
Be Brave, Be Strong
A Journey Across the Great Divide
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Sharon Olivia Blumberg
-
By:
-
Jill Homer
About this listen
Jill Homer, a newspaper editor in Alaska, has an outlandish ambition: a 2,740-mile mountain bike race from Canada to Mexico along the rugged Continental Divide. But in the tradition of best-laid plans, Jill's dream starts to unravel the minute she sets it in motion. An accident during a race on the Iditarod Trail results in serious frostbite. As she struggles with painful recovery and uncertainties about leaving a good job to pursue a seemingly impossible pipe dream, her employer hands down an offer she can't refuse. Just two days before their departure date, her boyfriend ends their eight-year relationship. This final blow dismantles everything Jill thought she knew about life, love and her own identity. Be Brave, Be Strong: A Journey Across the Great Divide is the story of an adventure driven relentlessly forward as foundations crumble. During her record-breaking ride in the 2009 Tour Divide, Jill battles a torrent of self-doubt, anger, fatigue, loneliness, pain, grief, bicycle failures, crashes, violent storms, and hopelessness. Each night, she collapses under the crushing effort of this savage new way of life. And every morning, she picks up the pieces and strikes out anew in an ongoing journey to discover what lies on the other side of the Great Divide: astonishing beauty, unconditional kindness, and boundless strength.
©2011 Jill Homer (P)2016 Jill HomerListeners also enjoyed...
-
Into the North Wind
- A Thousand-Mile Bicycle Adventure Across Frozen Alaska
- By: Jill Homer
- Narrated by: Angela Peterson
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Into the North Wind chronicles Jill Homer’s record-breaking bicycle ride across Alaska on the Iditarod Trail. Jill is one of those “accidental athletes” who stumbled into endurance racing shortly after she moved to Alaska in 2005. Ever since, she dreamed about the chiming of ice crystals at 30 below zero, black spruce shadows in the moonlight, the ethereal dance of the Northern Lights, and a journey that could take her deeper into this transcendental world - the 1,000-mile race to Nome.
-
-
Loved the narration
- By Jihae on 03-10-23
By: Jill Homer
-
Do Hard Things
- Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness
- By: Steve Magness
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From beloved performance expert, executive coach, and coauthor of Peak Performance Steve Magness comes a radical rethinking of how we perceive toughness and what it means to achieve our high ambitions in the face of hard things.
-
-
Starts alright, but ends up going nowhere
- By Joseph G. Chernowski on 08-11-22
By: Steve Magness
-
Nowhere for Very Long
- The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life
- By: Brianna Madia
- Narrated by: Brianna Madia
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this beautifully written, vividly detailed memoir, a young woman chronicles her adventures traveling across the deserts of the American West in an orange van named Bertha and reflects on an unconventional approach to life
-
-
not what I thought
- By J. Abrego on 04-16-22
By: Brianna Madia
-
Wild
- From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State - and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than “an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise.” But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone.
-
-
Glad I Took the Trip
- By FanB14 on 04-08-13
By: Cheryl Strayed
-
To Shake the Sleeping Self
- A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret
- By: Jedidiah Jenkins
- Narrated by: Jedidiah Jenkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the eve of turning 30, terrified of being funneled into a life he didn’t choose, Jedidiah Jenkins quit his dream job and spent 16 months cycling from Oregon to Patagonia. He chronicled the trip on Instagram, where his photos and reflections drew hundreds of thousands of followers, all gathered around the question: What makes a life worth living? In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Jed narrates his adventure - the people and places he encountered on his way to the bottom of the world - as well as the internal journey that started it all.
-
-
Different that I expected
- By Sabrina on 02-21-20
By: Jedidiah Jenkins
-
The Pants of Perspective
- One Woman's 3,000 Kilometre Running Adventure Through the Wilds of New Zealand
- By: Anna McNuff
- Narrated by: Anna McNuff
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anna was never anything like those "real" runners on telly, but when she read about New Zealand’s 3,000-kilometer-long Te Araroa Trail, she began to wonder...perhaps being a "real" runner was overrated. Maybe she could just run it anyway? The Pants of Perspective is a witty, colorful, and at times painfully raw account of a journey to the edge of what a woman believes herself to be capable of. It is a coming-of-age story that will lead you on a roller-coaster ride through fear, vulnerability, courage, and failure.
