[.ca] Looking For Alaska (ISBN 0312302894)

From Amazon.com:
In 1999, Peter Jenkins and his family left their farm in Tennessee to live in Alaska for a few seasons, eventually renting a house in Seward, Alaska (pop. 2,830) on the Kenai Peninsula. The principal aim of the trip was for Jenkins to write a travelogue, but he also saw it as an opportunity to end a period of personal stagnation. It appears to have worked, for Looking for Alaska is filled with a vibrancy that can only come from one with a fully charged battery. Recognizing that "This giant place is filled with people determined to live as free as possible of others' intervention," he employed the same low-key approach to research that made his bestselling book A Walk Across America (1979) so engaging--he made friends wherever he went and allowed people to share their stories in their own way and in their own time. Part of Jenkins's charm is that he never pretends that he's figured the place out; he readily cops to his outsider status and invites readers to experience his sense of awe and surprise with him. During his 18-month stay in the Last Frontier, Jenkins spent time with wildlife rangers, recreation guides, native whalers, fishermen, and dogsled mushers, all of whom showed Jenkins and his family glimpses of their own private Alaska. (They also shared their bear stories; it seems nearly everyone in the state has had at least one run-in with the giant predator). "No one is ever the same after coming back from Alaska," he writes and after reading his book, it's easy to believe him. --Shawn Carkonen

Myths of Alaska:
Once again someone from outside the state spends more than the summer in Alaska and they think they know it, or in this case "found" it. It is sad that Jenkins visited numerous areas in Alaska that have been seriously impacted by a host of tragedies like the Exxon Valdez spill and over-logging, yet he chooses to perpetuate a myth. He visits Cordova and Seward, but says not a word about the loss of ways of life and the impact the 1989 oil spill had on these communities and the lands. He visits Denali yet his lips are sealed as to the unmitigated and overzealous hunting (including aerial) of grizzly and wolf. Obviously the myth will sell more books. I am not suggesting that he swamp his text with the sadness and loss that truly makes up Alaska's reality right now, but at least be honest. The Alaska he speaks so fondly is on its way to becoming history. This is also Alaska, but not so glamorous. People have the right to know of the national loss that is currently taking place in this once pristine state. Or perhaps we should gain from Jenkins that he, like so many others, were there just to exploit the state - her future of little concern to him, ie. "now on to the next book....

Should be required listening for anyone going to Alaska:
My mother and I are going to Alaska for a month, her treat for me getting my MBA. I got her this book on tape, her favorite way of experiencing books and she absolutely loved this one. She said it was like being there, with voice excerpts of several of the main characters like they did in `Band of Brothers'. Get it, listen, she was there for over twelve hours, you will be too. She tells me this is the best way to prepare for our adventure there she could imagine.

Looking for Alaska:
Being close to Peter's age, I read his first two books soon after they were written and loved them. When I saw that he had written a book about Alaska, one of my dream destinations, I had to buy it. I decided that I would read this book before making any concrete Alaska travel plans. I've almost completed the book and have had a hard time putting it down. It truly fuels my desire to see the REAL Alaska. In fact, I just told my husband yesterday that we need to not only visit Alaska in the summer, as most everyone does, but in the winter also. Being the Florida sun-lover that he is, of course he thought I was crazy. But I would love to have taken the 1 1/2 year adventure that Peter took. He has a way of drawing you into his stories so that you feel you've been there, too. I was totally amazed and inspired by the grueling and dangerous lifestyle choices made by many of the individuals and families that Peter met. I recommend this book to anyone with a sense of adventure and desire to learn about life in wild places.

Another great book from Peter Jenkins:
This is another great book by the author of Walk Across America Peter Jenkins. This time he visits the great state of Alaska. The people he meets, the places he visits, I want to go tomorrow. Peter does a great job in both words and pictures describing Alaska and it's people. As soon as you fall in love with one of the people he write's about, there's another waiting in the next chapter. The people of Alaska seemed to open up to Peter and his family and it shows in this wonderful book. Some of the pictures, both color and black in white in the book are as well amazing. They give you a true taste of what Alaska looks like. All were taken by Peter, or his daughter Rebekah, who joins him along with the rest of the family in many parts of his journey. This is another book from Peter Jenkins I couldn't seem to put down. I great read, a great place, I want to go now, not tomorrow.

Absolutely A Tremendous Read!:
I have read all of Peter's books and found this one to be one of the best yet. His books keep your attention and put you right beside him in his daily activities and new surroundings. I envy him for his courage to expand his life so dramatically. Looking for Alaska, like all his other books, actually make you feel as if your in this wilderness and you can feel his every thought. Do not pass this book up!