Pure Land: A True Story of Three Lives, Three Cultures, and the Search for Heaven on Earth

by Annette McGivney

Tomomi Hanamure, a Japanese citizen who loved exploring the wilderness of the American West, was killed on her birthday May 8, 2006. She was stabbed 29 times as she hiked to Havasu Falls on the Havasupai Indian Reservation at the bottom of Grand Canyon. Her killer was a distressed 18-year-old Havasupai youth. Pure Land is the story of this tragedy. But it is also the story of how McGivney’s quest to understand Hanamure’s life and death wound up guiding the author through her own life-threatening crisis. On this journey stretching from the southern tip of Japan to the bottom of Grand Canyon, and into the ugliest aspects of human behavior, Pure Land offers proof of the healing power of nature and the resiliency of the human spirit.

"There is such tragic irony here. The very things that Japanese tourist Tomomi Hanamure is so deeply passionate about--the wild, stark, beautiful American West and Native American culture--are what leads to her violent death. Around this single horrific event Annette McGivney has masterfully woven three separate, highly personal narratives."
-- S. C. Gwynne, Author of Empire of the Summer Moon, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

"McGivney intuitively grounds her narrative while exploring humanity's roots of culture and origins of character, like the light of the sun awakening each intricate layer of earth in the deepest of canyons. She is a storyteller of the highest caliber, with a style reminiscent of Jon Krakauer's journalistic skill and unmistakable purpose."
-- Carine McCandless, author of The Wild Truth, the New York Times bestselling follow-up to Into the Wild

"Annette McGivney has gathered three disparate narratives and braided them into a bewitching tapestry of darkness and light, pain and atonement, along with the unexpected gifts that can sometimes accompany profoundly devastating loss."
-- Kevin Fedarko, author of The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Outdoors, Nature, Book Club, Adventure, Crime

354 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2017

About the author

Annette McGivney is an award-winning journalist and the longtime Southwest Editor for Backpacker magazine. She has been drawn to exploring and writing about remote, wild places in the West her entire life. In addition to Backpacker, Annette's writing has appeared in The Guardian, Outside, Arizona Highways, and Sunset magazines. Her June 2007 Backpacker article “Freefall” about the murder of Tomomi Hanamure won a Maggie Award in 2008 from the Western Magazine Publishers Association for Best News Story. In 2018, her book Pure Land won the National Outdoor Book Award.

Annette is the author of Resurrection: Glen Canyon and a New Vision for the American West (Braided River/The Mountaineers, 2009) and Leave No Trace (The Mountaineers Books, 1997). Her book, Pure Land, about the murder of Tomomi Hanamure in Grand Canyon was published by Aquarius Press in October 2017. For more go to: https://www.purelandbook.com. Annette also wrote a book about humans and fire that was published in November 2017 by W.W. Norton.

In conjunction with her book, Pure Land, Annette has started a non-profit organization that funds outdoor trips for child victims of domestic violence. To find out more, go to her non-profit website: http://www.iampureland.com.

McGivney teaches journalism at Northern Arizona University and lives with her son and yellow lab in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Reviews

[Claire P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first two-thirds of this book wonderful. McGivney has such a talent for nature writing that she seems to take you with her to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, or Monument Valley or Muir Woods. I'm not a huge outdoors person, but she conveyed such beauty and vibrancy to me that I want to visit several national parks in which I previously had no interest. McGivney tells the story of the murder of Tomomi Hanamure, a Japanese tourist who was devoted to the American West and the native American way of life, but intercuts Tomomi's story with that of her killer, and with McGivney's early life story as well. Wrapping these three stories together is not a stretch, but unfortunately, the last third of the book focuses on PTSD and its sources, and is so clinical in its detail that the emotion and heart of the book starts to fall away. I listened to this book on Audible, and found the narrator added soul to her reading without overacting, so I feel that I should give kudos to the audiobook format. I was glad I read this, because the three lives mentioned in the title stay with you long after the book is finished.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking story of a young Japanese woman who just wanted to find - something - in the west and southwest of the US and was murdered in that quest. Tomomi Hanamure connected so deeply with the Native American culture that she traveled from her hometown in Japan to the US, by herself, many times. She wanted to live here. She probably would have, had she not been brutally murdered on her 34th birthday in 2006. She was bokkemon - fearless. But her loneliness is clearly evident in her journal entries.

