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lucidstyle's review against another edition
5.0
Expert work of literary nonfiction. Paints a full tapestry of the time: places and people, successes and failures. More than anything this book is a sensitive and intimate look at the variety of characters involved, and the legacy they left.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Pierre Berton was born in 1920 in Yukon, Canada. His father had relocated to Yukon during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. Berton worked in Yukon mining camps when he was old enough to work, and having had that experience, meeting miners, and having a miner father, this book is filled with first hand knowledge of the Gold Rush and mining experience. The Klondike Gold Rush occurred between 1896-1899. Something like 100,000 people flooded into the area once news of the discovery of gold reached them. This book is filled with accounts and stories of life of prospectors in this area, and I am certain it was a miserable time. It was crowded and conditions were unfortunate between the weather and just general living conditions. There was a lot of death in the Klondike, from the harsh living conditions, accidents, and the journey to get there. I am certain I would have not wanted to be a prospector, nor would I want to be a sex worker or travel there to marry a prospector in those times. It really amounts to hard living.
I bought this book quite some time ago and my local used bookstore. I hadn't really read much about the Gold Rush, other than what was mentioned briefly in elementary school history. (I am sure that other states learned more about it, but it wasn't very talked about in my brief US History class or in Tennessee History.) I didn't choose the US History path when I entered college for history, so my education on this topic was fairly limited. This particular book was written by a Canadian, so it was very interesting to compare the experiences of their Gold Rush to what I knew about the California miners. The book was slightly repetitive at times, however it was not boring or a dry factual telling. It was entertaining and educational, and certainly worth the read. I couldn't beat the price point either, since I got it for fifty cents. If you are interested in the Gold Rush, check this out. Personal accounts are so valuable to the historical narrative.
I bought this book quite some time ago and my local used bookstore. I hadn't really read much about the Gold Rush, other than what was mentioned briefly in elementary school history. (I am sure that other states learned more about it, but it wasn't very talked about in my brief US History class or in Tennessee History.) I didn't choose the US History path when I entered college for history, so my education on this topic was fairly limited. This particular book was written by a Canadian, so it was very interesting to compare the experiences of their Gold Rush to what I knew about the California miners. The book was slightly repetitive at times, however it was not boring or a dry factual telling. It was entertaining and educational, and certainly worth the read. I couldn't beat the price point either, since I got it for fifty cents. If you are interested in the Gold Rush, check this out. Personal accounts are so valuable to the historical narrative.
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