Looking for Alaska

Rating:
Summary: Extreme Alaska, Extremely Interesting
Review: In Looking for Alaska, Peter Jenkins has delightfully found what he was looking for and much more. Though overawed by the topographical extremes, which comprise most of what people think of when they think of Alaska, Mr. Jenkins has shown us an Alaska made up of a very impressive hybrid of native and transplanted people.

He takes us down several roads, both literally and figuratively to meet residents whom we might never have encountered using his notoriety and ability to be recognized as a introduction gets many to open up in ways they might not have with some other author.

His stay of just over a year the timeline is true though exact dates and events seem occasionally misplaced. You will wish he stayed longer, met more people, and participated in more things.

He meets and stays with a family in the bush, goes on fishing and hunting expeditions, travels extensively within the state on all forms of conveyance. The phrase you can't get there from here is never truer than in Alaska where roads connect to everything but each other and someplace else.

The few weak spots should be noted. The first, though he seems to connect very well with the native population and their myriad frustrations he makes the "lower-48" mistake of referring to the highest mountain as McKinley and not Denali, a sore point to some. Though this is trivial it is not to the native Alaskans who today still complain that Russia sold something it didn't own.

An interesting dichotomy occurred during a final chapter. While on a moose hunt with a guide the guide states he has seen only about ten calves in a dozen years. Primarily, blaming the wolf population for the shortfall. The guide then goes on to scout a male moose with four cows pre-rut and has him shot, surely doing more potential damage to the dwindling moose population than the wolves. This point is left to the reader to work with and the facts are left uncommented on though obvious for all.

The final flaw was the author's ability to go on for pages on some vaguely and often strained humorous vein, and then casually drop in a life-experience a few pages later almost as an afterthought. For example, in one late chapter he goes about the "honey rocket," a convoluted vacuum toilet, and then a few pages later casually states, "Riding along with a caribou herd that numbered in the thousands across the snow-covered tundra was one of my most profound moments in Alaska." In the same paragraph he goes on, "To see a herd of musk ox with this year's crop of baby musk ox protected in the center of the herd when anyone comes around was more inspiring than I had thought possible." Mr. Jenkins should spend more time developing the "profound" and "inspiring" and less time on the vagaries of the honey-rocket. Or both.

Rating:
Summary: finding old friends
Review: We lived in Alaska 35+ years ago, and I love Peter Jenkin's writing. So glad to have found him again, and in one of my favorite places! He made it so real to me, and brought back so many memories. Peter is an outstanding author, and am glad he's still out there. Hope to see more of his writing in the near future. Thanks for the memories and adventure, Peter.

Rating:
Summary: A Fine Tribute to the Real Alaska
Review: After traveling extensively in Alaska this past summer, my wife and I were hungrey to learn more about our wonderful state up north. We have found nothing that tells the story of Alaska better than this book. It is educational, entertaining, and true to the Alaska we discovered. A great read and a very good piece of work from Peter Jenkins

Rating:
Summary: Almost as good as being there yourself!
Review: As a former newspaper photographer on the Kenai Peninsula, I found Peter's book to not only be a heartwarming romp through my old stomping grounds, but a courageous personal journal of a man who has worked hard to keep the adventourous spirit of his youth. This may very well be Peter's finest work.
His observations of Alaska are dead on, down to the most minute of details. This is no tourist book... these are tales soaked in the deep cold of a dark Alaskan winter, sprinkled with the sawdust from countless saloon floors, and seasoned with the grey silt of galcier-spawned rivers. I loved this book for its honesty and depth. I will return to it when I miss my old home, for it is the finest book on Alaska I've ever read.
Thank you Peter... keep on exploring!

Rating:
Summary: Understanding Alaska through Peter Jenkin's book
Review: I am greatly appreciative of Peter Jenkin's insight and am currently ordering a second copy to share with a good friend. I have taken an Inside Passage cruise to Alaska and will be spending this summer in Alaska (acknowledging that a summer visit is in no way equivalent to Mr. Jenkin's knowledge of Alaska...). However, I will know much more about Alaska, not only what I want to include in my "must see" itinerary, but also an insight into the Alaskan peoples than I might otherwise have known or thought about. In addition to what information I have acquired from the book is the extraordinary readability of the material as presented. It is definitely one of my favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: Hidden Messages
Review: Peter Jenkins continues to hide wonderful messages of life in his text. The beautiful thing about Peter's writing is that the messages are so subtle that many of them are not realized until one spends time in reflection after finishing the book. Looking for Alaska is just another great example of how Peter takes you on a journey that doesn't necessarily end after the last page. As an educator, I see great value for students in becoming familiar with his books. Thanks to Peter Jenkins for another great adventure that continues to inspire.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent !!!
Review: I loved this book and hated to see it end. Peter travels around Alaska relating true life stories from a variety of Alaskan's from mushers, a chapter on bear attacks, fishermen, families that live above the arctic circle far away from civilization.... Every chapter explored another interesting aspect of life in Alaska.

Rating:
Summary: Doubled my desire to visit Alaska
Review: I've always wanted to travel to Alaska, but after reading Peter Jenkin's book, that desire is double. Looking for Alaska is a joy to read, and it balances nicely the written word and the photo, that so many other travelogues cannot. Too many travel books are pretty pictureless, such as Terra Incognita, so you are left only with the author's descriptions of things. Or you get the coffee table photographic book that tries to tell you everything in a set of photos. Jenkins vivid writing and unforgettable characters come alive, and what a joy to be able to turn the page and see what is being talked about.

But even if there were no photos the book would be superb. While no one can probably say that they "understand Alaska," I feel that I know have a fresh and valid insight into what is essentially another country. One of the themes that runs through the book is how Alaska exerts a siren song upon visitors, resulting in many visitors never leaving. In many ways, you could almost hear the regrets in Jenkin's writing as he leaves the state after a year. The best of all is that for most of these people, they can't exactly say what kept them there, which just adds to the mystique of the state.

Jenkins takes the time to show us the width and bredth of the state, visiting most of the regions over the course of the year, north, south, east and west. And you are presented views through more than one person's eyes, as he uses some of his daughter's written recollections to further the narrative and to show the pull of the state on others in his family.

All in all, I put down the book and started looking at flights to Alaska. I want to go so badly now, and so will you.

Rating:
Summary: The Real Alaska
Review: Peter Jenkins begins his adventure in Seward, Alaska & goes all the way North to Barrow. You get to experience bears, moose, fishing, mushing, & village life. You will find humor as well as drama. If you have a true love for Alaska, or know nothing about the state, this book will fascinate you. What an extraordinary book! Thanks, Peter, for writing about your experiences in Alaska.

Rating:
Summary: Looking for Alaska
Review: I just finished reading Peter Jenkins' book "Looking for Alaska" and absolutely loved it! Having spent two weeks in Alaska during the summer of 2000 with nine members of my family, including my 83 year old Dad, it was fun to read about the people and the places we visited. The book makes me want to go back to Alaska now! This is a must read for anyone who has been to the great state or for anyone who is planning to go!