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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
I remember strongly disliking the hero of the Hatchet series. Now I know why. Gary Paulsen is an idiot. But bless him, he's an idiot with a great memory and a flair for the self-deprecating humor, the kind that leaves you almost as incapacitated as Paulsen being dragged behind a team of Devil clones. Really? He thought buying a sled dog named Devil was a good idea? From then on, nothing shocked me, but it sure did make me laugh. I'm glad he at least kept his wits about him enough to remember what those around him said when they witnessed his lunacy. Not only is the book beautiful, he manages to capture the allure of the Iditarod, and maybe even more importantly, the allure of the insane training runs. I'm just shocked he lived to tell the tale.
A delightful read! This is a true story that will leave you laughing your head off... the perfect read over Christmas!! I was fascinated by all I learned about Alaska and the Iditarod! I do not think it is possible to laugh just once in this book! You can try and prove me wrong however! :) I dare you.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
A heart warming true tale of a sled-dog team and their musher learning to trust one an other.
fascinating story about training for and running the Iditarod.
I love living vicariously through these epic, endurance stories in the wilderness (because I would never put myself through feats like this). I'm always amazed by the crazy things people will do voluntarily. Cold, deadly, extreme, 1000 miles. Paulsen gives you a sense of the beauty and meaning that he draws from it, but I still wonder why you would do this if someone wasn't dying and needed medication from Anchorage or Nome. I loved his sense of humor describing a few of his tumbles. Now I'll go cross-country skiing to pretend I'm living wild.
I enjoyed this book immensely. An exciting story & well-told.
A wonderful book. There is exactly one word in this book that bugs me if you're the type of person who thinks that the word rape shouldn't be used unless you're referring to sexual assault, as I am, then you too might take issue with Paulsen when he says his Iditarod funds are "raped" as he makes his way to Alaska ; otherwise this is by turns shocking, laugh-out-loud funny, stirring, amazing, utterly insane & all of that good stuff.
I loved this book and could not put it down once I got started. I learned so much about sledding and the Iditarod. In particular, I learned that I will never ever run it!
What a wild ride/read! This narrative of the author’s first run of the Iditarod is crazy to the point of insane, filled with gritty, descriptive language of the hardships endured by musher and dogs alike and laugh out loud funny in so many places. I am grateful to my sister for the rec. I would never have chosen it if I had not seen her review on Goodreads. The author’s name, Gary Paulsen, brought immediate and fond memories of Hatchett, a YA book from my kids’ school days. I love his writing style, so approachable, self-deprecating, sparing no details. If you are looking for an exciting, quick read, this one will do it. The ending was a surprise which always adds to the drama of finishing a true story.