Pacific Crest Trail: From the California Border to Canada by Jordan Summers. Wilderness Press, $29.95.

For anyone who has ever remotely thought about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, the eighth edition of this guidebook is for you. It’s not necessarily something you would sit down and read, but flipping through the pages it is evident that this book is a helpful tool. The book starts out with a section on a general history of the PCT and covers general information for new hikers as well as an explanation of the geology and ecology of the land. Then the guidebook dives into the PCT starting from the California border up through Oregon and Washington to the Canadian border. The details listed in this edition of this book are essential for aspiring hikers by giving specifics on water, camping and where to send supplies. The layout is also clear and user friendly. It compiles photos, maps and charts to distinguish sections of the trail. Any PCT hiker would be lost without this book. —Taylor Perse

Somewhere in the Unknown World by Kao Kalia Yang. Metropolitan books, $17.99.

This collective memoir features stories from refugees living in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Each piece dives into a story of a refugee, delicately showing the pain and sorrow of leaving one’s country and loved ones behind for a better life. Author Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong refugee, and she set out to gather stories of individuals building a new life in the Midwest state. Among these snapshots is a Syrian refugee, who reflects on her childhood and her father, who she didn’t see for three years after moving to Minnesota. Another story covers a man from Vietnam who provides for his family and connects to his heritage by opening a restaurant and serving pho in St. Paul. Some vignettes are hopeful and others are sorrowful, but above all they bring compassion for humanity. It is a collection of work we desperately need in today’s world — a window into the resilience of refugees living in America. — Taylor Perse

Comments are closed.