the endangered Amazon River. From there, his art and his curiosity took him to other endangered corners of the world, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the mountains of Nepal, Bears Ears National Monument, and the soaring redwoods of California.
Collins’s art-based storytelling captures these experiences in visceral form, from the wonder of passing caribou to the terror of a venomous snakebite. Through it all, he profiles the "sequoias" he meets--people whose small seeds produce enormous results, like explorer and film director Céline Cousteau, community organizer and educator Prem Kunwar, Ancient Forest Society founder Wendy Baxter, and more.
Eventually a Sequoia is an inspirational and vivid exploration of the natural world and how it can empower an individual to grow, change, heal, and thrive.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published August 23, 2025
7 people are currently reading
2562 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Collins
16 books26 followersJeremy Collins is a multifaceted artist, climber, and adventurer whose work intertwines the grit of the wild with a mastery of visual storytelling. Known for his breathtaking illustrations and striking narratives, Collins captures the raw beauty and intensity of the natural world through his art and prose. As a climber, his daring ascents in some of the world's most remote and challenging locations have shaped both his work and worldview, fostering a deep connection between him and the rugged landscapes he immerses into. Collins' work invites us to understand the challenges and struggle of wilderness and ourselves, sparking a deeper appreciation for both the environment and the human spirit's capacity to endure.
His complex, cerebral, and whimsical drawings and maps have been featured in books, films, and commercial work. From the cover of National Geographic to his award winning book Drawn: The Art of Ascent, and Earth Almanac, Jeremy is a bottomless well of inspired expression.
His complex, cerebral, and whimsical drawings and maps have been featured in books, films, and commercial work. From the cover of National Geographic to his award winning book Drawn: The Art of Ascent, and Earth Almanac, Jeremy is a bottomless well of inspired expression.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 24, 2026
I don’t usually go for non-fiction books, but I greatly enjoyed reading this. The drawings and pictures were stunning, and the book left me with a feeling of hope despite the many environmental and justice challenges the world is facing.
January 13, 2026
Collins' adventures are retold with a grounded yet overwhelming sense of wonder and gratitude for the Earth and all of her people. The illustrations and writing are consistently one upping each other in terms of beauty, leaving the reader daydreaming of the bountiful possibilities of life on this planet. I don't think I've ever read a book that's inspired me more than this one did - it is wonderful, thought provoking, and so well composed. I will definitely be rereading at a later date to unlock more magic.
January 30, 2026
Awkwardly-presented environmental thoughts and designs from someone who grew up illustrating the mountain climbing world, but spread to ecology as his connections to different environments (and employers) grew. The first chapter is a look at the remoter Amazonian regions of Brazil, and even he has to admit there is a problematic side to any white saviours coming with their ideas of the future of the people they previously decimated through disease and deforestation.
More justifiable is a mission regarding disaster relief to remote Nepali villages, before a wonderful third section, where the Alaskan wilderness proves once again bizarrely close to my heart, considering my British background. But it's hard to compare that with the section following, which starts with the intent to highlight Indigenous land rights and then gets self-indulgent as regards mountain climbing and who is more outdoorsy. A final section regards the trees of the title, as he joins in a project taking samples from them, before a welcome manifesto closes things out.
I say this is "awkwardly presented" almost for want of a better phrase. This is higgledy-piggledy and then some. The bulk of the writing is in a typewriter font, and very legible, with quotes in a handwriting that chooses to have four styles, often within the same word. Those rules are broken. I soon gave up on the handwriting for what are probably the field notes clutched from the first-hand experience and left on the pages of sketchbooks.
And throughout there is evidence that the man can draw, from the mountains of Nepal to the faces of the Indigenous Amazonians. But even then things are awkward – photos have needless scrawl over them, sketches come with random paint blobs, and many a corner has the random ink spillage of the clumsiest, most awkward creative. It's all quite needless, and doesn't help the clarity of his landscapes, tree portraits or photos. If it's to suggest the messiness of the real world as compared to our pristine notebooks and laptops, it's not really wanted.
To repeat, I certainly found favour with the end demands – if we can make something, making it and making it important should be our priorities, over and above making it well. But, I argue again, don't mistake that for making it ugly for no reason. All told this was a readable experience (except for, as I say, when it literally wasn't) – I just wish it hadn't been so needlessly scruffy. Three and a half stars.