-
-
Upbeat, good energy, good vibes - 4/5
- By Anonymous User on 03-01-22
By: Anna McNuff
-
Into the North Wind
- A Thousand-Mile Bicycle Adventure Across Frozen Alaska
- By: Jill Homer
- Narrated by: Angela Peterson
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Into the North Wind chronicles Jill Homer’s record-breaking bicycle ride across Alaska on the Iditarod Trail. Jill is one of those “accidental athletes” who stumbled into endurance racing shortly after she moved to Alaska in 2005. Ever since, she dreamed about the chiming of ice crystals at 30 below zero, black spruce shadows in the moonlight, the ethereal dance of the Northern Lights, and a journey that could take her deeper into this transcendental world - the 1,000-mile race to Nome.
-
-
Loved the narration
- By Jihae on 03-10-23
By: Jill Homer
-
Do Hard Things
- Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness
- By: Steve Magness
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From beloved performance expert, executive coach, and coauthor of Peak Performance Steve Magness comes a radical rethinking of how we perceive toughness and what it means to achieve our high ambitions in the face of hard things.
-
-
Starts alright, but ends up going nowhere
- By Joseph G. Chernowski on 08-11-22
By: Steve Magness
-
Nowhere for Very Long
- The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life
- By: Brianna Madia
- Narrated by: Brianna Madia
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this beautifully written, vividly detailed memoir, a young woman chronicles her adventures traveling across the deserts of the American West in an orange van named Bertha and reflects on an unconventional approach to life
-
-
not what I thought
- By J. Abrego on 04-16-22
By: Brianna Madia
-
Wild
- From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State - and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than “an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise.” But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone.
-
-
Glad I Took the Trip
- By FanB14 on 04-08-13
By: Cheryl Strayed
-
To Shake the Sleeping Self
- A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret
- By: Jedidiah Jenkins
- Narrated by: Jedidiah Jenkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the eve of turning 30, terrified of being funneled into a life he didn’t choose, Jedidiah Jenkins quit his dream job and spent 16 months cycling from Oregon to Patagonia. He chronicled the trip on Instagram, where his photos and reflections drew hundreds of thousands of followers, all gathered around the question: What makes a life worth living? In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Jed narrates his adventure - the people and places he encountered on his way to the bottom of the world - as well as the internal journey that started it all.
-
-
Different that I expected
- By Sabrina on 02-21-20
By: Jedidiah Jenkins
-
The Pants of Perspective
- One Woman's 3,000 Kilometre Running Adventure Through the Wilds of New Zealand
- By: Anna McNuff
- Narrated by: Anna McNuff
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anna was never anything like those "real" runners on telly, but when she read about New Zealand’s 3,000-kilometer-long Te Araroa Trail, she began to wonder...perhaps being a "real" runner was overrated. Maybe she could just run it anyway? The Pants of Perspective is a witty, colorful, and at times painfully raw account of a journey to the edge of what a woman believes herself to be capable of. It is a coming-of-age story that will lead you on a roller-coaster ride through fear, vulnerability, courage, and failure.
-
-
Upbeat, good energy, good vibes - 4/5
- By Anonymous User on 03-01-22
By: Anna McNuff
-
A Walk in the Woods
- Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Rob McQuay
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America - majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way - and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).
-
-
Informational
- By Amber C on 03-29-17
By: Bill Bryson
-
Rusch to Glory
- Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled
- By: Rebecca Rusch, Selene Yeager
- Narrated by: Rebecca Rusch
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rebecca Rusch has run the gauntlet of endurance sports over her career as a professional athlete—climbing, adventure racing, whitewater rafting, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking—racking up accolades and world championships along the way.
-
-
loved all the unknown adventures and success
- By Amazon Customer on 08-29-24
By: Rebecca Rusch, and others
-
The Sun Is a Compass
- A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds
- By: Caroline Van Hemert
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This gripping true story follows a biologist's human-powered journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Arctic to rediscover her love of birds, nature, and adventure—perfect for fans of Cheryl Strayed.
-
-
The journey doesn’t get any better...
- By Philip Jacob Lee on 06-18-19
-
North
- By: Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek
- Narrated by: Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scott Jurek is one of the world's best known and most beloved ultrarunners. Renowned for his remarkable endurance and speed, accomplished on a vegan diet, he's finished first in nearly all of ultrarunning's elite events over the course of his career. But after two decades of racing, training, speaking, and touring, Jurek felt an urgent need to discover something new about himself. He embarked on a wholly unique challenge, one that would force him to grow as a person and as an athlete: breaking the speed record for the Appalachian Trail.
