I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964

“Just moments before it started, Jackson had been at the waterfront in the small town of Valdez. The docks were crowded with families and happy kids. Suddenly, a strange roar filled the air. Jackson’s body shook. But wait…it wasn’t just his body that was shaking. Everything around him was shaking, too. And then a woman screamed. ‘Earthquake!’”

In Tarshis’s opening passage, she sets the scene for the great earthquake by describing the picturesque town of Valdez, Alaska, before the earthquake. This quotation depicts Jackson’s shock and the sudden nature of the giant earthquake. The author uses sensory imagery and foreshadowing to heighten the tension—the “strong roar,” Jackson’s “shaking” body, and a woman screaming—signaling the earthquake’s impending destruction on the community.

“The ground under him started to crumble apart. ‘Please, please, nooooooooooooooooo!’ Jackson screamed. But down he fell, helpless and terrified, into the darkness.”

Tarshis begins her work with a cliffhanger. Jackson’s terror at falling into the fissure in the road prompts readers to wonder what will happen to Jackson next. It also demonstrates the incredible power of this earthquake, as it tore open roads and caused towns to disintegrate into the sea.

“But each mistake taught Mom and Dad something new. And when they weren’t hungry or freezing or being devoured by bloodsuckers, they were falling more and more in love with each other—and with the wild land around them. Jackson was born two years later. He’d spent his whole life in the tiny cabin Mom and Dad had built about two miles from the river.”

Jackson’s reflections on his parents’ initial years in the wilderness add to the author’s theme of The Survivalist Mindset. By noting how the Barrett parents learned through their mistakes, the author highlights that survivalism is all about keeping an open mind and learning as you go. This passage also hints that Jackson shares this perspective since he has spent his “whole life” in the wilderness.