More justifiable is a mission regarding disaster relief to remote Nepali villages, before a wonderful third section, where the Alaskan wilderness proves once again bizarrely close to my heart, considering my British background. But it's hard to compare that with the section following, which starts with the intent to highlight Indigenous land rights and then gets self-indulgent as regards mountain climbing and who is more outdoorsy. A final section regards the trees of the title, as he joins in a project taking samples from them, before a welcome manifesto closes things out.
I say this is "awkwardly presented" almost for want of a better phrase. This is higgledy-piggledy and then some. The bulk of the writing is in a typewriter font, and very legible, with quotes in a handwriting that chooses to have four styles, often within the same word. Those rules are broken. I soon gave up on the handwriting for what are probably the field notes clutched from the first-hand experience and left on the pages of sketchbooks.
And throughout there is evidence that the man can draw, from the mountains of Nepal to the faces of the Indigenous Amazonians. But even then things are awkward – photos have needless scrawl over them, sketches come with random paint blobs, and many a corner has the random ink spillage of the clumsiest, most awkward creative. It's all quite needless, and doesn't help the clarity of his landscapes, tree portraits or photos. If it's to suggest the messiness of the real world as compared to our pristine notebooks and laptops, it's not really wanted.
To repeat, I certainly found favour with the end demands – if we can make something, making it and making it important should be our priorities, over and above making it well. But, I argue again, don't mistake that for making it ugly for no reason. All told this was a readable experience (except for, as I say, when it literally wasn't) – I just wish it hadn't been so needlessly scruffy. Three and a half stars.
December 31, 2025
4.5 stars
I stumbled upon this ARC categorised under Graphic Novels on Netgalley. Thanks to the publisher for the copy!
Turns out, this book is not a graphic novel. It is a blend of illustrations and creative-visual rendering of Collins’ adventures from around the world. I am thankful that I came across it as I am not usually the sort of person who reaches for travelogues. This book is more than just that though—Collins work will leave you with a lingering urge to do something or as he proposes towards the end, to create with an intent, to serve.
There are some beautiful sentences written in prose in this book, inevitably imbued with striking imagery given Collins’ background.
“As we settled into our sleeping bags, the stars splintered across the sky above us in a maze of blue-and-amber-colored pinholes. To give the cosmos a chance to truly perform their greatest concerts, we must visit them in their proudest auditorium—the desert.”
I would recommend this book for the people in your life, who are always on the lookout for the next big adventure, to escape into the wild, away from the chaos of the world—whether that be figuratively speaking or quite literally.
I stumbled upon this ARC categorised under Graphic Novels on Netgalley. Thanks to the publisher for the copy!
Turns out, this book is not a graphic novel. It is a blend of illustrations and creative-visual rendering of Collins’ adventures from around the world. I am thankful that I came across it as I am not usually the sort of person who reaches for travelogues. This book is more than just that though—Collins work will leave you with a lingering urge to do something or as he proposes towards the end, to create with an intent, to serve.
There are some beautiful sentences written in prose in this book, inevitably imbued with striking imagery given Collins’ background.
“As we settled into our sleeping bags, the stars splintered across the sky above us in a maze of blue-and-amber-colored pinholes. To give the cosmos a chance to truly perform their greatest concerts, we must visit them in their proudest auditorium—the desert.”
I would recommend this book for the people in your life, who are always on the lookout for the next big adventure, to escape into the wild, away from the chaos of the world—whether that be figuratively speaking or quite literally.
January 25, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Jeremy draws such beautiful dedications to the adventures he has been on, to learn about people, places, and nature, to explore, or to serve others on missions he is equally passionate about. Preserving nature and adventure are also close to my heart, as hiking, backpacking, and camping have been hobbies that break me out of episodes of burn out, help me connect with the bigger picture, and craft new memories with the people I care about the most. This book sparked memories of trips from the past and no doubt inspired future adventures (I think I need to see the Sequoias before I die).
Eventually a Sequoia is a well-written and beautifully illustrated book that would, without a doubt, capture the heart of any nature enthusiast. If you’re the type that likes to get outside and explore, this one is for you.
Some chapters captured my interest more than others, which slowed down the reading process – but the epilogue was particularly beautiful and inspiring. I can imagine, though, that the physical copy of this book is particularly stunning!