While nothing absolves the murderer, Randy Wescogame, the author does try to uncover some of his underlying issues. This really helps to shine a light on the problems currently faced by Native Americans living on reservations today. The book also goes into a brief history of the relocation of some of the tribes, focusing on the Havasupai in the Grand Canyon, of which the murderer is a member. There is a direct line between what was done to the tribe in the late 1800s-early 1900s and how they live today. This is not me drawing a conclusion. It is clear. Randy bears full responsibility for his crimes, but his environment definitely shaped him. And his environment was the way it was because of how his tribe was treated years ago.

As for the 3rd life referenced in the title, the author herself was abused as a child and had those memories resurface during the research and writing of this book. She ties that in with Randy's traumatized childhood and ties her adulthood in with Tomomi's wandering spirit.

Thank you, Karen, for sending this to me!

[Barbara Larkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is too good to spoil with long plot summaries...I just recommend that you read it. There are three intertwining stories each of whose meaning folds together brilliantly with the others. The story of an abused Native American boy growing up on a down-sized crowded allocation of tribal land, the story of an independent wilderness-seeking Japanese traveler with no fear and the story of the intrepid journalist and naturalist writing about a Grand Canyon murder and what that reveals within her own life...it all converges together into an amazing space of understanding and healing where you wouldn't normally go. I could not put this book down while reading it.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it was an option, I would have given this one a 2 1/2. The author essentially researches the lives of a brutal murder victim below the rim of Grand Canyon and her perpetrator (a Native youth) while drawing parallels between the author's own violent childhood and the events that unfolded at Havasupai Falls in the early aughts.

I think McGivney is guilty of stereotyping the Havasupai and overreacting a bit when confronted by the poverty in the canyon--she makes multiple references to graffiti and a generally ominous/sinister vibe (which is not corroborated by other recent visitors online - do with that what you may). At best, she seems to have the traditional view of reservation life as completely void of joy or even a modicum of normalcy. This may be true, but it's a tidy bit of business to fit her narrative and she doesn't seem to meet anyone on the reservation with anything other than despair on their minds.

I think the book succeeds best where it follows the Japanese woman (Tomomi Hanamure) who simply loves the United States and takes every opportunity to escape her life in Japan. How she criss-crossed the country, hanging out at various native monuments and national parks over the years leading to her murder is both a study in loneliness and kind of compelling in its desolation.

The book is relatively well-researched and the visit to Hanamure's family in Japan does a great job of making an ordinary young woman's life seem extraordinary. These portions are touching and well-written.

The book's structure is also a little strange, with the author jumping from the perpetrator to the victim to her own upbringing without much rhyme or reason. There are also parts of the book that repeat themselves, almost verbatim from others. It seems like an editor fell asleep on the job, now and again.

I can't really recommend it but anyone who feels a pull toward remote landscapes might get something out of this story. Those with a love of the Canyon might come away unsettled.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt betrayed by this book. It was touted as the true-crime story of a murder in the Grand Canyon. But the author hi-jacked the story in order to tell her personal story of child abuse and resulting PTSD. She tried to draw parallels between her story and those of the murder victim and the perpetrator of the crime. These were flimsy at best. The crime story itself was well-researched and well-written, but she should have left it at that, perhaps writing a different book about her own life.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this story! The author did a fantastic job of recreating the story of a young Japanese woman who had become fascinated with the Native Americans’ stories and connecting with nature in America through visiting state and national parks in America. She intertwined her story with stories of the Native Americans and herself. My book club was fortunate to be able to Skype the author and ask her questions about her book. It was a very memorable experience.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. It is in the style of “Into the Wild”. The author did a great job weaving the stories of three different people together. Would have gave it 5 stars, but at the end, the author lost me with her own story.

[Angele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annette is a genius storyteller. She weaves together the stories of the lives of three people in a fascinating way. I couldn't put it down.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with the beginning of this book as it shows some stereotypes of Native Americans but as the book progresses this falls away. The pacing stutters between information and a narrative that I found jarring. I do think the author pulls it together at the end showing the connections between the characters and trauma.

