Alaska Books

"Memoirs of a Yukon Priest "by Segundo Llorente Georgetown University Press, 1990.
This is the autobiography of a Spaniard,(born in Leon, Spain), who spent most of his adult life as a missionary to the natives of Alaska. At the age of ten, Llorente went to the local preseminary school, where "...the main academic fare was Latin eight hours a day". Then, he studied at the Jesuit novitiate in Castile and, at twenty, he made plans to go to Alaska, which had no native priests. He was ordained a Jesuit priest in the United States, where he studied English at Gonzaga University. This illustrates one of the main themes in this book: language. Fr. Llorente had to first learn Spanish, then Latin, then English, and then the different Eskimo (Inuit) languages. In 1935, the author was a"...full-fledged priest" and, in the midst of the Great Depression, he was able to earn enough money to purchase a brand-new typewriter with Spanish characters, with which he intended to "... support myself in Alaska by writing for publication in his spare times". He must have written very well since the WEB lists quite a few books, in Spanish, under his name.

After the first seven pages of the book, introducing his life, the author spends the remainder of the book, about 233 pages, describing this life, his work, his loneliness, and his priesthood among the Eskimos in Alaska. He spends a few chapters on Alaska, itself, the Yukon River, the climate and especially travelling in the coldness of Winter. Much of the book, however, is devoted to his relations with the local people and the local priests. The writing is superb.

Throughout the book, there is a subliminal sense of humor, which surfaces, now and then, into print. Look at pages 64 and 65, where the town of Kotzebue wanted Fr. Llorente to treat them to a full-blown bull fight, since he was Spanish. The good father did so, pulled the bull by his tale, and then whacked the bull on his nose. Finally, the priest "...stood there with ... (his) ...cane raised to the sky - a symbol of victory". Fr. Llorente has written a very funny story of the convergence of two different cultures, the Spanish and the Eskimo, in the town common when a bull had been delivered. Later, the bull was butchered to serve as a source of protein for the coming long winter.

Besides all the material aspects of life, the good priest-author deals with the spiritual, showing signs of Spanish mysticism. Recall that both St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross were Spanish. When Fr. Llorente writes about Christ in the Holy Eucharist, with both of them alone in a cold church on the Yukon, his writing and description become very close to what I would consider mysticism. (See the first chapter of "Truth And Tolerance" by Josef Cardinal Ratzinger, Ignatius Press, 2003).

But Fr. Llorente was also man of the world, and was popular enough amongst his flock for them to elect him to the State Legislature. It would seem that he was the first Roman Catholic priest to be elected to a legislature in these United States. His service as a legislator brought him into a sort of conflict with his bishop, the Rev. O'Flanagan, who was concerned with separation of church and state; this brief episode is described at the very end of the book. This book is a wonderful record of the excellent efforts of one man, Fr. Segundo Llorente, S.J., 1906-1989.

Disclosure: I received this book as result of a very small donation to the Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska.

To journal is a great way to build a vacation memory. There is so much to see and do on an Alaska Trip be sure to take lots of pictures and take notes. What better way to record your trip that with the Milepost Log Book.

We lived in Alaska for 30 years and made several trips over the Alcan Hwy. Lots of great experiences, just wish we had taken better notes.

A shocking note Americans don't know about medical bills: They don't reflect the costs of the medicine itself. "Mired in the Health Care Morass: An Alaskan Takes On America's Dysfunctional Medical System for his Uninsured Daughter" is the tale of accomplished author and geophysicist Neil Davis's fight against the American Health care system and how it is extorting Americans when they are at their most vulnerable - when they are ill themselves or deathly concerned for the well being of their loved ones. With advice to fight these corrupt practices and get the more correct and proper hospital bill, "Mired in the Health Care Morass: An Alaskan Takes on America's Dysfunctional Medical System for his Uninsured Daughter" is highly recommended for anyone who has been scorned by the American health care system and for community library social issues shelves everywhere.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Ray Hudson's memories of Unalaska and its people form a beautiful portrait of a time and place. As a former resident of Unalaska, I highly recommend the book. Although the community can no longer be called a village, the Aleut roots described in Hudson's tale are still there. And his deeply evocative descriptions of the land--one of the most remote and beautiful in the world, I'm convinced--are wonderful. The descriptions of everything from fog to wildflowers to stormy nights are moving and accurate. A definite must to anyone traveling to the Aleutian Islands--and a terrific travelogue for the armchair traveler..

We suddenly decided to go to Alaska in 2 weeks and we needed a good travel guide so we could do a lot of last minute planning quickly. This is it! I was able to make all our arrangements using it (along with the Internet). You can find the information you want easily in this book. I've been to Alaska before and was pleased to find that this is accurate too. I've used a lot of travel books for various trips to other places and frequently end up frustrated with them, but this book has been a total delight. I highly recommend it.

