The Key Is in the Breastbone: A Creative Coming of Age

The Key Is in the Breastbone: A Creative Coming of Age invites readers into the raw, resilient heart of Carol Ladas Gaskin’s extraordinary life—an adventure that traces the true spirit of the 1960s’ counterculture far beyond its iconic moments.

At the height of historical cultural upheaval in 1968, Carol, her young daughter, and a small group of close friends headed to the wilderness of British Columbia, determined to forge a life of purpose and meaning far removed from mainstream society. Their experiment in intentional community was no easy escape; it was a daily test of courage, ingenuity, and endurance.

Carol recounts the challenges of off-grid living: battling frozen waterlines, braving harsh winters, and confronting hungry wildlife in the vast, untamed landscape. Yet her story is about much more than mere survival. Drawing on the lessons of a tumultuous childhood, psychedelic revelations experienced within and outside the community, and the discovery of strong familial bonds she didn’t know she had on a later pilgrimage to her ancestral homeland in Greece, Carol shapes a narrative of creative awakening and self-discovery, molding the clay of loss and transformation, and exploring adversity as the kiln for both artistry and healing.

Now 85 years old, Carol Ladas Gaskin is a poet, teacher, therapist, artist, and matriarch. Her story is not just her own—it is an intergenerational odyssey of dreams, identity, and profound healing. The Key Is in the Breastbone is a testament to the enduring power of self-exploration and community, inviting readers to rediscover the deeper legacy of the counterculture: the courage to seek, create, and transform.