[Jessica Archibald · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOOOOO GOOD. One of my favorites for sure

[Ellen Grabarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an excellent book, written by a local author (Flagstaff, AZ). Our book club held a discussion, which the author attended. This book, based on a true story, touched all of us very deeply, bringing many to tears when reading and discussing. She donates a portion of proceeds of each sale to a program which helps abused children by connecting them with nature. I highly recommend this book!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was blown away by this beautiful telling of 3 stories. I didn't know what to expect of a true crime book, but Annette crafted such an explorative journey of her personal story, the history of native american people, and the story of a woman from Japan who felt called to find the beauty of the American west and it's native cultures. *trigger warning* she dives into child abuse and cultural oppression and the violent murder of Tomomi Hanamure. Highly recommend!

[Karen Germain · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite travel souvenirs is to purchase a book in a local independent bookstore. While on our Arizona road trip, I visited the adorable Bright Side Bookshop in Flagstaff, where an awesome bookseller recommended local author Annette McGivney’s Pure Land.

In Pure Land, McGivney expands on her 2007 article that she wrote for Backpacker, that explored the brutal murder of a Japanese woman, Tomomi Hanamure, who was stabbed while hiking in the Grand Canyon. Pure Land is part memoir, part social commentary, and part true crime.

As McGivney was researching the story, she began to experience triggers from her own abusive childhood and this article took on a greater meaning. McGivney flew to Japan and became close to Hanamure’s family, learning that the woman had been abandoned by her mother at a young age and was raised by a single father. Hanamure always felt a pull towards the United States, specifically the National Parks of the South West and Native American culture. Hanamure was killed by Randy Wescogame, an eighteen year old meth addict living on the Havasupai reservation, who also had a history of childhood abandonment and abuse.

“Pure Land” refers to the Buddhist belief of the ultimate afterlife, the place where a person who has learned everything from earth, through multiple reincarnations, will finally go to rest. Hanamure comes from a Buddhist background and her family prays that she has made it to Pure Land to find peace. However, it also takes on a different meaning with McGivney’s book, as we can imagine that Hanamure and others find their own Pure Land when they are at peace in nature. Perhaps even Wescogame is on his way to Pure Land, while healing in prison, or maybe McGivney is finding it, as she moves forward from her childhood trauma.

Pure Land is a powerhouse. I could not put it down. The story is heartbreaking, but McGivney explores it with compassion and care. I was fascinated with the way that Hanamure felt drawn to a foreign culture, so much so that she worked minimum wage jobs to just save enough to meet her travel expenses. Her entire focus was on her trips to the United States. Her passion for the United States was not shared with her family and friends, yet she was not deterred. By all accounts, she also came across as an unusual soul by those who encountered her during her travels, yet she seemed to own this aspect of her life. It’s crushing to think that someone could have so much love for a land and its people, yet it led to her violent and untimely death.

Pure Land also explores the devastating and complex history of Native Americans and their treatment by the United States government. Through centuries of systematic racism, many tribe members that maintain their autonomy of tribal lands are facing a crisis with poverty, violence, and addiction. McGivney looks at the history of how this has happened and specifically how this life has impacted the Havasupai. While she certainly doesn’t forgive Wescogame’s crime, she does explore his life within the context of living in a tribe that has experienced incredible hardships. I was most interested in reading about the founding of the National Parks. The National Parks are the treasures of the United States and I think most citizens ( and foreign visitors) hold them in the highest regard, but the dark side of the history of the parks includes the displacement of Native tribes, forcing them from their ancestral lands.

McGivney gets specific with regard to the Havasupai, who now have a deeply impoverished reservation on a small piece of land in the Grand Canyon. Crossing through their land is the only way to access one of the most stunning parts of the canyon, a place where Hanamure was headed when she was murdered. The Havasupai tribe has made efforts to attract tourists, including building a small, heavily fortified lodge and offering guides. However, the problems that exist on the reservation make this a very dangerous area and not everyone is welcoming or profiting off of the tourists.

Although we think of National Parks as a places that should be open to all, this particular section of the Canyon is controlled by the Havasupai. It is their land. They have little with regard to ways of making an income and whether they want to or not, allowing tourists brings in much needed revenue. Their willingness to allow tourists to pass through reeks of slum tourism, with the tourists not just passing through on their hike, but also gawking at the shocking poverty on the reservation. The Havasupai that are able to make a living off of the tourists are doing the best with what they have, however reading this made my stomach hurt. The only reason that they are in this situation is because they were forced to give up their lands and forced to accept a rotten deal, yet now they are again pressured into allowing tourists to traipse through their home. I imagine that if they did not allow the tourists to pass, that the government would find a way to intervene on the tourists behalf. It’s a terrible situation.

