Smelcer boils his views down into a collection of tightly composed poems that convey the Native American experience through brief vignettes that are at turns political, spiritual, angry, celebratory, tragic, comic and, at all times, gripping. Its quite the work.
Together, the five volumes and 2,000 pages of 'Aunt Phil's Trunk' are neither an academic nor a comprehensive history of Alaska, but it is an entertaining and accessible account of the people who have called it home.
The mystery of what happened to the Franklin expedition has haunted Arctic history since? 1848.
Despite record-setting races in the Iditarod Trail Invitational and the White Mountains 100, Heather Best and Jeff Oatley of Fairbanks insist their main interest is riding for fun -- so long as a little adventure is sprinkled in.
The steadily lengthening ice-free season has left the Sarichef Island shorelines exposed to storms that themselves are aggravated by climate change, speeding the pace of erosion and consistently thwarting efforts at maintaining the ground beneath the town.
Both books provide what crime readers want: quick tales with flawed but decent heroes, people with pasts they cant escape, a few plot twists and a handy resolution, all set in locations that help drive the stories. Alaska again proves itself prime geography for fictional killings.
On the second page of Chuck Sassaras Alaska, the author slams his plane into the snow on the Anchorage side of Merrill Pass en route from Bethel. The 1976 incident left Sassara and his passenger unhurt but stranded, unsure if they would be rescued.
Author Tom Brennan's book on the slaying of Kent Leppink is, without question, squalid and tawdry, as well as appalling. But like the proverbial wreck on the highway, I found myself unable to turn away.
Author Peter Marchands descriptions of life along the Yukon are filled with the intricate connections that bind all forms of life to one another, with humans a part of the web spanning out over the landscape. This uncommon natural history is a deeply human story.
Between the stories and the photographs, Extreme Motoring is pure fun and a fine introduction to an overlooked bit of Alaska history that one neednt be a car lover to enjoy.
Our book critics, Nancy Lord and David James, recall some of their favorite reads this year. It may prove useful to readers looking for Alaska books as holiday gifts or for suggestions of worthy books they may have missed.
Anchorage artist Lucas Elliott delivers a 148-page streamlined adaptation that pulls the main plot threads from the film and weaves them into a fast-paced, eye-pleasing version that can be easily read in a single sitting. Its every bit as funny as the movie, even if many of the best parts and quirkiest characters got left out.
