To continue our monthly series of book lists, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library would like to recommend the following nonfiction titles about Alaska. June 21 is the longest day of the year, and it’s a very long day in Alaska. The sun will barely set in some parts of the state. Warm summer days are a good time to read about adventure, animals, pioneers, and cabin fever in Alaska and its adjoining seas. At least you don’t have to worry about frostbite, even if it’s cool, rainy summer day.
June 2010—Alaska: True stories of adventure, animals, and cabin fever.
The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race against an Epidemic by Gary Salisbury.
Chronicles the valiant efforts of a dogsled relay to bring serum to ice-bound Nome, Alaska, when a deadly diphtheria outbreak put Eskimo natives and especially their children at risk in 1925. Blends Alaska's early history with portraits of courageous team leaders and their dogs--including the famous Balto--who trekked 674 miles across frozen terrain. 2003. Cassette Book RC 58310. Digital Book DB 58310. (DB 58310 is only available by download from BARD http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.58310)
Forever on the Mountain: The Truth behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters by James M. Tabor.
The author uses diaries, letters, personal interviews with survivors, and government documents to investigate the disappearance of seven men in July 1967 when a storm hit as they attempted to scale Alaska's Mt. McKinley. Discusses allegations of incompetence and a cover-up. 2007. Cassette Book RC 67223. Digital Book DB 67223.
Going To Extremes by Joe McGinniss.
Account of the raucous human scene, the cold and the isolation of Alaska. McGinniss writes of the savage weather, the magnificent beauty of the Northern Brooks Range, and the bizarre characters he found in offices, bars, and lonely cabins in the wilderness. Strong language. 1980. Braille Book BR 4756. Cassette Book RC 32403.
In The Company of Wild Bears: A Celebration of Backcountry Grizzlies and Black Bears by Howard Smith.
True tales of backcountry encounters between humans and bears in Alaska, Wyoming, and on the Appalachian Trail. Includes information on bear protection, behavior, and ecology. 2006. Cassette Book CBA 7942.
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer.
This book, which grew from an article the author wrote for “Outside” Magazine, discusses a fatal trek by a young man named Chris McCandless. After graduating from college in 1990, McCandless abandoned his car, gave away his money, and cut off contact with his family. Exactly 112 days after he wandered into the Alaskan wild, McCandless was found dead of starvation. The author looks to himself and other adventurers for an explanation. Bestseller. 1996. Cassette Book RC 41823. Large Print Book LP 14272.
Lost At Sea: An American Tragedy by Patrick Dillon.
Recounts how in 1983, two boats from a fishing fleet out of Anacortes, Washington, simultaneously capsized off the coast of Alaska, without giving distress signals. Describes the extensive investigation into the mysterious incident and explains why crabbing had become "the nation's deadliest occupation." Some strong language. 1998. Braille Book 12712. Cassette Book RC 51089.
No End in Sight: My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer by Rachael Scdoris and Rick Steber.
Twenty-year-old author discusses her Oregon childhood, her experience with low vision, and her determination to become a professional sled dog racer. Describes being introduced to the sport by her father, becoming the youngest athlete to win a five-hundred-mile race, and the obstacles she overcame to qualify for the Iditarod. 2006. Braille Book 16418. Cassette Book RC 61948.
Passage To Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings by Jonathan Raban.
Raban chronicles his 1990s trip up the Inside Passage from Seattle, Washington, to Juneau, Alaska, in a ketch (the boat's main attraction was its built-in bookcases). He had set out to retrace George Vancouver's 1792 route and to meditate on the lure of the sea, but instead his journey became one of personal introspection. 1999. Braille Book BR 12680. Cassette Book CBA 7484. Digital Book DBW 7484. Available for download from the WTBBL website (http://www.wtbbl.org/DownloadAudioBooks.aspx ).
Pioneering On The Yukon 1892-1917 by Anna DeGraf.
In 1982, widowed fifty-three-year-old DeGraf is concerned when her son fails to return from a two-week trip to the Yukon. Packing her sewing machine to provide income along the way, Degraf leaves her Seattle home and sets out to find him. She proves hardier than many of the men who turn back. DeGraf describes in her memoirs the highlights of what turned out to be a twenty-five-year stay on the Yukon frontier. 1992. Cassette Book RC 36833.
The Wilderness of the Upper Yukon: A Hunter's Explorations for Wild Sheep in Sub-Arctic Mountains by Charles Sheldon.
Author recounts his 1904-1905 field expeditions in Alaska to hunt bighorn sheep. Recalls traveling by steamboat and canoe, with packhorses, and on foot, sometimes in the company of friends. Describes the country landscape, weather, and wildlife he encountered. 1911. Cassette Book RC 66131. Digital Book DB 66131.