I Can See for Miles: Overcoming the Past and Running to My Future

by Hollie Stuart, Jill Keuth (Foreword)

WINNER OF THE 2023 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FOR BEST NONFICTION
WINNER OF THE 2023 INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR BEST NONFICTION

WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL 2023 NEXT GENERATION INDIE AWARDS IN THREE CATEGORIES OF MEMOIRS, WOMEN'S LITERATURE, AND E-BOOK

WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL 2023 BOOKFEST® AWARDS FOR TWO NONFICTION - TRAVEL AND NONFICTION - CONFESSIONAL

#1 BESTSELLER - NONFICTION AS FEATURED IN THE TULSA WORLD

SELECTED AS FINALIST FOR BEST NONFICTION FOR THE 2023 OKLAHOMA BOOK AWARDS

"Hollie Stuart’s memoir has a unique quality that makes readers feel like they are having a conversation with a close friend. From the very beginning of the book, Hollie’s honest and relatable narrative style pulls readers in and makes them feel connected to her and her story. As she shares her experiences, readers can’t help but feel like they are sitting across from her at a café or taking a long hike, enjoying a deep and meaningful conversation. Her words are heartfelt, and her story flows with ease, capturing the essence of her journey." — Books That Make You

At thirteen years old, Hollie Stuart—HoHo—is a silly, free-spirited, intellectual kid trying to find her identity. After enduring a chain of traumatic events, she internalizes the pain and hides her secret. It sets her off on a path of depression and self-blame. Finding solace as an accomplished runner, she turns to unremitting self-achievement to soothe her suffering and find her worth.

For twenty-eight years, Hollie is stuck on a roller coaster of happiness and depression, feeling at times like a normal woman and others like she’ll never escape depression’s hold. Above all, she’s searching for freedom from her past traumas.

Hollie’s life takes a turn when, exhausted from wearing the mask and letting the trauma consume her on the inside, she takes fate into her own hands. She liberates herself from the roles and outlooks expected of women in her conservative community. She educates herself on depression, trauma, and PTSD, determined to heal from the pain.

And for the first time in her life, Hollie lets go of the past and really lives, embracing a life of adventure. She skydives from ten thousand feet. She scales Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. She runs international marathons. She takes a solo trip to Zanzibar, Tanzania. In the end, as Hollie stands atop all her triumphs and losses, she realizes she is not her depression or her traumas. An uplifting story of endurance, determination, and transformation, Hollie Stuart’s debut memoir I Can See for Miles is not to be missed.

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2022

Reviews

[Leslie Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Can See for Miles is a daring woman’s adventure saga. We not only follow Hollie's mesmerizing journeys as she climbs star-studded mountains, but we learn how to better understand friends, particularly girls, women, and athletes who face depression or trauma. The story was so captivating; I read it in three nights. Hollie has a contemporary no-nonsense style of writing that glows in the dark, like her resplendent running outfits. This is a beautifully-written story about a persistent survivor, who never quits running toward joy.

[tara bearrrrrrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book written by an even more incredible woman!

[Mike McVey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hollie Stuart is one amazing person. She is a good friend who has a positive aura. Hollie is a proficient, award-winning speaker. I have worked with and competed against her over the past six years. Despite interviewing her on my podcast, I only knew bits and pieces of what she has overcome in her life.

In I Can See For Miles I had the pleasure of seeing how Hollie became the amazing person she is today. From the opening words of her prologue, I was instantly hooked. Somehow she is able to tell her life story with no embellishment in a way that encompasses the emotional rollercoaster of anger, sorrow, and joy through various lenses. I Can See For Miles is not only inspiring, but also engaging and heartwarming as Hollie shows us how the setbacks in her life only made her more determined to keep moving forward. The book deals honestly and coherently on the themes of mourning, rape, adaptibility, and knowing one's limits.

If you read one book this year, read this one. If you read more than one book, make sure this is one of them.

Mike W. McVey
Author, Becoming Oaks
Host, Nobody's A Nobody Podcast
Co-Host, The New Next Podcast

[Caren McVicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hollie Stuart's memoir I Can See for Miles is a brave, illuminating, and inspiring exploration of one woman's journey from trauma to triumph. Stuart's tender, no-nonsense prose conveys her story so effortlessly that you feel as if she is sharing with you over a cup of tea. A chronicle of pain, progress, setbacks, and ultimately peace, I Can See for Miles will inspire those who have experienced traumatic events and will educate those who may not fully comprehend the emotional and mental wounds survivors must manage for the rest of their lives.

I was lucky enough to meet Hollie in person during my book tour in Oklahoma last fall and her positive energy and enthusiasm are captured in the running, skydiving, and mountain climbing adventures she highlights in her book. Hollie is a fabulous example of "doing the work" to learn how to manage PTSD, move through it, and live the life you've always imagined. I underlined so many great lines in this book, but my favorite is "...just because I was struggling, didn't mean I was failing." Thank you Hollie for sharing your story with the world.

[John Reilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the trauma of the childhood assault elicited great empathy from me, every other “challenge” the author describes (death, loneliness, doubt, depression, etc.) has been experienced by every other human on the face of the planet. The difference is that most every other human copes with the inevitable ups and downs of life in a far less tragic and dramatic fashion. This is neither a riveting nor an engaging read. It is an explicit overreaction to rather normal life events. Frankly it felt a lot like middle school melodrama that the author’s generation resolves by loading up on unregulated medications and thousands of therapy dollars. Not worth your time.

[Sarah Ross-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me hooked from the first page. It is a remarkable account of the determination of the author to not just survive traumatic events and survive - but to thrive. It is written with such evocative language that at times I felt like I was climbing Kilimanjaro or in rural Oklahoma. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in under a day. Be prepared to be inspired and simultaneously amused by the author’s accounts of her adventures - Sarah, Canberra, Australia