Purely Alaska (Paperback)
PURELY ALASKA: Authentic Voices from the Far North includes 32 stories as far flung as Alaska itself, including that of a woman who discovers a surprising new world when she goes off to boarding school; a mother who hopes to steer his son to college, but he wants to be a commercial fisherman like his dad; a life-saving reindeer drive across Alaska; a young man's struggle against powerful addictions; a husband whose after-work snowmachine outing becomes a near-death experience; and an outsider who comes intending to help the village but finds that he is the one needing help.
"Purely Alaska portrays the stunning physical world of Alaska and its spectacular challenges. These stories open the hearts and memories to reveal the pain and strength, the joy, endurance and faith of those who survive and thrive within Alaska's often unforgiving wintery power." - William L. Iggiagruk Hensley, author of Fifty Miles from Tomorrow
"The storytellers' settings are unforgettable, the adventures are remarkable, and the voices are inspirational. These are stories Alaska can't afford to lose." --Sherry Simpson, author of The Accidental Explorer
"Purely Alaska escorts readers on an unadulterated journey into the heart and soul of rural Alaska. This anthology should be a top choice for educators seeking to ignite classrooms with the spark of insight, the fire of authenticity, the radiance of truth. Purely Alaska speaks directly and honestly." --Sandra Shroyer-Beaver, president, board of education, and Dr. Norman Eck, superintendent Northwest Arctic Borough School District
"A major contribution to Far North literature, Purely Alaska honors the challenges, traditions, and wisdom of remote Alaska." --Jerah Chadwick, former Alaska Poet Laureate
"These stories leap to the true side of things in our state, leaving behind the cardboard myth of Alaska - a good thing, and a great read." --Seth Kantner, author of Ordinary Wolves
"Here are the beginnings of a true indigenous literature from modern rural Alaska. These stories describe amazing situations in matter-of-fact style. Within the raw immediacy of the writers' experiences, we find great human themes of life in transition - pain and loss, redemtion and exaltation - all depicted before the astonishing backdrop of Alaska's natural and cultural landscapes." --Tom Kizzia, author of The Wake of the Unseen Object