All You Ever Wanted (Or Needed) To Know About Alaska

Alaska by James A. Michener

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is my second Michener book after shying away from him for years and years because of his reputation.  Now, I find myself enjoying the books for all the knowledge I get in very palatable form.  As in the earlier book of Michener's that I read, "The Source," he starts with prehistoric times, and then mixes stories with facts to give a complete history of the place.  It's not a great work of literature, some of the stories are too cheesy.  But without this book, I would never have bothered to learn much about Alaska beyond what has been in the news the last two years about its flaky former governor.  The book is more than 1,000 pages long, but if you take it in little bites (it took me almost four months to finish it,) it's worth the effort.