North of Normal

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An utterly compelling tale of survival—of nature, family, and genetics. In the late 1960s, Cea's family left a comfortable life in California to live off the land in northern Alberta, aiming to escape civilization entirely. Led by her grandfather Dick, they resided in a canvas teepee, growing pot and hunting to survive. Young Cea, living out her grandparents' dream with her teenage mother, Michelle, knew little of the world beyond the forest. She spent summers playing in the meadow and winters snowshoeing with her idolized grandfather. Despite fierce storms and food shortages, it was a happy existence. However, Michelle felt something crucial was missing: a man. When Cea was five, Michelle took her on the road with a new boyfriend, leading to a series of ill-fated adventures that made Cea question her unusual world and the hedonistic lifestyle of her mother. This questioning evolved into a search for a more conventional life. By her early teens, Cea realized she needed to make a drastic choice to attain the life she craved. Transitioning from nature child to international model by thirteen, her journey reveals long-held family secrets and dysfunction in an extraordinary setting. Ultimately, it is a story of one girl's deep desire for normality, which drove her to risk everything, overcome adversity, and achieve her dreams. Cea now lives in Vancouver.