Building a foundation. Gathering wood. Overcoming limits.

It's all about building a dream, and Fran Kelso tells how in "Alaskan Attitudes," her personal memoir about living alone on the Alaskan homestead.

Kelso had always wanted to build a home and live on Spruce Island, Alaska. But when it's time to start building, her husband announces he wants a separation. Facing the end of her marriage and possibly the end of her dream, she decides to go on with the help of friends and moves forward with her plan-alone.

Taking a leap of faith is harder than Kelso imagined, however. She moves...