A Light Through the Cracks

A Climber's Story

By: Beth Rodden

Narrated by: Beth Rodden

Renowned rock climber Beth Rodden’s inspiring memoir about overcoming devastating trauma, refusing to be held hostage by fear, and taking a leap toward healing.

Beth Rodden is twenty years old and already an elite rock climber when a climbing excursion in Kyrgyzstan escalates into a nightmare. Beth, her boyfriend, and two other climbers are kidnapped by militant rebels. After six harrowing days of hiding, marching, and dodging gunfire, they miraculously escape captivity. But fear follows Beth home, and pushing past it becomes a fixation.

She and her boyfriend, Tommy, train obsessively, achieving rock-climbing greatness and conquering each groundbreaking goal they set, all the while burying the terrors of Kyrgyzstan deep inside. Then comes an unexpected breaking point. For Beth, a woman at the top of her profession, the only way to overcome the anxiety that still controls her is to let go of the lifeline she’s been clinging to. Blowing up her successful and familiar life, Beth clears a path to a new one—a healthy new normal beyond the anxieties of the past and the myopic pursuit of athletic perfection.

Charting a powerful journey of ambition, hope, love, physical and emotional endurance, and the true fulfilment of being oneself, A Light through the Cracks is Beth’s story of climbing up and through life.

©2024 Beth Rodden (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Offering glimpses into Rodden’s exhilarating climbing culture, emotional vulnerabilities, marital turmoil, and steely personal discipline, which continues to ensure her survival. A dramatic account of an international ordeal that nearly upended the career of a fearless young rock climber.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[R]ock climber Beth Rodden's inspiring memoir [is] inherently fascinating, inspiring, and exceptionally well written…Highly recommended…” —Midwest Book Review

“In this breathtaking memoir, Beth seamlessly weaves together her stories as an all-time athlete, kidnapping survivor, partner, and mother. She brings the reader into her inner world as she learns to let go of fear and expectations in order to find her true strength—not just the strength of her body, which set records and made her a legend of the climbing community, but the strength of her very heart and soul.” —Sanni McCandless Honnold, cofounder of Outwild, life coach, and mother

Beth being Beth

Reading her posts and what she writes online always has a profound impact on me, listening to her story in a longer format makes me respect and care for climbing all the more - thank you Beth

All the feels.

Beth Rodden provides the truest description of how PTSD feels and behaves that I have ever read. It took me back to my own struggle with it. On top of that is a brave and honest memoir of one of the most talented athletes in the world.

This book is for climbers!

I climbed for 10 years until I moved to the flattest place on Mexico. To heard Beth’s book bring me back a lot of memories. She was one of my favorites climbers and I enjoyed all the sincerity on the description of her life and all the places she has been and routes she did (or tried to). Definitely I recommend this book if you are a climber

Raw self reflection

What a story, told with depth and clarity. Thank you to the author for sharing and stirring my own self reflection.

so good! so candid.

amazingly oppen and raw. I feel like everyone can connect with the humanity of this autobiographical tail.

Beth Rodden is an exceptional human being

I love reading stories about women who overcome obstacles internally and externally and this book was exactly that. Beth is an awesome athlete and in the second half of the book she became so relatable and open and raw and honest. I remember my dad showing me pictures of her in magazines and thinking “I could never do that because my body doesn’t look like that.” The redemption arc for her fight with body image is worth the wait to the last chapter. Thank you for writing this book, Beth!

Soft and strong

Thank you Beth for sharing your story. It really meant a lot to listen to <3

Beautiful.

Heavy and beautiful. Well done Beth. Finished in two days. I’ve always loved your writing.

Vulnerability and Reality

I find the author incredibly brave and vulnerable in this story telling. It felt authentic, informative and forgiving of the imperfections that life is. And how her perspective and growth happened overtime. Well written

a brave and compelling read

a truly authentic and honest autobiographical share, even more of a fan of this amazing woman and recommend to anyone who appreciates climbing and personal growth.