Alaska Books

I enjoyed this book and felt like I was traveling with the author to areas of the U.S. in which I've never traveled.

I first discovered the online version of this book while surfing the photo.net web site for tips and advices from the experts to improve my photographic skills. Before I could finish with the first chapter, my eyes were full of tears of pain and sorrow and my heart was full of sympathy and regrets. I became obsessively driven to finish the book to understand how a MIT super computer geek (pardon the vernacular)could have so much insight and impressive ability to comprehend the importance of observations and art of conversations. I was richly rewarded from a fresh look at a society that I have called home for the last twenty years. Dr. Greenspun dispelled all my cultural myths and shattered many my incorrect sterotypes of how people live and play in this country and in Canada. In his self-imposed mostly lone cross-country oddesy, Dr. Greenspun began to explore his old emotional wounds, visit former lovers and super geeky friends. Instead, he discovered many more unexpected yet wonderful treasures:the warmth and genuine welcome from total strangers on the road, the unimaginable natural beauty, and the importance of family and happiness. He shared with his readers some of the most simple and important lessons of life :"Professors would spend 10 years in school, then 7 years working feverishly, then get crushed when denied tenure. Scientists would spend 30 years trying to really accomplish something, but end up with only a stack of obscure paper in unread journals. Women clawed their way to moderately lucrative middle-management postions but found their career flattening out just as their child-bearing years drew to a close...Nonetheless, I knew precious few "academic and professional strivers" who seemed as happy as Lurel and Eric..." (Page 352) To strive for noble goals of professional accomplishment and greatness sometimes obscured the view of the BIG PICTURE: to be happy is to follow the same rule that has made people happy for thounds of years, namely their family and religion. I cried when his beloved companion George was in the intensive care unit (I am not a dog lover per se), laughed when he hiked to Yellowstone National Park with a ton of camera and lenses on his back(Do you really need all that heavy equipment to take some great photos?), smiled when he visited his college sweet heart(mixed emotions of longing and sweetness), cringed when his prized photographic slides were stolen(watch out for inner city crimes every where in USA!), puzzled when he attended "congregation" in Alaska (New Age religion in Alaska?), shocked when he encountered a German girl who washed his cooler and all the Tupperware containers (I cannot even get my wife to do the dishes), surprised when his super geeky friend Joel has not chaged since college (how many people do you know do not own a TV?), and finally I re-read all the beautiful passages of his conversations with people from all walks of life, full of various yet interesting view points and humor. I learned more about lives, dreams and hopes of ordinary citizens from this book than I have lived this nation the past twenty plus years. To paraphase the great French author and essay writer Michel de Montaigne in 1568, "from the things that are evident and known to all from experience-from the creatures and nature of Man, by which, and from what he knows of himself, it proves what seeks to prove, mainly from what each man has assyed of himself." The introspective examination revealed the univeral and undeniable truth: in mists of urban chaos, traffic congestions, random gun violence, air, land and water pollutions, repressive ignorance and indifference there are beauty and tranquility found every where you look:Boston, Montreal, Ottawa, Minnesota, Yellowstone, Montana, Canadian Rockies, Edmonton, Alaska, Vancouver, Seattle, Porland, Colorado, and even MIT! Dr. Greenspun has an unique and intelligent way of caputre his subject matters with his camera and displayed them spendidly as photographs to enhance readers' pleasure. I am a great lover of photography, and can recommend this book just on the high quality of the photographs alone. Even if you have no desire to read a word of Dr.Greenspun's book, I belive you will enjoy all the stunning and unbelievable photos. Comparing with the online version of the photographs, the color and contrast of the photographs would inspire and propel you to visit the locals yourself. Due to Dr. Greenspun's book, I have set aside a loyal sum of money to visit Alaska to photograph wild bears and other wonderful advantures. How exciting would it be to breath the air of Colorado Rockies, listen to the sound of mountain springs in the Yellow Stone, eyewitness the starry night sky of Alaska, smell the wild flowers of Montana, eat the home-made-soup of truck stops of the interstate highways, visit great art museums of Boston and Philpelphia, and most importantly a journey of self-discovery....I treasure this book with all my heart; something viseral and emotional unexplainable with words. Perhaps a great sense of pride and belonging. Perhaps a slight sense of comfort and understanding. Perhaps a wonderful peek at other peoples' inner lives. Perhaps this book reminds me more than any book that I should ignore all the inconviences of daily life and appreciate the gradiose gift of happiness from my family and friends.

