Rating: 
Summary: Light, easy-to-read and enjoyable story
Review: A really light book that has great stories (fiction or not) about Alaskans, it was fun and quick.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping account of real life in Alaska
Review: A very interesting and well-written book that I couldn't put down. According to my friends and family in Alaska, it is the most accurate account of life in Alaska at the time (1989). Without being romantic, it presents a realistic portrayal of the risks and excitement of living on the wild frontier.
Rating:
Summary: Might anger the politicos but great intro to the real Alaska
Review: After a depressing start focused on the major cities and
politics in Alaska, the author finally sees the back country
and finds the real Alaska. The extremes are weather and
people, both tending to the bizzare. If you want to see
a balanced view "before the pipeline" this is a great book.
I look forward to an "after the pipeline" visit from Mr.
McGinniss...but then I only buy paperbacks...late...used.
Rating:
Summary: Might anger the politicos but great intro to the real Alaska
Review: After a depressing start focused on the major cities andpolitics in Alaska, the author finally sees the back countryand finds the real Alaska. The extremes are weather and people, both tending to the bizzare. If you want to see a balanced view "before the pipeline" this is a great book. I look forward to an "after the pipeline" visit from Mr. McGinniss...but then I only buy paperbacks...late...used.
Rating: 
Summary: Thank you, Joe!
Review: I don't know anything about Alaska until I read this book. I have no idea whether it is accurate or not the way he described that remote area. But my heart was following him everywhere he went and every feeling he got. I chewed on every word, and was totally lost in the last episode when they found this beautiful meadow. I was speechless after I closed the book. I sat at the beach, and had it to myself again and again, that beautiful meadow, the peace, the harmony...Thank you, Joe!
Rating:
Summary: One of My Most Favorite Books
Review: I love this book! The portrayal of Alaska and Alaskan life is great. And it is funny. I burst out laughing when I read about his stay on a remote island -- with no friends and no books. I have given this book to all of my friends. They have all loved it.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT
Review: I loved this book!! I wish it was in audiobooks so I could get my husband to listen to it. Please put more of your books on cassette.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting read, but biased
Review: I read this book in the early 90's, just before I moved to Alaska. After spending 9 years in the Last Frontier, I still loved this book. One of the things I like best about it is that McGinnis doesn't romanticize the state and its people, as so many seem wont to do. His characterization is right on, and his descriptions are accurate...a number of folks ARE quirky, eccentric, social misfits looking to escape the trappings of "down south", and not everything works the way it's supposed to. You never know what to expect in Alaska, and I think McGinniss paints a humorous and accurate story of our 49th state.
Rating:
Summary: Great Characterization!
Review: I read this book in the early 90's, just before I moved to Alaska. After spending 9 years in the Last Frontier, I still loved this book. One of the things I like best about it is that McGinnis doesn't romanticize the state and its people, as so many seem wont to do. His characterization is right on, and his descriptions are accurate...a number of folks ARE quirky, eccentric, social misfits looking to escape the trappings of "down south", and not everything works the way it's supposed to. You never know what to expect in Alaska, and I think McGinniss paints a humorous and accurate story of our 49th state.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the best of the whole "Alaska Experience" books
Review: I really liked this book. McGinniss has a knack for inviting us along without being too "reporterish". Having spent quite a bit of time working in Alaska in the 1990's I came to recognise the odd, quirky, somewhat misfit type of individuals that populate this amazing place (The characters in the television program "Northern Exposure" weren't that exaggerated). McGinniss has captured this oddness without being judgmental. It's so matter-of-fact that the reader connects with McGinniss's experiences and ultimately finds the pull of Alaska, with it's unique population, almost irrestible. It is unavoidable that many readers will compare "Going to Extremes" with John McPhee's "Coming into the Country". While McPhee's book is good, he never seems to get the flavor of the whole "Alaska" the way that McGinniss does.
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