On Heights & Hunger

by Josh MacIvor-Andersen

The story of two professional and competitive tree-climbing brothers, both hungry for transcendence and adventure, coming to terms with their relationship to the divine, the family that first provided a framework for faith, and their own obsessions, victories, and failures.

Genres: Nonfiction

197 pages, Paperback

Published September 6, 2016

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A resonant lyric memoir about such fascinating experiences as growing up as the son of a drummer in a Christian rock band, competitive tree-climbing, and meeting Jesus in a Waffle House. I loved listening to this title in audiobook form because the author reads it in the poetic contemplative manner it is intended to be read, which just further adds to its gentle power. MacIvor-Andersen's earnest reflections on faith and doubt and family and alienation and heights and hunger reflect honesty and vulnerability, and I love his sense of humor, which appears at just the right times. All in all, this was such an enjoyable read. I was comforted, challenged, and left with my own questions about this human frailty we call life.

[Drew Downs · Rating 5 out of 5]

MacIvor-Andersen weaves personal stories and thoughts together to explore the weight of human desire for feeling alive in ways that allow the reader to discover along with him, the height of the trees climbed as relating to his own ambition and fear. The way he uses a few consistent themes in his life makes it feel like a story about something (life, fear, mortality, faith, purpose) far more than a memoir.

[Andy Littleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and uniquely moving memoir. The author’s unique experiences (Love Inn / Tree Climbing) tether to his universal experiences seamlessly, yet they are fantastic and arresting. His writing style is playfully complex while still accessible. His faith and family journey is honest and relatable.

[Callahan McIlnay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one you need to dig below the surface to really appreciate. I didn’t appreciate it while I was reading but I do a little bit more as I reflect back. Ultimately I struggled to stay and engaged and more often times than not was ready to finish the book.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's struggle in this book between the hunger of the self to matter and his own deep humility is inspirational. His portrait of his mother and his wife particularly, his trip to Russia, and his road trip with his sister are all deeply felt. This is the kind of first book where you know you're seeing the beginning of a remarkable writer.