Forget Me Not: A Memoir

Whether they admit to it or not, each individual has a personal idol to which he or she aspires to achieve the same pathway of success. It may be an international politician, a Nobel Prize winner, or a run-of-the-mill acquaintance. For me, this person is Jenni Lowe-Anker. I have known Jenni throughout my life. While my father was off heli-skiing in Jackson Hole, WY, she offered to drive my nine-month pregnant mother to the hospital for my birth. I have babysat her boys. She was always the "super-Mom," somehow balancing three young boys, an Everest-summiting husband, an artistic empire, and flawless good looks - all with seemingly unattainable poise and perfection. Every widow can tell the story of her heartache. But in Forget Me Not, Jenni tells the story of humanity at its finest. Several years ago I wrote a paper for a class at my alma mater of Georgetown University describing the spiritual effect of Alex Lowe's death on my hometown of Bozeman, Montana. The town was in shock - and in response an overwhelming number of mountain townhouses hung Tibetan prayer flags on their porches. They did so not because of any middle-eastern trend or recent yoga class, but on behalf of the ideals for which Alex, Jenni, and their beautiful boys represented, and continue to represent to this day. I am proud to recommend this memoir to my friends, to my family, and to anyone who believes that the powers of change and of love are fundamental aspects of the human spirit.

Forget Me Not, was unexpectedly well done. When I first read the reviews I thought it would be just ok, because Jennifer's resume was that of a painter and not a writer, this being her first book. What I failed to observer was one can do great work when they have a strong passion. Michael Jordon is great at basketball player because of his strong passion for basketball. Jennifer Lowe-Anker wrote a GREAT, MUST READ book because of her love and passion on the subject. I hope she writes another book, I will buy it! Forget Me Not wrote on subjects I enjoy (i.e. Himalayas, Mountain Climbing, Montana, and Outdoor Adventure), and in words I felt turned brought out pictures and emotions of living her experiences married to a superb mountain climber . Every page shared her internal and external challenges and emotions of living the life of a mother, wife, adventurer while married to one of the greatest mountain climbers that ever scaled a peek. It's a book that sticks with you well after you finish. Like Alex Lowe's life, the book was too short, it left me wanting more...

I loved this book, I couldn't put it down! Jennifer's story of adventure and being in love with such a dynamic man is a wonderfully written book. It is a very personal, descriptive and objective memoir. I think that both men and women would enjoy this book, it is about adventure and risk and love and lessons and hope and being strong. I think Jennifer's writing was wonderful, the way she described the travels and the personalities were so well done. I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves adventure and that has been in love and knows what it is like to support someone in what they want to do.....no matter the risk. The cover is a little off putting, it doesn't say adventure so look past the pretty cover and know this will have you on the edge of your seat as you read this amazing story of love and adventure and loss........... Please pick this one up!

I loved this book. I spent a stormy afternoon finishing it last week, unable to put it down, swept along between enviable loves, heart wrenching losses, and, of course, climbing expedition dramas; all my favorite components for a great read. Jenni Lowe-Anker changes mediums from paints to prose with unequivocal success in her rendering of mountain landscapes and the people compelled by them, of whom she is clearly one. She climbed hard with Alex, raised three boys, and forged a successful career with her painting to help support them. Now, trading brush for pen, she has written their story. Jenni's indomitable spirit shines from every page with warmth and genuineness as she navigates the complex loves and losses of her life. She courageously shares both with candid honesty, first through her own story, then through Alex's letters home from the mountains. These letters are a highlight of the book, an amazing gift she chooses to share. This is a book about hope. It is a lesson in picking up the pieces and moving forward, moving on with strength and grace, and an absolute lack of self pity. It is an inspiration to follow one's dreams with passion and originality, to love hard, mourn hard, and love hard again.

In Jennifer Lowe-Anker's captivating life story, she not only tells of her own life in poignant detail but those of so many intertwined. From the beginning as a reader it is hard not to be taken by the passionate relationships between climbers, lovers and friends. Lowe-Anker reminds us of our own loves and losses as she describes falling in love with one of the finest Alpinists of this time. When she writes of his loss, the pang of that raw anguish hits the reader, even though it is mentioned from the beginning. Death is never an easy thing, but as the author points out it is all around us, ebbing with the tides of life on this earth. As someone in a climbing relationship as well, I particularly related to the fears and elements described in the relationship that Jennifer and Alex Lowe shared, though even if you aren't involved with climbing it captures the core of all human relationships. Reading about the life she lived after she had thought it ended was a show of confidence and courage that everyone can use a dose of. This book will take you on a journey through many high summits, and a story of how some may find themselves despite the ever changing tides that life brings us. Above all else you will leave the last page rejuvenated to live and love every day to the fullest from reading this heartfelt story of the Lowe and Lowe-Anker family. The center insert of black and white photos are particularly absorbing.