Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time

When Brad Ryan invited his 85-year-old Grandma Joy on a weekend trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, he simply hoped to fulfill her lifelong dream of seeing a mountain. Nearly a decade had passed since they’d spoken, and the trip was a tentative step toward repairing their relationship. Instead, it became the start of an extraordinary eight-year journey to all 63 U.S. National Parks—culminating in Grandma Joy becoming the oldest person to visit them all.
In his memoir, GRANDMA JOY AND ME: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time (Simon & Schuster; June 16, 2026; 304 pages; $29), Ryan chronicles their cross-country adventure and the healing that unfolded along the way. Raised in Appalachia, Grandma Joy’s life was shaped by hardship and limited opportunity. Brad, meanwhile, carried the weight of family rifts, unresolved pain, and the challenges of growing up gay in rural America. Together, they set out not only to explore the country’s most awe-inspiring landscapes—from Denali’s towering peaks to the Everglades’ subtropical wilderness—but also to confront long-standing wounds and generational misunderstandings.
Along the way, they navigated bison traffic jams in Yellowstone, hiked among ancient redwoods in California, and rolled down vast sand dunes in Colorado. As they traveled, Brad reckoned with his strained relationship with his father and rediscovered the wisdom, humor, and resilience of Grandma Joy by his side. Each park became both destination and classroom, offering lessons about nature, forgiveness, courage, and connection.
GRANDMA JOY AND ME follows an 8-year adventure of intergenerational healing, wherein a grandmother and grandson find themselves released from the injustices—real and imagined—that had long held them hostage. An emotionally charged exploration of love, forgiveness, and resilience, this unique bond between a young man and his ninety-year-old grandmother is more than just any travel tale; it is a testament to what makes us deeply human.