Pure land is an important read from a historical and societal perspective. McGivney’s writing is heart breaking and haunting. I can’t imagine that I will ever forget this book.

Like my review? Check out my blog!

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My interest in this book piqued after remembering the Backpacker article I grippingly read years ago. Also having been to Supai, this was a no-brainer. This is a must read by anyone who has been or will be going to Havasupai.

[Liz patino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent, well written book. It defies easy categorization. I agree with the other reviewer who said just read it

[Erinp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting for a while, and that got more into the author talking about herself and less about the story and I'm not really sure how I feel about that.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for the author’s long slog and the emotional, personal transformation it took to write this book.
Four and a half stars for a mostly well-written, if occasionally repetitive, story, intertwining three very different threads.
Five stars for the journalistic investigation and tenacity, and for seamlessly weaving the bits and pieces from so many sources into a cohesive tale.

I became a bit skeptical when the author delved into her own childhood trauma. That was a quite unexpected turn. It threatened to become a little too academic, and almost seemed contrived until the author’s sister showed up to corroborate the story. I have at least a small, passing understanding of PTSD, and appreciated learning of the “developmental” and “historical” variations.

The book ended in a very different place than it began, and led us past extraordinarily difficult subjects. I am grateful for the author’s ability to guide us along the path.

[Abragail Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 There is so much to breakdown with this novel. It’s heartbreaking yet inspiring all at the same time. McGivney weaves an emotional narrative encompassing some very heavy topics. I was sad, angry, flabbergasted, and inspired throughout the entire novel. This is more than a murder. This is about how one life can impact many, how each of us have our own demons to battle, and how nature can heal.

[Kitson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening is at times stilted and poorly written, but, having gotten to the end, I can understand. The author is doing quite a lot, writing this book. And the last third was terribly illuminating.
Terrible. And illuminating.
There are so many people we know and care about and want to reach out to but who, ultimately, elude us. We may feel, after exhaustion, that they are across an unfathomable canyon of pain that can never be breached, understood, or fought.
But Ms. McGivney makes (and is making) an admirable, explicit effort to save herself and those who have suffered like her, and in documenting her passage, she shows those who want to help a way to stand with them, appreciate what they face, and hopefully to make a difference.
Violence and History and Memory.

[Angie Kapphahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book infinite stars if it was possible. McGivney is probably the best story teller I’ve read up to this point in my life. I was sad to see that her other books were hiking guides. I need more story telling, vulnerability, and guidance from McGivney.

[Bethany Yardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much more rich than I had anticipated. I highly recommend for lovers of Nature, for those impacted by trauma, for those seeking healing.

[Hannah Spangenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad I found this copy in Powell’s almost 8 years after having taken Annette’s class at NAU as she was releasing this book. Wonderful, but heartbreaking read. A showcase of true journalism.

[Kim Klett · Rating 5 out of 5]

McGivney’s style reminds me a little of Terry Tempest Williams, as she weaves together the lives of a young Japanese woman, a troubled Havasupai youth, the history of the Havasupai, and her own childhood trauma.

[Margaret Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic true crime story. McGivney did a wonderful job retelling Tomomi's life and what drove her to seek out the beauty of the American Southwest through Tomomi's journals and through countless interviews with friends she made through her travels in the states. Randy's story is tragic, as Annette empathetically searched through his past and what brought him to become a violent murderer. In searching through his history and the history of his family and tribe, the reader is able to understand the myriad of circumstances which contribute to someone's downfall from grace. Annette too shared her own story with grace and openness. She found her own history with violence and search through nature in both the victim and the murderer she was investigating.

I truly appreciated this book and Annette's investigative journalism and writing. This was a tough book to read in many ways due to the severity of the crimes, but the prose and thoughtfulness with which McGivney wrote made it difficult to turn away.