-
-
Couldn’t take Jenny
- By M. Bissett on 08-27-18
By: Scott Jurek, and others
-
The Unlikely Thru-Hiker
- An Appalachian Trail Journey
- By: Derick Lugo
- Narrated by: Derick Lugo
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Derick Lugo had never been hiking. He certainly couldn't imagine going more than a day without manicuring his goatee. But with a job cut short and no immediate plans, this fixture of the New York comedy scene began to think about what he might do with months of free time. He had heard of the Appalachian Trail, but he had never seriously considered attempting to hike all 2,184.2 miles of it. Suddenly he found himself asking, Could he do it?
-
-
On My Feet All Day
- By bannedbum on 08-21-21
By: Derick Lugo
-
Only When I Step on It
- One Man's Inspiring Journey to Hike the Appalachian Trail Alone
- By: Peter E. Conti
- Narrated by: Peter E. Conti
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was 23 months after his accident, and Peter was still dealing with constant excruciating pain. He'd seen dozens of doctors and tried a myriad of medications, but nothing seemed to work. Faced with the impossible choice of suffering through the rest of his life, he had an unlikely epiphany, "If I could somehow hike 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, then my leg will have to be better." He set a starting date three weeks out, cobbled together a novice's pack, and set off on a journey destined to change his life forever—though not exactly how he had envisioned it.
-
-
Inspiring story
- By D Williams on 05-29-22
By: Peter E. Conti
-
The Midwife's Revolt
- The Midwife, Book 1
- By: Jodi Daynard
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a dark night in 1775, Lizzie Boylston is awakened by the sound of cannons. From a hill south of Boston, she watches as fires burn in Charlestown, in a battle that she soon discovers has claimed her husband's life.
-
-
Bravo
- By Angela on 11-20-15
By: Jodi Daynard
-
Divided
- A Walk on the Continental Divide Trail
- By: Brian Cornell
- Narrated by: Zac Katz-Stein
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once a person hikes a long trail, they catch the bug, but does it get any easier the second time around? Four years after starting the Appalachian Trail with his brother, Brian takes to the Continental Divide Trail for his second thru-hike in familiar company. However, trail life is not always as rewarding and romantic as the pictures you see or second-hand stories you hear.
-
-
Generalities and platitudes
- By RLCalhoun on 12-13-22
By: Brian Cornell
-
The Push
- A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits
- By: Tommy Caldwell
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On January 14, 2015, Tommy Caldwell, along with his partner, Kevin Jorgeson, summited what is widely regarded as the hardest climb in history - Yosemite’s nearly vertical 3,000-foot Dawn Wall, after 19 days on the route. This engrossing memoir chronicles the journey of a boy with a fanatical mountain-guide father who was determined to instill toughness in his son to a teen whose obsessive nature drove him to the top of the sport-climbing circuit.
-
-
Best adventure, and maybe best autobiography I have read.
- By Jordan B Chapell on 05-24-17
By: Tommy Caldwell
-
Debt of Bones
- Sword of Truth Series
- By: Terry Goodkind
- Narrated by: Sam Tsoutsouvas
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A milestone of storytelling set in the world of The Sword of Truth, Debt of Bones is the story of young Abby's struggle to win the aid of the wizard Zedd Zorander, the most important man alive. Abby is trapped, not only between both sides of the war, but in a mortal conflict between two powerful men. For Zedd, who commands power most men can only imagine, granting Abby's request would mean forsaking his sacred duty. With the storm of the final battle about to save the life of a child....
-
-
Bags! This is a good prequel.
- By Patrick Sanchez on 05-02-14
By: Terry Goodkind
-
My Year of Running Dangerously
- By: Tom Foreman
- Narrated by: Tom Foreman
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a journalist whose career spans three decades, CNN correspondent Tom Foreman has reported from the heart of war zones, riots, and natural disasters. He has interviewed serial killers and been in the line of fire. But the most terrifying moment of his life didn't occur on the job - it occurred at home, when his 18-year-old daughter asked, "How would you feel about running a marathon with me?"
-
-
ESPECIALLY Good for Those of Us Who Don't Run!
