Roy Taylor
Author
Memoir
The Road to Courage
Set in the mid-twentieth century, The Road to Courage is narrated by a young boy as he journeys with his family to new and wild territory on the Alaskan frontier, a land where life’s priority is survival rather than comfort. This memoir sketches a portrait of his complex family—courageous, committed, flawed, and yet resilient—and through a series of terrifying adventures, traces the unbreakable bond between the timid narrator and his fearless, fun-loving brother. At the heart of the story is the author’s attempt to understand their loving, well-intentioned, but boldly venturesome father as he leads his family into insanely dangerous situations.
The family’s faith remains a central thread as the preschool brothers work beside their minister father to construct a log church in Valdez without power tools. Along the way, the reader is given a rare glimpse into life in Old Valdez, a town later destroyed by the 1964 earthquake.
The Road to Courage is published by KoehlerBooks.
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About
Roy Taylor
Roy Taylor’s childhood veered into unknown territory when his family moved to the Alaskan frontier before it became a state. Following two years of adventures in Old Valdez, they homesteaded on the Kenai Peninsula. Now retired from a 40-year career as a vascular surgeon, Roy has been writing his wilderness stories, some of which have been published in anthologies. He and his wife live in the Pacific Northwest and when he’s not writing, they enjoy hiking, gardening, cooking, and keeping up with their grandchildren.
Blog
Tunnel to Nowhere
When I mention Valdez, people usually respond with "earthquake" or "Exxon Valdez." Both reflect well-known, unfortunate events in Valdez's past. Another story, dark, tragic, and almost forgotten, relates a dramatic attempt by the town to position itself as a railroad...
Memories
Standing in the middle of the gravel road, I gape down Alaska Avenue at the brushy ditch where our house once stood, scratch my head, and ponder Shelley’s poem, Ozymandias: Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that...
The Dragon
My first glimpse of Valdez in 1954 inspired not only awe for the surreal beauty of the valley but a boding premonition of danger. At the time, Valdez Glacier extended halfway across the valley floor and dominated the view as we dropped out of the hills on our...
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