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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
I loved this book. I read it years ago, and when my son was checking out some of Gary Paulsen's kids books, I decided to go back and see if it was as good as I remembered.
It was better. It's Paulsen's memoir of training for and then running his first Iditarod in 1983. It's LOL funny in many passages, especially when he describes the mistakes his own inexperience and ignorance led him to commit (like being dragged through backyards in Anchorage after his dogs blew through the starting gate).
It's moving, dramatic, and wonderfully written. Damn, this book has everything but sex. An absolutely wonderful book for anyone looking to learn something about nature, dogs, or Alaska.
The final chapter was a real shocker. I've seldom been so blown away by the conclusion to a memoir. I'm not going to give it away, though.
It was better. It's Paulsen's memoir of training for and then running his first Iditarod in 1983. It's LOL funny in many passages, especially when he describes the mistakes his own inexperience and ignorance led him to commit (like being dragged through backyards in Anchorage after his dogs blew through the starting gate).
It's moving, dramatic, and wonderfully written. Damn, this book has everything but sex. An absolutely wonderful book for anyone looking to learn something about nature, dogs, or Alaska.
The final chapter was a real shocker. I've seldom been so blown away by the conclusion to a memoir. I'm not going to give it away, though.
True story following the author's journey into dog sledding from his initial foray until it culminates in his first running of the Iditarod. He raced...and finished...three times before his health kept him from racing anymore. Excellent, well written story. At times I was on the edge of my seat, and other times I was laughing out loud or reading passages aloud to my husband.
I learned that the sled dogs love to pull, live to pull, lust to pull. I learned that the men and women who drive dogsleds are swept into the rhythm of the ride; that there's a harmony of unity in the dogs, the sled and the driver. I learned that Alaska is a place of extremes-devastating beauty and danger. And I learned that I would rather travel to darkest Peru, hot air balloon around the world, travel 20000 leagues under the sea, then run an Iditarod race. But it sure was entertaining to read about Paulsen's wild experiences from my cozy chair. His passion for his dogs shines bright. Ordinarily I might have deducted a star for the ending, but I've been online and found out that isn't the real ending of the tale.
This is an excellent book - a well written true account of a novice's first running of the Iditarod. Like most of us, I have only a vague idea about the Iditarod - this book really helps visualize how physically and mentally taxing the experience is. I can always tell when a book has me in it's grip; I find I have to read sections aloud to others and want to tell them in detail about the section I'm currently reading. I did that over and over in this book as I continually found myself in awe or astounded by the situations presented.
The book begins before the author is even considering running the race and talks about his profound connection with nature and how that evolves. That theme of a connection to nature and the dogs on his team is a strong theme throughout the book. Then, as he begins to train for the race he shares some of the things that go right but mostly wrong - in his ignorance. Then the race. The ups and downs and hardships of 17 days in the wilds of Alaska are gripping and amazing. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
The book begins before the author is even considering running the race and talks about his profound connection with nature and how that evolves. That theme of a connection to nature and the dogs on his team is a strong theme throughout the book. Then, as he begins to train for the race he shares some of the things that go right but mostly wrong - in his ignorance. Then the race. The ups and downs and hardships of 17 days in the wilds of Alaska are gripping and amazing. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
Newly obsessed with the Iditarod, we picked this up after Matt remembered he read Paulsen as a kid, and as I was searching for anything and everything Iditarod-related to devour. I'd seen some reviews that mentioned how funny this book is, but I didn't expect to laugh out loud as much as I did (and as this was one I read aloud to Matt every night, he was laughing alongside me). This book is really, really funny.
(It's also harrowing in places, including but not limited to all the times Paulsen should be really, really dead.)
I'm not sure if it's more amusing to people who have dogs, and/or people who know what it's like to run a dog who has seemingly endless energy, and loves, LOVES (maybe even lives) to pull.
We spent all winter skiing with (and roped to) our pup, Toya, and watching her joy while skijoring—pulling, pulling, pulling; literally sprinting up and down the sides of mountains—made us realize what an enthusiastic and capable snow dog she is. It definitely gave us a renewed appreciation (and interest) in the sport/hobby/life of running dogs. Hence the interest in the Iditarod and all the logistics therein.
There's a lot to love about this book, but the part I loved most: How honest Paulsen is about everything he had to learn with no one teaching him, save for his dogs, who taught him something new and vital (and often hilarious) every day. That's a feeling I know well, and one I'm thankful for every day.
[Four-point-five stars for being one of the most memorable books I'll likely read all year, for all the laughs, and for helping me imagine what Toya would look like running with joy across the heart of Alaska.]
(It's also harrowing in places, including but not limited to all the times Paulsen should be really, really dead.)
I'm not sure if it's more amusing to people who have dogs, and/or people who know what it's like to run a dog who has seemingly endless energy, and loves, LOVES (maybe even lives) to pull.
We spent all winter skiing with (and roped to) our pup, Toya, and watching her joy while skijoring—pulling, pulling, pulling; literally sprinting up and down the sides of mountains—made us realize what an enthusiastic and capable snow dog she is. It definitely gave us a renewed appreciation (and interest) in the sport/hobby/life of running dogs. Hence the interest in the Iditarod and all the logistics therein.
There's a lot to love about this book, but the part I loved most: How honest Paulsen is about everything he had to learn with no one teaching him, save for his dogs, who taught him something new and vital (and often hilarious) every day. That's a feeling I know well, and one I'm thankful for every day.
[Four-point-five stars for being one of the most memorable books I'll likely read all year, for all the laughs, and for helping me imagine what Toya would look like running with joy across the heart of Alaska.]
My dad kept trying to get me to read this. He's kind of a Arctic buff, so I just kept saying, "I don't want to read the sled dog book, thanks." (Kind of like when I was refusing to read the German Dwarf Book, aka Stones from a River. You'd think I'd learn.) So he mailed it to me when I was overseas with no library access and not enough of the local langauge to enjoy their books. Thank God. One of my colleagues calls Paulsen "Hemingway for middle schoolers" and while I admire the ability of his adventures to attract reluctant boy readers, I would never have guessed how much I'd love his memoir of training to race sled dogs. It's been years since I read it, and two stand-out memories from the book are the painfully hilarious start to his training, being dragged down a dirt road in Minnesota in the hull of a VW bug by his untrained but enthusaistic dog pack and the heartbreak at the end, when...well, you'll have to read it. The ending reminds me of "Never Cry Wolf" in that you've spent the entire book falling in love with a place and the author's connection to nature, only to have the whole thing ripped away at the end by the depressing postscript.
This was better than my wildest imaginings?? I mean, people have told me this book was good, but I was like "well... nonfiction..." NOPE. I've always had trouble with nonfiction, but I flew through this book. Also, if you told me that a book about running a dog race would want to make me cry I'd have laughed at you. But I definitely almost cried.
And the whole thing was just so good. The descriptions. The Feelings.
Damn. This almost makes me want to go off and live in the desolate wilderness.
And the whole thing was just so good. The descriptions. The Feelings.
Damn. This almost makes me want to go off and live in the desolate wilderness.