false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173035339m/240399.jpg 240399 5 In 1999, Peter Jenkins and his family left their farm in Tennessee to live in Alaska for a few seasons, eventually renting a house in Seward, Alaska (pop. 2,830) on the Kenai Peninsula. The principal aim of the trip was for Jenkins to write a travelogue, but he also saw it as an opportunity to end a period of personal stagnation. It appears to have worked, for <I>Looking for Alaska</I> is filled with a vibrancy that can only come from one with a fully charged battery. Recognizing that "This giant place is filled with people determined to live as free as possible of others' intervention," he employed the same low-key approach to research that made his bestselling book <I>A Walk Across America</I> (1979) so engaging--he made friends wherever he went and allowed people to share their stories in their own way and in their own time. Part of Jenkins's charm is that he never pretends that he's figured the place out; he readily cops to his outsider status and invites readers to experience his sense of awe and surprise with him. During his 18-month stay in the Last Frontier, Jenkins spent time with wildlife rangers, recreation guides, native whalers, fishermen, and dogsled mushers, all of whom showed Jenkins and his family glimpses of their own private Alaska. (They also shared their bear stories; it seems nearly everyone in the state has had at least one run-in with the giant predator). "No one is ever the same after coming back from Alaska," he writes and after reading his book, it's easy to believe him. <I>--Shawn Carkonen</I> 460031 2001 Looking for Alaska total:180|5:49|4:72|3:45|2:12|1:2| 180 694 278 35 4 1 false false Mon Dec 29 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Aug 29 07:25:12 -0700 2008 Thu Feb 05 14:42:14 -0800 2009
In reading Jenkins book, Looking for Ala...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 18:12:55 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 19:13:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Sep 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 19:29:38 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 19:12:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 07 19:26:36 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 09 18:39:18 -0700 2008
I remember sitting in Starbucks over Christmas vacation whi...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 16:42:04 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 16:45:28 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 06:05:09 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 06:12:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jul 05 08:57:40 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 14:24:12 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 08:57:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 09:28:36 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 19:03:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sun Mar 29 07:01:50 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 07:03:57 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Jul 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 18:09:21 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 08:15:03 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Thu Aug 13 07:59:20 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 08:00:08 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Sep 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 00:25:28 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 11:55:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue May 26 09:42:33 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 09:42:33 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2002 Tue Jan 06 06:00:04 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 20:05:36 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Sun May 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 29 19:49:29 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 29 19:50:21 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jan 04 16:15:13 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 16:15:39 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue May 26 15:42:30 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 15:42:48 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri May 30 06:25:51 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 19:04:32 -0700 2008 Fri May 30 06:25:51 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jun 24 09:07:33 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 09:11:24 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Jul 30 12:12:44 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 30 12:22:42 -0700 2007 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=240399