I recently became interested in traveling and when I first picked up this book, I was excited to read about the different parts of the author's trip and hear about the places he visited. However, by the end I found there was more to it than just where he had been and what he had seen. What separates this piece of writing from others is that it reads very smoothly, as if the author is telling the story in person. I found that certain bits and pieces of information from conversations with strangers were effectively chosen. By focusing on interesting dialogues, it is easy to understand how these people have changed the author's outlook on strangers and life in general. His struggle for answers and meaning on this trip reminded me of Eugene Henderson's struggle in Bellow's novel "Henderson the Rain King"...in the end they both seem to find that what they are looking for is actually much closer than it seems.
The photography in this book is some of the best I've ever seen...the pictures from the Yellowstone chapter were especially beautiful. If they were blown up, I bet they would look fantastic in a frame on the wall. Greenspun has definitely strengthened my desire to get out on the road, see new places and meet new people. Travels With Samantha proves that everyone can potentially gain from traveling; all it takes is an open mind...

Greenspun's 1993 summer holiday trip, 14 weeks from Boston to Alaska and back, turns out to be an interesting read. Although he often discribes himself as a typical MIT computer science nerd, he seems to have no trouble meeting people and engaging in various conversations with him. In fact, he's surprisingly good at it.

Philip appears to have a very strong (American) opinion on just about everything and that is quite noticable in this book as well. Added to the constant stream of meeting people and summarizing his conversations with them, this can make TWS a somewhat though read after a while.

The photography is very nice, very effectively showing the places Greenspun visited. It could also be classified as "calendar-type landscape/wildlife photography". Fortunately, the sheer beauty of landscapes, the Alaska bear photographs as well as several portraits to go along with the names in the story, make up for this.

Summarizing, I should say that I am very happy that this 1994 web publication is available in print. I enjoyed reading it on the web while I was a student and happily re-read the print edition.

I read Philip's writings from his trip few years ago, just as he was publishing it on his (at that time unique and very vaulable for a beginning photographer) web. In fact, I downloaded all the artciles, printed them myself and made a book of them at home. And I read and I even made some notes out of it. So, now, few years later, i decided to buy the book, because: I had though I would like to have a real book, and I wanted to test Amazon.com shopping. Well, After have it read once again, as a real book, I am somewhat disapointed. First, there are actually less pictures than within the original articles still avalable on the photo.net. Second, the print quality is not very good, and so, in fact, if I tried, I could make better looking photographs just printing the downloaded stuff on my computer printer. And this is a professionally printed book. And, for photographs, low quality of print matters very much. So, that is why I am disappointed. Still, the reading's fine and easy, and in fact, it is the kind that lets you (me) rest while reading, so, it is ok for me. I read Joyce too, but when I want to.

I always buy Lonely Planet guides because they are great but I purchased this in August 2008 and was shocked to find it's a 2006...the costs of everything in the book are meaningless because it's so outdated. There are new tours, new prices not even listed in here. I was disappointed that Lonely Planet would sell such an old book and hasn't come out with a new edition since 2006.

Another really great book - typical of Lonely Planet quality. Shipped on time - I'm a happy camper.

It was bought as a gift and my Dad really liked the book. It was a great present for someone who is taking an Alaskan trip!

If you hitchkiking, backpacking or not using an RV that this is your book. If you using a RV, this book as little value.

I just came back from the vacation in Alaska last night. I came from China one year ago and had this vacation all by myself. Thanks for this book, my trip was fantastic! I used this book for trip planning, like booking hotels. And I had it on my way always. Information in this book is very updated and really helpful. On the last several blank pages, I got some stamps of national parks, as well as contact information of many friends made in this trip. I'll keep this book, which will make me recall all the great details of my trip. And I will recommend this book all my friends who are interested in traveling in Alaska.

An entertaining look at the life of a part Athabascan Indian trapper and woodsman, sharing the hard times and rewarding aspects of living in the remote backwoods of Alaska. An entertaining read.

Mr. Huntington's book has painted a vivid portrait of life in this region of Alaska during the early 1900's. Being from the lower 48, I can only imagine the rigors their life required. I look forward to reading his brother's book.

It is sad that Sidney Huntingtons book had to be sooo different than his brother's. Jimmy Huntington's book was so much more down to earth.

I am an Alaskan. I've read most things "Alaskan". This is the best!

interesting and written in readable and enjoyable language! fingers can't keep up with eyes while turning the pages...

This is a wonderful story for children. It is also enjoyable for adults.

It is a true story and there is a statue of Balto in Central park in New York City.