They did what they had to do to survive the environment and live a full life. "Remarkable" women to us. Just getting by to them. It is all a matter of perspective. They made homes, gardens and communities. Women who developed the wilderness and loved it. They wrote about the wilderness; talked about it; and fought to protect it. Native women who did not want their world enveloped, absorbed, and forgotten. Explorers who loved what they discovered and worked to settle it. The book describes itself as a "collection of brief and absorbing biographies". Once I started to read I could not put it down. Eloquently written. I must now read the rest of the "More than Petticoats" series. After all, people are what history is all about.

OK, so I'm incredibly biased, as this is my Great Grandmother's account of life teaching and working with an Inuit community starting in 1926 in the Arctic Circle. However, this is a fascinating read for anyone wanting to learn more about the environmental conditions and the (unfortunately) vanishing culture of the Inuit people. The honesty and lack of prejudice that my great grandmother exhibited in her writing during that time period is impressive, especially considering the harshness of such a climate. Ever survived living in extreme sub-zero temperatures w/o the benefit of central heating? Like to learn how it is done? Then this should definitely be added to your reading list.

A hundred years ago, Tom Sawyer and Jim rafted down the Mississippi River on an astounding journey that carried them into amazing adventures. They encountered two drunken charlatans, escaped great danger and discovered the magic of Old Man River. Teenagers and adults across America love Mark Twain's classic tale of life on the Mississippi.



Today, however, teens love fast video games, air hockey and skateboard parks. They race BMX bicycles and ride dirt track motorcycles. They love faster adventures.



A "Motorcycle Adventure to Alaska" grabs readers like a dirt track knobby tire and doesn't let go for teens in the 21st century. Written by long time motorcycle adventure feature writer, Frosty Wooldridge, the characters Trevor and Dan Compton ride a new kind of river made of asphalt and gravel while their raft turns into iron steeds with tires and rumbling exhaust pipes.



This is a book about two boys coming of age. Ever the rambunctious teenager, Trevor rides into danger with fearless abandon, but rides himself and his brother into plenty of trouble. He is a wild-eyed explorer who loves nothing better than telling outrageous stories to strangers. Trevor hitches up his leathers while becoming Buckskin Trevor of the mountain men, Fishbait Trevor who catches the biggest fish in Alaska and Mad Trapper Trevor who chases after the gold and many more. He is funny, crazy and a pain in the butt for his brother. But he's got what every young boy wants! Heart! Courage! Confidence in his life!



Once they hit Alaska, Trevor and Dan find themselves in the middle of a Mountain Man Rendezvous that begins a remarkable series of shooting flint lock rifles, tomahawk throwing contests, eating raw fish and battling the biggest man in Alaska in an arm wrestling contest. From there, they face a grizzly, fight some bad guys, fish for the biggest salmon in Alaska while viewing Denali "The Great One" the highest peak in North America.



Something magical happens along the way. The boys mature into young adults with a sense of responsibility to themselves, animals, the planet and others. This book is a heck of a read for teenagers, but as the endorsements explain, more than a few adults will be reading this book for the sheer pleasure of an adventure they wished they had taken as teenagers. If you like motorcycles, you're going to love this ride! Adults who love motorcycle adventure will find this book teaches their kids values, responsibilities, hard work and character pay off in the life process.

This is a visually stunning book covering one of the remotest mountain regions of North America. Approx 150 colour photos depict the massive icefields, glaciers, high mountains and valleys east and west of the Coast Range.
The text gives the reader details of the author's travels through this vast wilderness on foot and skis and describes the difficulties encountered in such a rugged and remote area.
A must for anyone who loves "armchair wilderness travel" or for those who want to see what this magnificent and generally inaccessible region looks like.

My Heart on the Yukon River is more than a collection of black and white portraits of people who live in remote places: It's the story of a woman who knew what she wanted out of life and had the courage to go after it.... In nearly every photograph, people are leaughing or smiling. No one seems to be taking themselves too seriously. Yet, Dykstra affords each person a sense of dignity. In one photograph of a woman, Suzanne Picot from Whitehorse, she poses in front of her car- painted to look like a car. Picot, who reveals in her interview that she's in love with a man who grew up on a dairy farm, is dressed like a dairy cow. She wears a black and white spotted jump suit, complete with rubber udders, horns and a cowbell necklace. Oddly, she doesn't look ridiculous. She just looks happy. For 2,000 miles, Dykstra remains optimistic and never stoops to exploit poverty, lonliness or human tragedy.... Dykstra's images are visually interesting and her text is a pleaure to read.... My Heart on the Yukon River is a a carefree romp- a lighthearted journal of a road trip Lorrie Blair for Hour Magazine