I am a professor emeritus of History and Arctic & Northern Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. A mostly lifelong Alaskan, my research interest has been northern, especially Alaska, history. Iām deeply interested in northern peoples and cultures and both their resilience and adaptation in the face of rapid socio-economic and cultural change. As I write, I strive to create a narrative that will fascinate and inspire; that will resonate deeply, so the reader continues to think about the book well after finishing it. Such narratives attract me as a reader.
The vivid depictions of the exquisite Arctic landscape, of Inupiaq social life and culture, and of the tender relationship between the cleric author and his Athabascan/Denaā trail guide Walter Harper thoroughly engrossed me. I found the British-born scholarly authorās tone and voice utterly charming, and his sincere appreciation for the Inupiaq people and their culture deeply moving.
This book shatters stereotypes of ethnocentric missionaries who went to destroy Indigenous languages and cultures and sought to āchange Natives into white men.āĀ It illustrates the variability among missionaries and denominations that introduced Christianity to the peoples of the North. As a historian, I strive to ācomplicate the narrativeā for my students. This book, besides being a fascinating read, brilliantly complicates the narrative of missionary history in Alaska.
""A Winter Circuit of Our Arctic Coast"" is a captivating narrative of a journey undertaken by Hudson Stuck and his team of dog sleds along the Arctic coast. The book provides a detailed account of their experiences as they traverse through the harsh winter conditions of the Arctic terrain. The author describes the beauty and challenges of the landscape, the harsh weather conditions, and the dangers posed by the icy terrain. The book also delves into the culture and traditions of the indigenous people living in the Arctic, their way of life, and their struggles to survive in such aā¦
Inuit leader Sheila Watt-Cloutier speaks with such authenticity as she calls for environmental justice that one canāt help but be moved. I found her story of growing up on the land in northern Quebec (Nunavik), raised by strong women, finding her voice, and becoming president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) and later chair of the International Council deeply inspirational.
In those capacities, she focused on addressing both persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that become concentrated in the Arctic and global warming that threatens Inuit lives and lifeways by melting the ice. I also admire her use of her leadership role to call upon her people to reclaim their lives and destinies by drawing upon their traditional values to address the social problems that are threatening individual and community health.
Now in paperback, one of Canada's most passionate environmental and human rights activists addresses the global threat of climate change from the intimate perspective of her own Arctic childhood
The Arctic ice is receding each year, but just as irreplaceable is the culture, the wisdom that has allowed the Inuit to thrive in the Far North for so long. And it's not just the Arctic. The whole world is changing in dangerous, unpredictable ways. Sheila Watt-Cloutier has devoted her life to protecting what is threatened and nurturing what has been wounded. In thisā¦
The Model Spy is based on the true story of Toto Koopman, who spied for the Allies and Italian Resistance during World War II.
Largely unknown today, Toto was arguably the first woman to spy for the British Intelligence Service. Operating in the hotbed of Mussolini's Italy, she courted dangerā¦
Terese Marie Mailhotās raw account of her traumatic childhood and its enduring consequences took my breath away. A nearly lifelong Alaskan, I am acutely aware of the social problems afflicting Indigenous communities; in fact, Iāve done research on the topic.
Yet, I have never read a more honest, painful, and beautifully written testimonial by an Indigenous person about her experience with childhood poverty and neglect, substance abuse in the home, sexual abuse, and resulting poor self-esteem and self-doubt. Mailhot, who was raised on Seabird Island in British Columbia, began writing her memoir as mental health therapy and it became a process of self-discovery.
Her experience highlights the effects of historical trauma on Indigenous individuals and communities, as well as the prevalence of maltreatment of Indigenous women.Ā
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Winner of the Whiting Award for Non-Fiction Selected by Emma Watson as an Our Shared Shelf Book Club Pick
'I loved it' Kate Tempest 'Astounding' Roxane Gay 'A sledgehammer' New York Times
Heart Berries is a powerful, poetic memoir of a woman's coming of age on an Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest. Having survived a profoundly dysfunctional upbringing only to find herself hospitalised and facing a dual diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar II disorder, Terese Marie Mailhot is given a notebook and begins to write her way out of trauma.
