Reviews

Jack London and the Klondike Gold Rush by Wendell Minor, Peter Lourie

suzannedix's review against another edition

4.0

Jack London’s short but action-packed life was positively stranger than fiction. From a young age Jack was single-minded in his desire to become a writer and tried to write a thousand words a day. With money always in short supply, London was forced to quit school and worked twelve-hour days as a young teen doing all sorts of labor: canning, running paper routes, selling vegetables and even sailing on a sealing schooner. News that gold had been found along the Klondike River in 1896 gave Jack the perfect new adventure to challenge his high-energy personality. Ambitious and thrill seeking, twenty year old Jack joined the frenzy of the Klondike Gold Stampede and embarked on a true battle against nature. The extreme temperatures of the Yukon Territory bested thousands of men but Jack, tenacious and smart, completed the journey and lived in harsh conditions for nearly a year. For all his blood, sweat and tears he came back to California penniless but rich in story. He had an insider’s knowledge of rugged surroundings which gave authenticity and depth to his writing career. This slim biography is action-packed and even reluctant readers will be swept up by the sheer courage and fortitude London exhibited in his short life. Black and white photos and illustrations are included amidst the text and the novel includes several interesting features on Jack London as well as a time line, glossary, bibliography and index.

Recommended grades 5 and up.