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The Twenty-Ninth Day
- Surviving a Grizzly Attack in the Canadian Tundra
- Narrated by: Alex Messenger
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
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The Twenty-Ninth Day
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Publisher's Summary
A 600-mile canoe trip in the Canadian wilderness is a 17-year-old's dream adventure, but after he is mauled by a grizzly bear, it's all about staying alive.
This true-life wilderness survival epic recounts 17-year-old Alex Messenger's near-lethal encounter with a grizzly bear during a canoe trip in the Canadian tundra. The story follows Alex and his five companions as they paddle north through harrowing rapids and stunning terrain. Twenty-nine days into the trip, while out hiking alone, Alex is attacked by a barren-ground grizzly. Left for dead, he wakes to find that his summer adventure has become a struggle to stay alive. Over the next hours and days, Alex and his companions tend his wounds and use their resilience, ingenuity, and dogged perseverance to reach help at a remote village a thousand miles north of the US-Canadian border.
The Twenty-Ninth Day is a coming-of-age story like no other, filled with inspiring subarctic landscapes, thrilling riverine paddling, and a trial by fire of the human spirit.
What listeners say about The Twenty-Ninth Day
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen
- 2022-09-11
Amazing!
What a great audiobook. The author, Alex Messenger, narrates it himself. He has such a calm and mesmerizing voice, it was a pleasure to listen to him.
This is the story of Alex Messenger, who - at the age of 17 in 2005 - went on a six-week canoe trip in the Yukon and was attacked by a grizzly bear on the 29th day.
For the first half of the book he takes us through the first four weeks of his canoeing trip. Initially, I thought “seriously, we need to hear about these entire four weeks?” But it’s actually important. Messenger sets the scene perfectly, taking us along with him on this insightful journey. He describes the landscape, flora and fauna of northern Canada. The wilderness there is largely untouched by most except indigenous people. His mesmerizing voice lulls you into a dreamy state as he helps you smell the air and water and makes you feel like you’re with him in the tent or canoe. It is calm, peaceful, beautiful, zen.
So when he is attacked by the grizzly bear, the scene is all the more jarring in its intensity. How does such violence exist in such calm beauty? Messenger makes you feel the bear’s claws, teeth and power. It’s a horrifying scene that had me grimacing in imagined pain and holding my breath at times.
Messenger continues after the bear scene, his voice more intense, less dreamy, definitely ‘in the moment’ as he describes his injuries, the improvised medical care by his teammates and his eventual evacuation by helicopter and subsequent events.
I love survival stories and Messenger’s was excellent. I was impressed by his bravery and resilience during this life-changing event. I appreciated that it wasn’t overly sentimental. I think it was a story perfectly told.
Recommended for people who enjoy wilderness/ survival stories.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J Dave
- 2022-06-03
Wonderful Story Telling
Great story, and wonderful telling of it. At times it felt a little wordy, but those were also the times you felt like you were on the adventure with them. Good to learn that the physical and mental wounds are mostly healed, everything could have been so much worse.
The author also has an untapped career in reading audible books, the low key storey telling works wonderfully in a nonfiction account of human perseverance.
Thanks.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mervyn Byron
- 2023-12-24
True story
The story is quite boring for the first half, describing their wilderness canoe trip. But gets very interesting once the encounter eith a barren ground Grizzly takes place.
A true story, so well worth the listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- DianeT
- 2021-11-03
Amazing real true life story
A very detailed account of what led up to the bear attack in this young man.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- krispysmitty
- 2021-09-06
Amazing how Alex was so levelheaded at 17years old
Alex’s quick reasoning and will to survive is compelling for someone so young. A face off no one ever wants to find themselves in.. I wonder what took place with the Grizzly after Alex lost consciousness.. Good read, my overall rating of the story is a 3/5, I enjoyed the story but found the descriptive comparisons between common nouns to be a bit drawn out, being already enveloped in the story, these would distract me from what was actually taking place.
But didn’t stop me from finishing the story. The author keeps you waiting and then wanting to know what happens next, a good road trip read for people looking to immerse themselves into a story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- MCG05
- 2022-03-20
Great story of perseverance
Loved the book and would have given it 5 stars if it weren’t for the few too many detailed descriptions of cleaning the wound. By the third or fourth in depth first aid report my stomach was churning. Aside from this though the book was great.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JenB
- 2021-09-10
Excellent
This book had me hooked. I listened to all 7hrs and 42 minutes in less than a day. Excellent narrator and beautifully written. Would highly recommend to any of my friends who enjoyed hiking or canoeing
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karla Broadfoot
- 2022-03-26
what a story.. glad Alex Messenger live to tell it
what a great detail... I only wish I had a map to follow along .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zea L. Wulf
- 2023-06-14
Beautifully written
Yes the narration is a bit monotone but the story is one of courage and compassion. I loved it!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roberta W
- 2021-09-17
Unreal
It’s hard to imagine being attacked by a bear, let alone surviving it - all while far from civilization in the middle of the wilderness. The efforts to keep Alex alive are remarkable. A riveting listen.
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