- By Gillian on 04-12-16
By: Tom Foreman
-
Just Ride
- Racing 2,725 Miles to Mexico
- By: Ty Hopkins
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just Ride is an adventure story of the 2018 Tour Divide. The book details the resilience and amazing adaptability of the human body and mind, and it gives a realistic and often raw account of the physical and mental toll required to finish the race in less than 17 days. The route, the conditions, the gear, the strategy, the training, the mental struggles, the embarrassing moments, and the physical battle are all described throughout a story that offers a genuine look into what was experienced and felt throughout the ultimate test of mountain bike endurance.
-
-
Outstanding
- By nickmadone78 on 12-16-21
By: Ty Hopkins
What listeners say about Be Brave, Be Strong
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- RC
- 01-11-19
Kept my interest, but there are issues...
Decent story, although I grew tired of hearing: "...he said."
"...I said."
...he said."
"...I said."
...he said."
"...I said."
It made the writing seem a little lazy. In place of the word "said," I'd have been pleased to hear other words such as: exclaimed, cried, called out, interjected, chortled, etc.
As for the performance of the reader, I'm saddened to say it's the worst I've heard in an audiobook. I was able to tolerate it and finish the entire story, but the poorly-done male voice impressions and the numerous mispronunciations of place names (among other things) were sigh inducing at best, and served as a significant distraction.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jennifer Leigh Tofte
- 08-11-19
Worst reading ever, however ...
Jill Homer is a very skillful storyteller, which made it bearable. Had to listen on 2x speed to get through, but glad I stuck it out.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MT MTB
- 03-13-18
Truly enjoyed this journey with author
The words made this incredible trip come to life. Well written! The narrator did a good job but pronouncing places and various words correctly would have made an even better experience for the listener. However I looked forward to the next time I could listen to more of the story. Thank you for sharing and congratulations!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Howie
- 02-16-18
Great book...poorly narrated
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this audiobook because it is one to the best books I have read about the Tour Divide Race. I'm obsessed with the race and plan to do it summer of 2018...I've listened to the book over three times on my commute.
What did you like best about this story?
Jill Homer gives a very entertaining, highly personalized and detailed account of her experiences on the Great Divide.
How could the performance have been better?
The Narrator is wrong for this book. She would be perfect to narrate an Agatha Christie novel, but not a story about a young, very athletic woman. I actually Googled Jill Homer so I could associate her face with the story...instead of picturing a 70 year-old female librarian bombing down a trail on mountain bike.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 10-26-22
Great book if you can get over narrarator’s voice
I am an avid women’s adventure books reader. Truly enjoyed this book’s content- well written & really compelling story. However, found the narrarator’s voice to be pretty bad- irritating- terrible at doing various character’s voices & awful pronunciation. This was my book club’s choice & I didnt have time to read a hard copy of the book though so bit the bullet & tolerated the narrarator voice just to get this book ‘read’. My husband could not stand it & would run out of the room screaming noooooo anytime he walked in & heard it playing. In time I got used to it & my tolerance for her voice grew as I got more and more into story. The first few chapters before Jill started the race were especially painful. Great story though! Just really tough to listen to the voice 😵💫
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- PJ
- 12-25-23
Was a really good story...
Awesome story only problem I had was the woman reading the story has a really strong Michigan accent and her voice is a bit unpleasant. But still Awesome story...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lees
- 02-19-25
The worst reader ever
The story is fantastic and riveting, but the reader is so distracting in her inability to use the proper voice inflections and read at a pace that makes sense with the story. I am a very loyal audible reader and have read many audible books, but this reader is the worst I have ever experienced. Just when you become engrossed in the story, her reading style is a distraction that reminds you that you’re listening to a book versus experiencing an adventure
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- S.Traut
- 08-12-17
Pretty decent story
The narration was not good at all, but the story was alright...a little too much female drama for my taste though
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John Fritchey
- 01-15-17
Listen to a sample first
I am an average Joe ultra runner and identify with Jill Homer's struggles and triumphs in the outdoors, but this reading of her work just doesn't work for me. Listen to a sample and see if it works for you before committing.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dave Weil
- 12-24-24
content, subject matter, depth of emotion all superb storytelling. Quality of narration is difficult.
I loved these stories and their delightful honesty and nuanced emotion. As a bikepacker and someone familiar with stories of the GDMBR and Tour Divide Race, these ring true and honest. It's also quite funny at times.
The narrator could use some coaching in how to read for audiobook content. It's truly worth getting past any initial judgement of the narrator so that you can enjoy the writing.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!