Hardship Alaska

by Donald Proffit

Some memories of his two years of alternative service as a Vietnam-era conscientious objector continue to haunt Donald Proffit, aka Buzz, in unresolved conversations and partings over dinners and by front doors, in beds and at bars. Others memories have been exorcized completely, leaving him with a better understanding of who he was during that most transformative period of his life and of who he is today.


Arriving in Anchorage, Alaska on Halloween night in 1970 after a ten-day transcontinental journey by car - his trek replete with a breakdown on a Yukon mountain pass, a freak snow squall on the Saskatchewan prairie, rough men in roadhouses, Soviet skaters and good Samaritans - Buzz realized quickly that he was no longer in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His world was about to change forever in Alaska as he began working with children in group homes and emergency shelters, living in a church basement closet while being in the closet himself, and pining for his first love: his straight college roommate. Finally assigned to work for an extended period of time in an Iñupiaq whaling village 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Proffit’s worldview began to take shape as he experienced the isolation of the outsider and what it means to be part of a community.

Genres: Memoir

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 11, 2023

About the author

Donald Proffit, a visionary in the creative arts and former arts educator, has been short-listed for the 2024 William Saroyan International Writing Prize in nonfiction for his memoir, Hardship Alaska. With a background in music, dance, and visual arts, Donald has presented workshops and original performances worldwide, including in Israel, where his work helped foster dialogue among Israeli, Palestinian, and American youth. His accolades include a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Teacher Fellowship and the D. Bennet Mazur Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Personal Liberty Fund of the New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Coalition.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

What made this memoir especially meaningful was personally knowing the author. This added to my insights into him. It is a soul-baring work, while at the same time giving glimpses of daily life in Alaska. It is a coming-of-age piece, although not in the traditional sense.

[Donna Covell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique book - honest