[Jen Compan (Doucette) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been to so many of the places in this book, I was drawn to it and read it in a day. On the surface this is a story about a Japanese hiker who was murdered in Havasupai, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. But deeper than that, it is a story of abuse and its impact and what we all must do to heal. And more specifically, how nature can guide us to that healing.

“Always, forever toward the woods,” the author writes.

Yes ❤️

[Kelsey Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have spent many years backpacking into Havasupai and this book gave me a really different perspective on the place and the struggles (which I’ve seen firsthand) that the tribe has gone through. I thought the history on Native American culture was really fascinating but I have to admit it was a slow read for me because it is just so sad!

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book. More than a murder, more than a story; McGivney transports the reader into the tangled web of history and future for three different stories. Unlike many attempts by other authors, this way of storytelling works for this book. I am glad I read the last two parts with my dog on my lap. I, too, understand the way nature can heal trauma, as nature helped heal me.

[Jk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank everyone involved in making that happen!

This is a beautiful and engaging look at some very difficult and disturbing topics. Above all it explores the life and death of Tomomi Hanamure and how her journey intersects with and influences other lives, particularly the author's. McGivney is an extremely talented writer and storyteller and I loved every page of this tale.

If you have any interest at all in Japanese and/or Native American culture and history, motivations and origins of violent crime, trauma recovery or nature pick this one up!

[Polly Greist · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Pure Land" is an astounding book: incredibly well researched and written, with depths of emotion and meaning that build throughout. Although the core of the narrative is a recounting of the one of the most brutal murders in the Grand Canyon's history, that of a young Japanese tourist hiking to Havasu Falls on Havasupai Indian land, the book carefully reveals layers of meaning way beyond the core, and explores three cultures and their tragic intersections. All of the players in this real-life tragedy -- the victim,Tomomi; her murderer, Randy (from the Havasupai Tribe); and the author, Annette (with her own dark personal history) -- are carefully and gradually revealed, and by the book's end, readers feel like they "know" these people intimately. In the end, the story is a testament to the complexities of life. Three seemingly disparate people are part of a larger puzzle, and all have a common story. The book will captivate you and perhaps you will end up reading through the night like I did ... because you need to. Great job, Annette!

[Ian Jobe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first discoverd Annette McGivney's novel through Outside magazine's monthly book club. As the magazine's first book clue selection, I was excited to see what the magazine choose.

Pure Land is primarily the story of Tomomi, a young Japanese woman who was murdered on the Havasupai reservation while hiking in the grand canyon. Do understand how this woman got there, McGivney presents a thorough and engaging look back on the woman's life, following her from her first trip to the US to the many others that began to follow as Tomomi gained a strong appreciation, if not obsession with native American culture. At the same time this story is being presented, we are also learning about the young Native American man who has murdered her. What was his background? Why did he stab Tomomi more than 20 times? Through an equally thorough exploration into his past we start to learn about his own upbringing, life on his reservation and more. For most authors, this is where the book would primarily focus and if this was the book, it would be great in its own right. Both stories are captivating and engaging all the way from the start of the book to the conviction of Tomomi's killer. Throughout, you learn great history about the Havasupai tribe, other native American tribes and many other people and places around the US. Details like this kept me very engaged while reading.

But, Pure Land also takes us on the third, journey, one where we learn about the author's childhood. Growing up in Texas with an appreciation for the outdoors, McGivney finds kinship with Tomomi and presents her own upbringing to a comparison to both Tomomi's and her killers childhoods. For most of the book, this works. Early on in the book, jumping from Tomomi's story to her killer's to then the authors feels fine and flows very nicely. At no point was I ever lost or did I lost interest in the three stories. Credit to McGivney for her compelling writing.

But, as the book goes on and we near the end of the two primary stories (Tomomi and her killer), the third narrative about the author started to feel a bit unnecessary at times. Near the end, Tomomi's killer is convicted and sentenced. You would think that the book would end here but it actually goes on for another 4 chapters, mainly about the author and the trauma she sustained as a child. These parts aren't bad, but the book seemed like it had an ending (the trial) and the extra chapters almost seemed to be more of a diary entry for the author to get stuff off of her chest. She comes around and compares the trauma she sustained in her childhood to the painful childhood the Randy (Tomomi's killer) sustained in his own childhood which kind of works, but it still felt a bit more therapeutic for the author than it did necessary for the audience.

This is a good book but it has a few flaws