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susanp's review
5.0
Just reread this with my husband. We both love this book and the video, "Alone in the Wilderness."
swiss_miss_73's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly, I liked the PBS specials better....one of the few times you will get me to say that "I liked the 'movie' better than the book. I just think that being able to see his pictures and his film added a component than simply reading or listening to the book wasn't completely able to capture.
jeffmauch's review
5.0
Most interesting book I've read this year, Hands Down!. AT 51 years old, Richard Proenneke decided to retire and live off the land and the grid in Alaska. He did this in the 50s and flew in to a remote lake via a float plane with everything he needed in a few satchels. He then proceeded to build a log cabin from scratch with nothing but hand tools. If that alone doesn't impress you, just disregard this review and move along. Not only did he build a log cabin from scratch, its well build, like picturesquely build to perfection on a lake in some of the most beautiful scenery you've ever laid your eyes on. This book is his journal entries for the first year or so as he gets settled and builds this personal heaven on earth. He then leaves for a bit to help his ailing father...but then he comes back and he ends up spending the remaining 30+years of his life here. This was inspiring and beautiful on a level that I can't honestly describe. Sure, his views are a bit dated, but for the most part he stuck a cord with me about the need for man to be self-reliant and that we simply have too many things in the modern day (and he's saying this in the 1950's, god help him seeing the world of today.) Anyways, this is a mind changing book, not for its picture of the wilderness, but for the respect and admiration Richard shows for the world he's placed himself in. Much of what he did he also filmed and took pictures of (with 8mm and 16mm film and 35mm camera no less) and there is great footage and a documentary called "Alone in the Wilderness" that you can find on YouTube that is worth an hour of your time (If for no other reason than to see the cabin he built and to see footage of him building it with hand tools.) Again, this is the best thing I've read this year. It's inspiring and mind blowing and shows a place we clearly lack in our modern day world.
terrimarshall's review
5.0
I've been on a roll with Alaskan adventure stories, and I found this one after I went actively seeking similar books. I enjoyed this book first published in 1973 compiled from the journals of a man who went to a remote area of Alaska in 1968, built his own log cabin, and lived there for 16 months alone. I loved all the vivid descriptions of how he built his cabin, cache, and woodshed, how he foraged and hunted for food, and how he spent a lot of time walking and canoeing and cleaning up after the hunters who paid to visit and hunt in the area. He shares many of his thoughts about living alone away from civilization. I enjoyed this book.
godraed's review
5.0
A diary of a man who has done what I wish I could do. Build a cabin in a remote wilderness and live with nature. A real Thoreau, no going home for Richard Proenneke.
tarahmanning's review
4.0
I first saw the documentary before learning about this book. It reads like a journal but is so well written. I love being able to "tag along" with Dick while he lived those first 16 months in the final frontier without the luxuries of modern day amenities.
I think it's a quick read, fascinating if you're into that sort of thing. I laugh out loud at a few journal entries and it made me wish I could read all of his journals. He really loved the land and what mother nature offered. Living on what he needed, not what he wanted.
I think it's a quick read, fascinating if you're into that sort of thing. I laugh out loud at a few journal entries and it made me wish I could read all of his journals. He really loved the land and what mother nature offered. Living on what he needed, not what he wanted.
suvata's review
3.0
Read in December 2023 for Litsy Markup Postal Book Club #LMPBC Round 19 - Group C • 3.5 Stars
One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey is a book based on the journals and photography of Richard Proenneke, who lived alone in the Alaskan wilderness for more than 30 years. The book chronicles his daily activities, explorations, and observations of nature, as well as his challenges and joys of living in harmony with the land. The book is a tribute to Proenneke’s self-reliance, craftsmanship, and appreciation of the natural world.
#Bookstagram #OneManWilderness #SamKeith #RichardLProenneke #AnAlaskanOdyssey
One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey is a book based on the journals and photography of Richard Proenneke, who lived alone in the Alaskan wilderness for more than 30 years. The book chronicles his daily activities, explorations, and observations of nature, as well as his challenges and joys of living in harmony with the land. The book is a tribute to Proenneke’s self-reliance, craftsmanship, and appreciation of the natural world.
#Bookstagram #OneManWilderness #SamKeith #RichardLProenneke #AnAlaskanOdyssey
sci_01134's review against another edition
4.5
So peaceful and calming and INTERESTING! Though there is no plot (of course, it's just his journals) it's really cool nonetheless. What will he make next, what creature will he see, what delicious meal will he cook up? Makes me excited to move to Alaska.