I love Jill Fredstonās exhilarating mix of thrill-seeking, adventure, and the heightened experience she attains from being out in nature, together with her appreciation of the Arctic land- and seascape and its peoples. She illustrates the affirmation she draws from pushing herself to her limits in rowing and how escaping from the mundane activities and responsibilities of everyday life clears her head to allow for introspection.
She suggests, as well, that navigating the sometimes harrowing, even treacherous, conditions at sea or on rivers offers lessons for navigating challenging work and life situations. Most of all, I appreciate the encouragement the book offers to step away from our daily routines to enjoy the rejuvenating effects of fresh air and natural settings.Ā
Two by sea: A couple rows the wild coasts of the far north
Jill Fredston has traveled more than twenty thousand miles of the Arctic and sub-Arctic-backwards. With her ocean-going rowing shell and her husband, Doug Fesler, in a small boat of his own, she has disappeared every summer for years, exploring the rugged shorelines of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Spitsbergen, and Norway. Carrying what they need to be self-sufficient, the two of them have battled mountainous seas and hurricane-force winds, dragged their boats across jumbles of ice, fended off grizzlies and polar bears, been serenaded by humpback whales and scrutinizedā¦
American Panic explores questions unanswered in other books about political panics from our nationās past and turbulent present.Ā The overall question being: Why do some people panic when others donāt? Political panic has traditionally been associated with lack of education, lack of wealth, or other demographics ā none of whichā¦
Sherry Simpsonās adventures in Alaskaās wilds are less āextremeā than Jill Fredstonās, but her writing about her experiences is even more thought-provoking. I love her notion of āwayfindingāāof relying on oneās own navigational and cognitive skills to explore nature or ideas. Equally intriguing is her concept of ground truthingāwalking the land or going through a process oneself to really āget it.ā She contrasts the understanding that personal exploration cultivates with the information maps provide. No comparison!
These ideas raise the question: how well can we comprehend the experiences and realities of others if we havenāt ground-truthed them? Clearly, having immersed oneself in a foreign culture can foster empathy, but I want to believe that, short of that, with goodwill, one can recognize othersā humanity.
Alaska is a place of great adventure and exploration. After having lived in the Great Land for nearly all of her life, Sherry Simpson realized that she had not scaled mountains, trekked across wild tundra, or blazed trails through virgin forests. Did that fact make her less of an Alaskan? In the series of essays that comprise The Accidental Explorer, Sherry Simpson recounts the experiences of an ordinary woman confronting the great expanses of water and untracked land in Alaska, as she makes her best efforts to map her sense of place and her sense of self in a landā¦
Medical missionaries Dr. Grafton (Hap) Burke and his wife Clara dedicated their whole married lifeānearly three decadesāto the health and well-being of Denaā/Athabascan and other people of Alaskaās northern Interior. Early in the 20th century, socio-economic-cultural change was wreaking havoc with Native community life, while diseases were killing people at high rates. Doctor Hap managed the only hospital that served Indigenous people in hundreds of thousands of square miles, saving countless lives. Clara oversaw the mission home, nurturing up to thirty orphaned and needy children at a time.
As Hap and Clara immersed themselves in the Fort Yukon community, the Native people embraced them and St. Stephenās Episcopal Mission in return, in an inspiring example of the power of love.
Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS
by
Amy Carney,
When I was writing this book, several of my friends jokingly called it the Nazi baby book, with one insisting it would make a great title. Nazi Babies ā admittedly, that is a catchy title, but thatās not exactly what my book is about. SS babies would be slightly moreā¦
During the First World War, an extraordinary intelligence unit operated from Cairo's Savoy Hotel, combining archaeologists, academics, and soldiers to revolutionize British intelligence in the Middle East.Ā Overshadowed by Lawrence of Arabia, the Arab Bureau's significance has remained hidden ever since.
This study uncovers the Bureau's story through newly discoveredā¦