3.5/5 (rounded up to 4)
Jeremy draws such beautiful dedications to the adventures he has been on, to learn about people, places, and nature, to explore, or to serve others on missions he is equally passionate about. Preserving nature and adventure are also close to my heart, as hiking, backpacking, and camping have been hobbies that break me out of episodes of burn out, help me connect with the bigger picture, and craft new memories with the people I care about the most. This book sparked memories of trips from the past and no doubt inspired future adventures (I think I need to see the Sequoias before I die).
Eventually a Sequoia is a well-written and beautifully illustrated book that would, without a doubt, capture the heart of any nature enthusiast. If you’re the type that likes to get outside and explore, this one is for you.
Some chapters captured my interest more than others, which slowed down the reading process – but the epilogue was particularly beautiful and inspiring. I can imagine, though, that the physical copy of this book is particularly stunning!
3.5/5 (rounded up to 4)
September 29, 2025
I came across this ARC of Eventually a Sequoia without knowing about Jeremy Collins or anything about the book beyond the cover and description, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to checking out more by him. While categorized as a graphic novel, it's closest descriptor, this book is that and more. The book follows five different adventures in Collins' life in which he was an observer or participant to the overlap between the natural and the human world: the Amazon, Nepal, and more. The text is typed in blocks or hand-written. The visuals are a mixture of sketches, drawings, photography, and more. The reader learns about the five settings and context to broader humanity, but also connects to the author and ourselves. While a shorter read on text, the broader lessons are empowering, and the book is beautiful from start to finish. I'm sure the physical copy of the book will be even more beautiful, and I look forward to re-reading it in that format when it is published! Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC!
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November 8, 2025This book caught my attention because of its title. "Eventually a Sequoia," a title just as beautiful as the illustrations that fill the book.
I truly enjoyed reading about Jeremy Collins many adventures he takes us on throughout this book. My favourite was the first about his time spent in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. He is an incredible artist and writer.
If I were to critique anything, it would be the marketing of this book. I personally would categorize it as a novel. It is full of long-form text, handwritten or typed on a typewriter, with illustrations outlining or taking up parts of pages. The illustrations were not telling the story; the text was. This is just my opinion, but I personally think it could be marketed as a novel as a graphic novel may give a different expectation.
Still, I would highly recommend it to any adventurer or traveler, particularly those fascinated by nature like Collins.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mountaineers Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I truly enjoyed reading about Jeremy Collins many adventures he takes us on throughout this book. My favourite was the first about his time spent in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. He is an incredible artist and writer.
If I were to critique anything, it would be the marketing of this book. I personally would categorize it as a novel. It is full of long-form text, handwritten or typed on a typewriter, with illustrations outlining or taking up parts of pages. The illustrations were not telling the story; the text was. This is just my opinion, but I personally think it could be marketed as a novel as a graphic novel may give a different expectation.
Still, I would highly recommend it to any adventurer or traveler, particularly those fascinated by nature like Collins.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mountaineers Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
September 22, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for my Advanced Readers Copy of this book.
To begin with, this book is beautiful. The art, the writing, the photography, all of it. The stories are so well written you can almost feel like you are there with the author in his memories. With the variety of media added to the stories, including sketches, photos, copies of notes, and more, it is a beautiful book.
But is it a graphic novel. To me this is a novel with graphics. I know, I know, how are those two things different. To me a graphic novel has text that enhances the images. This book is text heavy and most of the details are in the text, with the accompanying graphics enhancing the narrative. 3 stars.
To begin with, this book is beautiful. The art, the writing, the photography, all of it. The stories are so well written you can almost feel like you are there with the author in his memories. With the variety of media added to the stories, including sketches, photos, copies of notes, and more, it is a beautiful book.
But is it a graphic novel. To me this is a novel with graphics. I know, I know, how are those two things different. To me a graphic novel has text that enhances the images. This book is text heavy and most of the details are in the text, with the accompanying graphics enhancing the narrative. 3 stars.
April 25, 2026
Eventually a Sequoia: Stories of Art, Adventure & the Wisdom of Giants is part graphic, novel part oral history/memoir, part literary travel experiment. What a gorgeous book! Love the art by Jeremy Collins, and the essays are interesting. It would be a great gift for a traveler or an artist or someone into environmental issues.
