Book Review: "Chasing Alaska" by C. B. Bernard

 I don't write too many book reviews on this blog. Those I do write, I write to etherspace – which means maybe my wife, brother, and sister might read it. When I do enjoy a book enough to write a review, I believe it is the connection between the author and myself: maybe the subject matter, the great story that I imagine myself in, maybe just the links between us, or even a similar mindset. This is certainly the case with C.B. Bernard in “Chasing Alaska: Portrait of the Last Frontier Then and Now.”

Like C. B. Bernard, ML and I moved from the east coast to Alaska (but in 1979). (In fact, he lived in Sitka while we lived there too. I remember him falling asleep at School Board meetings.) In 2009, we started spending time in Tampa, ML's ancestral home. I had one hell of a time adjusting – and to be honest, I still have difficulty even though we go back for a third of a year. Why? There's no excuse!

I've spent a lot of time thinking about it and what Alaska is and means, but C. B. nails it. But I'm not going to tell you about it. You'll have to read it and figure out that part of it yourself.

I will make some overall generalizations about the book. One, I really like the organizational structure surrounding himself and his relatives, Joe and Peter Bernard – who were arctic explorers around the turn of the century. Secondly, I thought it was very well written – great details and description. Thirdly, the author didn't try to make it something it wasn't. In my opinion, it is absolutely impossible to write a book about all of Alaska and C. B. didn't try.

OK, you're it!  Read the book and tell me what you think Alaska is and why you love it or might love it. We'll see if C.B and I are right. One way or another, you'll have a much greater understanding of what Alaska is all about.

Great job, C. B. I loved it.