Although this is an inspiring and well-written piece of literature, the fact is that, even though Balto took the medicine 53 miles, his was the last leg of the relay. There were other teams of dogs who traveled farther and longer than Balto's team, and they received none of the credit afterwards. I suppose it's the politics of heroism, which is sad, but they should still be acknowledged for having gotten the medicine far enough for Balto to see it delivered safely to the sick people.

I teach an afterschool literacy program for children in 3rd-6th grades. My 3rd grade struggling readers loved this story! However, you need to give them the background information ahead of time for them to get the most out of this story. We looked at copies of the original news stories and pictures of the real Balto, read books about Alaska and the Iditarod Race, and learned about "dogs with jobs" before we opened this book. The easy reading level and great illustrations made this a joy to read for my reluctant readers. They wrote a "missing chapter" of the dogs' journey to Nome. Fantastic!

I tutor my 7 year-old niece, who is a second grade stuggling reader. She LOVED this book! Although I planned to make about three sessions out of the story she insisted on reading (aloud) right to the end even though the book is slightly above her 1.8 reading ability level.

...can keep these packs of hardy huskies and malamutes from delivering the antitoxin to Nome during the 1925 Diptheria Epidemic!

No train can get through due to the snow. The train that was originally transporting the medicine got mired in snow, more than 700 miles from its destination. Only a sled team of hardy dogs can reach the stricken town. Balto, the lead dog on one of the latter legs of that fateful run led a team of hardy malamutes and huskies some 53 miles. He led the team through adverse weather and land conditions including blizzards and a froxen river. The curly tailed dog is credited for seeing the medicine through; it is on his run that the medicine arrived 10 days ahead of schedule.

This book will delight and excite young readers who will wait with baited breath (even though they know the malamute team will reach the town like the Calvary). The delightful illustrations make a good thing even better. The history of the hardy Eskimo dog, the sled dog driver and the dog teams will provide a part of history that will be revived and discussed for a long time to come. Adding the map of the dog sled trail was an excellent teaching device.

Can not begin the decribe the three books, the story that unfolds, and the clarity of reading and being able to visually see the story as if it were a movie. Keep writing - Sue Harrison - I am one person who waits for more stories to take me away to a different time and place!!!

I felt this story was all over the place. After the first two novels being so good, I just found Brother Wind had too many minor characters now given major roles and a plot which was stretched thin. Too much time was also spent describing the actions of the villain. Surely, in a land where daily sustenance was a struggle villains would have less time to plot and plan? I gave up reading this story after the silly baby-swap/kidnapping bit towards the end. I guess I wanted to read about the good guys and had zero interest in the villains and their shenanigans.

Loved this book! It is a quick read because the story is so entertaining you can't put it down. The whole story is very emotional. Some parts were kind of predictable. I will definately read this again!

Anything by Sue Harrison is a good read. This is beyond good. If you love prehistoric novels, pick this one up.

I read the My Sister The Moon first not realizing there was a first. By the end of the story it was like a show you were into and then all of a sudden it says "to be continued..." I left feeling disappointed like that couldn't be it. Then fortuantly i found the third of the trilogy. Brother Wind gave me the ending I was looking forward to. She amazed me with this story. I was completly satisfied. The book held a magical tale of a beautiful woman who had so much strength and courage that I wanted to be her. The book captured my spirit and placed all of its attention in the heart of this book. Oh i wish there was a fourth. I would love to hear how the twins grew up. I was also very intrigued with Kukutux, and wouldn't mind have Harrison's next book focus on her with some intresting twists on the twins life. I was a little unsure about moving into a different trilogy, based on knowing I would miss the same characters but I figured Sue amazed me this time why couldn't she with a different series. So I had to go out and buy the Storyteller trilogy. P.S. the person that wrote the review that said She Who Remembers was written by Harrison was wrong. That book was written by Linda Lay Shuler, who also has her own trilogy starting with She Who Remembers and that is an equally good historical book that i would recommend to any of Harrison's or Auel's readers.

this book is interesting and informative. I have been to Glacier Bay National park where this man loves so much and I also like it very much and find it fascinating. All of Alaska is fascinating, beautiful and one of the two most beautiful of all 50 of the states though others may disagree. The other state is Hawaii. I enjoy travel books and like reading about how people tell the stories of their trips. I also enjoy seeing photos of different places of the world.

Kim Heacox freely gives readers what he knows of and loves about Glacier Bay, one of the most magical places on Earth, and here too is what Heacox knows of and loves about life as well. Whether you already have your own romance with the place, or just a romance with the idea of it, in this book Heacox clarifies the roots of that romance, celebrates his own -- and on every page, he honors the integrity of the wild.

