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In this sweeping epic of the northernmost American frontier, James A. Michener guides us across Alaska’s fierce terrain, from the long-forgotten past to the bustling technological present, as his characters struggle for survival. The exciting high points of Alaska’s story, from its brutal prehistory, through the nineteenth century and the American acquisition, to its modern status as America’s thriving forty-ninth state, are brought vividly to life in this remarkable novel: the gold rush; the tremendous growth and exploitation of the salmon industry; the discovery of oil and its social and economic consequences; the difficult construction of the Alcan Highway, which made possible the defense of the territory in World War II. A spellbinding portrait of a human community struggling to establish its place in the world, Alaska traces a bold and majestic history of the enduring spirit of a land and its people.
Great Character Builder, Great Story Teller and Great AdventureReviewed by Charlotte Ann Hu, 2010-02-11
I learned so much I never knew about the migrations of people and
animals, about the climatic changes in Alaska and about the Russian
presence there. I learned a lot I wished I didn't learn about the
truly horrific exploitation of native populations, but I suppose
that goes with world history.
But most of all, this book was a wonderful distraction from daily
life. It was, for a short time, my get-away. It's hard to find a
good book that just takes you away from thoughts of work and life
and Alaska is just such an adventure to get lost in.
Good read as always with MichenerReviewed by Terry L. Landis, 2010-02-08
Slow to start....I liked how Michener mixed fact with fiction...obviously, well-researched....Long, but worth the read if you are interested in the great state of Alaska and its history
Long book!Reviewed by J. Johnson, 2010-01-30
I am enjoying this book but it is long and because I only have a short time to read each day, it will take me a while to finish it. It is very interesting. There is a lot of historical information in this book that will create a good background of knowledge for me when I take a trip to Alaska in the near future.
Hard to put down.Reviewed by Albert E. Manning, 2009-12-01
This is a classic. It provides so much of Alaska history, even though the characters are fitional.
Disappointingly BiasedReviewed by W. Jackson, 2009-09-10
After visiting Alaska recently I searched for books that would fill
in the gaps in my understanding of the state's history. Along with
historical works, I chose Michener's Alaska believing that it would
be an enjoyable and enlightening read. I found it to be
well-written with fascinating plot development. However, I also
found it to be unnecessarily liberal in its portrayal of any groups
other than the native Alaskans. In particular, Michener too often
depicts businessmen, missionaries, politicians, military leaders,
etc., from the "lower 48" as conquerors who are driven mainly by
their own greed for money and/or power and lacking in basic
morality. I realize from other reading that much occurred during
the development of Alaska that demonstrated too little regard for
the indigenous population and the resources of the land, but all
"Americans" from the "lower 48" were not as evil as the author
seems to insinuate.
A brief but good example is Michener's (fictional) account of the
sinking of the Montreal Queen cruise ship south of Juneau within
the "inside passage." The fictional account is obviously loosely
based upon an actual sinking of the S.S. Princess Sophia after
running aground on Vanderbilt Reef in 1918. After 36 hours on the
reef, the Princess Sophia was finally broken apart by the raging
waves, and all passengers and crew were lost. It was determined
that it had been impossible to immediately rescue the passengers
due to the terribly bad weather, prohibiting vessels from
approaching safely. But in Michener's account, the picture is one
of a ship's captain so driven by the need to save money for the
shipping company that he will not risk other ships claiming any
salvage rights by off-loading anything or anyone. In addition, the
ship is owned by the same company that has been essentially raping
the land of its resources and treating its people as serfs. As a
work of fiction, such depiction is certainly within the rights of
the author; but since this is a historical fiction, the reader is
always trying to ascertain what might be actual fact.
Unfortunately, the liberal cast that Michener gives to this account
is repeated over and over throughout the book. A positive aspect of
this bias is that the reader is often compelled to search out the
actual history to determine what the real facts actually
were.
The extent of the bias is, in my opinion, not just unnecessary; it
exposes the underlying bias of the author himself.
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