[TBRathon TBR Explorer: Plot: Go on a Journey— Read a journey or travel story.]
[Goober May Prompt: Neenish tart - Genre blend.]
[TBR Takedown Reading Challenge Prompt 4: Select a book that includes a map.]
[2026 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge July Prompt: Has a map in the book.]
[TBRathon TBR Explorer: Plot: Go on a Journey— Read a journey or travel story.]
[Goober May Prompt: Neenish tart - Genre blend.]
[TBR Takedown Reading Challenge Prompt 4: Select a book that includes a map.]
[2026 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge July Prompt: Has a map in the book.]
September 27, 2025
Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this book in advanced and here is my honest review.
This book is sooo beautiful. The artwork and the pictures they are all so interesting. The book is so informative. The author really have done such a good work on this book. I can see with so many information given in the book. The flow of the story is so smooth.
The book is heavily on text so it might take a while to finish reading them but it was so worth reading.
This book is amazing in my opinion.
This book is sooo beautiful. The artwork and the pictures they are all so interesting. The book is so informative. The author really have done such a good work on this book. I can see with so many information given in the book. The flow of the story is so smooth.
The book is heavily on text so it might take a while to finish reading them but it was so worth reading.
This book is amazing in my opinion.
November 20, 2025
Jeremy’s marriage of prose and imagery takes me back to books of my childhood, immersed in the ancient mode of storytelling that conjures the imagination and transports the mind, but written for adults who know what it’s like to watch the world change throughout a lifetime. As always, his unique way of seeing and experiencing the world inspire me to travel with more openness and patience, even if it’s just a stroll to the coffee shop. Really enjoyed the art on every page and ideas in every location.
January 12, 2026
This is a gorgeous mix of illustration, memoir, and travelogue. For anyone interested in making the outdoors into their life's work, or who just loves spending time outside, this is going to be a fascinating work.
I'm going to be looking for more of Collins' writing and illustration work.
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.
I'm going to be looking for more of Collins' writing and illustration work.
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.
April 7, 2026
I was first put off by the use of Typewriter font. As I skimmed through, reading parts, I enjoyed the stories that Collins told, and the people he described, and the Nature he presented. The mix of text, art, and scribbles was, for me, distracting from any message. Or is that the message, and I missed it? Take a look, and enjoy the art.
October 23, 2025
What a beautiful book! And I love the intersection of art, activism, and memoir. It's like a big, heartfelt, inspirational, picture book for adults. I will be looking for more from this author. I feel like you can never go wrong with Mountaineers Books.
January 2, 2026
Beautiful collection of sketches and quotes and endless inspiration from individuals and organizations passionate about protecting forests around the globe.
April 11, 2026
i love earth. this gave me hope in the world. cute memoir and even cuter drawings
April 9, 2026
Eventually a Sequoia: Stories of Art, Adventure & The Wisdom of Giants by Jeremy Collins is a book about adventure and exploration, about connecting with nature, but most of all, it's about community and the people who fight for the conservation of nature.
Each chapter is a journey - into the Amazonian jungle, on the Nepalese peaks, at the Arctic Circle, into the US mountains and a giant sequoia forest. Jeremy takes part in different expeditions and documents them with an artistic eye. His mantra becomes: "Observe, find a connection , and draw!"
Relying on his mountain-climbing experience and his ability to draw under any conditions, the author captures the awe of wild natural environments and the communities that try to protect them and live sustainably.
I loved his artistic approach to each of the expeditions and his attention to detail (making it easy for the reader to find out more about the different projects). It makes the book feel like a personal journal, rather than an academic work on conservation and anthropological issues. He captures the wild scenery in his numerous illustrations and directly quotes the people he meets on these journeys, noticing the differences between these communities and our day-to-day urban life.
In the first chapter we join Jeremy on an expedition documenting the Amazonian Marubo, Matis and Kaminari tribes. Here, Celine Cousteau, granddaughter of the famous explorer Jacques Cousteau, is making a documentary about the Javari region, where the largest population of indigenous peoples live in voluntary isolation. They face all sorts of problems caused by deforestation, climate change, poaching, illegal mining and outside diseases, making their traditional way of life hard to sustain. The question the book comes back to is: ”Is holding onto and protecting traditional ways of living important to our collective human future?”