Enjoyable. Well written. Honest. Auto-biographical, but flows like a novel. I connected with the people, and the land, and the sentiment of the author.

While I wasn't as blown away by the book as some of the previous reviews, I have to admit that I enjoyed it very much. It provoked a lot of thoughts in me about nature, conservation, industrialism, etc. I may have started the book looking for a lot of "action", and you will be disappointed if that is your goal. But after settling into it, I found myself relating very much to what Kim was saying.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the true Alaska.

Outstanding book. Great combination of story telling, adventure and ecological education. A very meaningful theme of wilderness appreciation runs through the book. I highly recommend it.

This book is a great love story about two individuals that have been hurt deeply and scared to trust again. There are hot and steamy parts and there Oh, my God moments.

I could not put the book down because I on edge wanting to know what was going to happen next. I will recommend this book as a great read.

It is well established that I'm a huge Brenda Jackson fan. I'm damn near done collecting every single book she's written. I must say that I've found a couple of her books not all that great, but still enjoyable to read. This is one of them. I'm not really feeling Gabe all that much. He seems boring to me. I'm not sure what it is but Gabe's story isn't all that great like Christopher's was in Perfect Timing. But I still love BJ. She's one of the best African-American romance novelist out there.

Well, this is a well written book with a very important lesson about forgiveness. Sage had to learn to forgive Erol, but let the relationship go because she was not inlove with Erol anymore. As for Gabe Blackwell, he learned that not only did he have issues as well, but he too had to forgive Lindsey.
I knew that Ms. Jackson would get to the point of forgiveness, but I must say that I was wonderfully surprised that she used the scripture;not in so much as to put in chapters and verses, to make her point, but to paraphrase and not take anything away nor add to it. It was a lesseon well learned. Wonderfully written. The total human -- mind, body and spirit was simply delivered simply to the reader. The spiritual won over as far as praying and learning about life and love washed over Sage. Thank you for not making Sage turn to being a wimpy, always crying individual. Can't stand that in books. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing.

I couldn't put this novel down. Ms. Jackson is a great writer, a great storyteller. I've read many of her other books(some good and some so-so),and she's still all that. The way Ms. Jackson tells this story, it's like you're right in between Gabe and Sage. The way she describes where Gabe's house is located...hey I gotta go to Alaska now. I'm never disappointed when I read a Brenda Jackson novel, and I can't wait to read what she's got next.

This was a good book but it took me a while to realize this. The book started a little slow for me and didn't get good until about the 100th page. It was a little to formal for me in the beginning and I felt like the characters couldn't relax around each other. The characters loosened up quite a bit and this book turned into a good read. The love scenes definitely saved the book, they are the most intense scenes that I have ever read. The book is a bit predictable, nothing will shock you but in the end it is a cute story.

Drury knows his subject well and takes you on an up close and personal journey into Alaska and the lives of PJ's and if you don't get lost in his style of starting on one story and having to tell six or seven other ones before he can finish the first one, you will get to the surprising ending. I found myself reading the book like a engrossing mystery, partly because of wanting to know what happens to key characters, but also because Drury doesn't leave out the details, even the politically incorrect ones.

PJs have been going through the pipeline, and more have tried, for years, and it's about time they were recognized for their hairy, heroic efforts that would leave most men dumbfounded with their pants wet. (I can only hope Mike's daughter inspires a sequel to this book!! You go girl.) Bob Drury really did justice to the work these men, and the others in the Forest Service,etc., put in every day, and the camaraderie that goes with risking their lives together.

Great, easy reading, even for a female. Adventures about the rescue team (mostly former military) under horrible, inhumane conditions (ice, cold, storms, broken bones) in Alaska's mountains. Very dedicated, but fit pararescuers. Keeps you on the edge. Good present if you have a pilot in the family!

I quite enjoyed reading this whole book. The information about parajumpers was mostly new to me & very interesting. The rescue stories were facinating. All these sorts of books put in some history, background of the area & people. Sometimes that stuff gets boring, but that wasn't the case in this one. The information about Alaska was so interesting I was wishing there was more, rather than skimming to get through it. I didn't give it 5 stars because of 2 complaints. One is that right in the middle of the last big story, he stops the story to give very long lists of all the gear in the headquarts. While the wide variety of gear might be of interest, the placement of it in the narrative was frustrating. The other thing was the author spent a lot of time helping us get to know the parajumpers, especially a few specific ones. Parts of the entire book were devoted to this. But in the final, climatic "big" rescue story, the none of these characters played any part. I found it odd that the story he picked to describe in the most detail didn't include the parajumpers who the book is mainly about. But that rescue was a great story as were all the other stories in the book & it's well worth reading. Impressive group of men!

