Despite having everything she could ask for, Janet Wilson couldn’t shake a sense of emptiness in her life—or her desire to return to the continent of her birth. After much back-and-forth, she and her husband reached an agreement: they would embark on a daring adventure, driving 25,000 miles across Africa. What they couldn’t anticipate then was how this trip would challenge almost every belief, opinion, and value they held.

Over the course of their journey, Janet and her husband collided with the world and each other. There were tears and laughter. They shared thrilling highlights and challenges that forced them to negotiate and cooperate with one another. And after a heartbreaking tragedy and Janet’s arrest, they made critical decisions that transformed their relationship, bringing them to a level of trust and commitment they had never before experienced. Ultimately, this led them to a deeper understanding about their place in the world—and each other’s lives.

A suspenseful and emotional true account that explores themes of love, commitment, resilience, and the power of forgiveness in the face of adversity, All You’ll See is Sky is a memoir of a woman’s transformation from brokenness to wholeness and a couple's transformation from breakdown to breakthrough.

Janet A. Wilson is a South Africa–born author and adventurer with a passion for Africa's wilderness, wildlife, and diverse cultures. She met her husband, Tom, during student anti-apartheid protests in South Africa, and they later immigrated to Canada with their sons in 1979. Together, they have completed three extensive overland travels, driving a total of over 50,000 miles around Africa as well as from Alaska to Argentina and around Europe. Janet has a degree in sociology and nursing and obtained her master's in health administration. She completed the Creative Nonfiction Certificate Course at Toronto’s Humber School of Writers. She and Tom currently live in Calgary, Canada.

Janet A. Wilson's profile page

“A remembrance that doesn’t turn away from difficult facts.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“In this exquisitely written memoir, Wilson weaves an authentic and suspenseful tale capturing what it means to find the grace within the grit that confronts all of us.”
—Stephanie Raffelock, editor of Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis and author of A Delightful Little Book On Aging and Creatrix Rising

“All You’ll See Is Sky is an extraordinary true story. This gripping memoir winds you through the African continent as the author spins tales of history, nature, culture, and people she meets along her pilgrimage of her birthland. Truly shocking, you’ll never forget this powerful book of growth, grief, and healing.”
—Lucinda Jackson, author of Just a Girl and Project Escape

“Vivid, raw in its candor, and sensitive to the broad diversity of cultures and people, All You'll See is Sky takes us on a life changing journey in Africa. This memoir is rich with the beauty of the continent—the roaring grunts of hippos, the diesel fumes, the sandstorms. It speaks profound truths about responsibility and compassion, intimacy and connection.”
—Marlena Maduro Baraf, author of At the Narrow Waist of the World and coauthor of Three Poets/Tres Poetas

“With honesty and humility, Janet A. Wilson takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through Africa with all the sights, sounds, and history of a very complex continent. Set against the beautiful backdrop of the land and the people of Africa, All You'll See is Sky is a gripping and enjoyable read.”
—Vicki Cody, author of Army Wife and Fly Safe

“Janet’s prose is clear, rich, and from the heart, and opens a window into another world. She shares a deep immersion into the beauty and power of the African wilderness and culture, and exposes the complicated and emotional knot what constitutes a true partnership.”
—Annie Chappell, author of Away Up The North Fork: A Girl Search for Home in the Wilderness