PILGRIM'S WILDERNESS A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier

Narrator Fred Sanders presents Alaska journalist Tom Kizzia's compelling story in a thought-provoking style. Listeners are introduced to Papa Pilgrim, his wife, and their 14 children, who live off their land in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Sanders injects bits of characterization into the story when recounting interactions between the family members and Pilgrim's conflicts with his neighbors and the National Park Service. These anecdotes add authenticity without overdramatizing the story as listeners learn how Pilgrim hides behind Christian values and antigovernment individualism while manipulating and abusing those around him. The depth of this true story of one man's brutality and his family's resilience is best experienced in the documentary style offered by Sanders. K.C.R. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2013]