I read a lot of books covering a wide variety of topics. This book is so poorly written that I actually threw it in the trash after completing it so that no one would be tempted to pull it off the shelf and read it. I kept hoping that at some point the story would come together and I would be pleasantly suprised. The suprise was that it never got better from chapter 1 throught until the end.

This book is the first part of trilogy about Alaskan Natives who are story tellers. Ms. Harrison really out done herself: the history, the people, and their myths are spectacular. She also vividly recreated the time and atmosphere. While reading her words I felt hot when she described their lodge's fire, cold from the vivid scenes of the frozen wilderness, and hunger from the tempting accounts of sizzling seal and fish.
I also cried with the people's sorrow and laughed with their happiness. I think you should buy all three, turn off the TV, and enter the frozen world of the past with a race that sheds light upon your soul.

I picked up this book at the bookstore, unable to find anything else that interested me at the time, and I'm glad I did. I was quickly caught up in the story of Chakliux, with the otter foot, and his evil mother K'os, and then, Aqamdax. This is a story full of malice, revenge and violence, which took me by surprise from the first chapter. I almost stopped reading it after a few chapters, thinking "there are no happy people in this story", but I'm glad I pushed on and continued reading. When I finished the book, I waited impatiently for the next in the series to arrive. Now I am a fan of Sue Harrison and am waiting impatiently for the 3rd in the series to arrive, though I had to order it from a private seller. I highly recommend this series.

I felt that this book was less confusing than the last book. I love the ending but there were still a couple of questions left unanswered in my mind. I enjoyed this trilogy better than Harrison's other trilogy, however, both are wonderful!

The people in this book need to lighten up! No one appears to be happy or friendly or in the mood for anything but well..being angry. Waxtal has come back from the "Dancing Lights" in the form of that woman who's only driving thought is retribution. Another woman has to live away from her people and learn to survive, Samiq/Kukutux ring a bell? At one point a child is cuffed for getting some food out of the village cooking bags by an old woman, whereas in the first series, food was gladly shared even when there was so little.
I found that I really could care less what happens to this glum, moody bunch. I hope in the next book people cheer up and find a reason to smile!

This was a great book, I could not put it down. I am new to Sue Harrison, but now I'm hooked. I felt the power of her words. She herself is a storyteller like the characters in her book. I'm not sure if all the facts are correct. Truthfully I could care less, I did not read this book for a history lesson. This book is a great way to escape, a poor mans vacation. Can't wait to see the places the second book will take me.

This would be a nice beach book: not to deep, reasonably well written. And some nice reflections on an Alaska that is changing, and the people who live there.

Even though I love Alaska and most books about it, I found this book pretty slow. I like the fact that the book tells the stories of people who live along the pipeline, but I was probably expecting more adventure...
Therefore, it took me more than a month to finish it...
I enjoyed the extracts about Jane and the affection he feels for her, but unfortunately they are very rare exceptions.

This was a good book about a fellow who decides to walk the Alaska Pipeline from Valdez to Prudhoe Bay with his Chocolate Lab, Jane. He took all summer to do it and chronicles the trip in the book. He did some research on the places he visited as well as the pipeline so it was very interesting from that point of view but also from his writing about walking, solitude, and his dog.

I spent my teenage years in Fairbanks and traveled from Bristol Bay to the Arctic Circle, though not even nearly as intimately and exhaustively as Ned Rozell. But luckily I found his book through a family member there who knows him. His descriptions of the landscapes, the characters, the attitudes, and even the whine of the mosquitoes all take me back to Alaska. It's absolutely true to the people and places I knew and it makes for a delightful read! Plus, I can't tell you how grateful I am to escape to the land of the midnight sun when it is 112 degrees here in central California. I hereby solemnly swear to take my kids to canoe on the Chena and pick wild blueberries on Ester Dome next summer!

Having traveled in Alaska, I think many others have had the desire to take a similar journey.The story was very well written as my interest was held from the moment I started reading.The author does an excellent job of telling his and Janes many adventures along the trip.It makes you fell you are right there with them.I recommend the book for anyone who has had that l ifelong desire to do something they have never found time to do.I really enjoyed the book.Made me feel I was back in Alaska.