In the next chapter Jeremy is on a humanitarian mission in Nepal, following the devastating earthquake in 2015. Getting supplies to remote mountain villages and painting the new makeshift schools. Once they reach their last stop, I was touched to see the group using what was left of their budget for a helicopter full of winter clothes and even donating their own coats and gear.
The third expedition is along the Aichilik River in Alaska, to document the wild lands threatened by oil rigs. The next chapter focuses on the same issue, this time in the Bears Ears National Monument.
I admired the author's determination to capture nature regardless of his conditions:
”There is also a learned ability to ignore that comes with drawing on location. Ignoring the wind (40 m/h is not that bad). Ignoring an incoming storm (it'll probably pass). [...] I've had watercolor paintings obliterated by rain and pages torn by gust of wind, and pretty much every book has traces of spilled coffee, wine or tea. Although they are, by definition sketchbooks, I rarely do much sketching in these travel time capsules. I draw. I write. I kill bugs.”
The last chapter is about Jeremy's experience volunteering for the Ancient Forest Society. He would climb huge sequoias to gather samples that were later analyzed to determine humidity levels, tree stressors and insect activity.
As I've said, the highlights of the book are the drawings and illustrations. The author often reflects on his identity as an artist and the purpose of art as a form of protest, a documenting tool or a means of connection.
”What do you care about? What are you concerned about? Pick up your pencil and start there.”
This call to action is important! Each of us has something we care deeply about. We just need to find our voice.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Each chapter is a journey - into the Amazonian jungle, on the Nepalese peaks, at the Arctic Circle, into the US mountains and a giant sequoia forest. Jeremy takes part in different expeditions and documents them with an artistic eye. His mantra becomes: "Observe, find a connection , and draw!"
Relying on his mountain-climbing experience and his ability to draw under any conditions, the author captures the awe of wild natural environments and the communities that try to protect them and live sustainably.
I loved his artistic approach to each of the expeditions and his attention to detail (making it easy for the reader to find out more about the different projects). It makes the book feel like a personal journal, rather than an academic work on conservation and anthropological issues. He captures the wild scenery in his numerous illustrations and directly quotes the people he meets on these journeys, noticing the differences between these communities and our day-to-day urban life.
In the first chapter we join Jeremy on an expedition documenting the Amazonian Marubo, Matis and Kaminari tribes. Here, Celine Cousteau, granddaughter of the famous explorer Jacques Cousteau, is making a documentary about the Javari region, where the largest population of indigenous peoples live in voluntary isolation. They face all sorts of problems caused by deforestation, climate change, poaching, illegal mining and outside diseases, making their traditional way of life hard to sustain. The question the book comes back to is: ”Is holding onto and protecting traditional ways of living important to our collective human future?”
In the next chapter Jeremy is on a humanitarian mission in Nepal, following the devastating earthquake in 2015. Getting supplies to remote mountain villages and painting the new makeshift schools. Once they reach their last stop, I was touched to see the group using what was left of their budget for a helicopter full of winter clothes and even donating their own coats and gear.
The third expedition is along the Aichilik River in Alaska, to document the wild lands threatened by oil rigs. The next chapter focuses on the same issue, this time in the Bears Ears National Monument.
I admired the author's determination to capture nature regardless of his conditions:
”There is also a learned ability to ignore that comes with drawing on location. Ignoring the wind (40 m/h is not that bad). Ignoring an incoming storm (it'll probably pass). [...] I've had watercolor paintings obliterated by rain and pages torn by gust of wind, and pretty much every book has traces of spilled coffee, wine or tea. Although they are, by definition sketchbooks, I rarely do much sketching in these travel time capsules. I draw. I write. I kill bugs.”
The last chapter is about Jeremy's experience volunteering for the Ancient Forest Society. He would climb huge sequoias to gather samples that were later analyzed to determine humidity levels, tree stressors and insect activity.
As I've said, the highlights of the book are the drawings and illustrations. The author often reflects on his identity as an artist and the purpose of art as a form of protest, a documenting tool or a means of connection.
”What do you care about? What are you concerned about? Pick up your pencil and start there.”
This call to action is important! Each of us has something we care deeply about. We just need to find our voice.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews