'Alaska' by James A. Michener is a sweeping historical novel that covers the colorful history of Alaska from ancient times to the present day. The narrative weaves together the tales of various characters, from mastodons and woolly mammoths to Eskimos, Russians, gold rushers, and modern settlers. Through vivid storytelling, Michener explores the struggles of man against nature, the colonization of Alaska, and the exploitation of its valuable resources, offering a rich and absorbing narrative that captures the adventurous spirit of the land.
provides a detailed overview of Alaska's history, from prehistoric times to the recent past, with a focus on the struggles and triumphs of the people who have inhabited this vast and rugged land. Michener's writing style combines fictional storytelling with historical facts, creating an engaging and informative read that delves into the complexities of Alaska's development and the challenges faced by its inhabitants over the centuries.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book contains content warnings related to themes of colonization, racism, and misogyny embedded in historical narratives.
Has Romance?
Alaska features a moderate amount of romance, mostly through characters who form relationships despite the historical context, though such romances can sometimes feel unrealistic.
From The Publisher:
In this sweeping epic of the northernmost American frontier, James A. Michener guides us through Alaska's fierce terrain and history, from the long-forgotten past to the bustling present. As his characters struggle for survival, Michener weaves together the exciting high points of Alaska's story: its brutal origins; the American acquisition; the gold rush; the tremendous growth and exploitation of the salmon industry; the arduous construction of the Alcan Highway, undertaken to defend the territory during World War II. A spellbinding portrait of a human community fighting to establish its place in the world, Alaska traces a bold and majestic saga of the enduring spirit of a land and its people.
Praise for Alaska
"Few will escape the allure of the land and people [Michener] describes. . . . Alaska takes the reader on a journey through one of the bleakest, richest, most foreboding, and highly inviting territories in our Republic, if not the world. . . . The characters that Michener creates are bigger than life."-Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Always the master of exhaustive historical research, Michener tracks the settling of Alaska [in] vividly detailed scenes and well-developed characters."-Boston Herald
"Michener is still, sentence for sentence, writing's fastest attention grabber."-The New York Times
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Alaska?
About the Author:
James A. Michener was one of the world's most popular writers, the author of more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tales of the South Pacific, the bestselling novels The Source, Hawaii, Alaska, Chesapeake, Centennial,…
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