Looking for Alaska: A Review

My wife and I have just taken an 18 month tour to Alaska with Peter Jenkins.  The tour was through reading this book and it did not take us 18 months to read it. However Peter spent 18 months in Alaska to gather the material for this book.

Perhaps you have read, Peter Jenkins earlier book, A Walk Across America. If you have you know what a great writer Peter Jenkins is. If you have not read it I would recommend you read that book too.

Looking for Alaska is Peter’s account of 18 months traveling over  20,000 miles in tiny bush planes, on snow machines and snowshoes, in fishing boats and kayaks, on the Alaska Marine Highway and the Haul Road, searching for what defines Alaska. Hearing the amazing stories of many real Alaskans- from Barrow to Craig, Seward to Deering, and everywhere in between- Peter gets to know this place in a way that only he can. His resulting portrait is a rare and unforgettable depiction of a dangerous and beautiful land and all the people that call it home.

He also takes his family with him, renting a “home base” in Seward, Alaska, and coming and going from there. The way his family lived, how they made Alaska their home, is as much a part of this story as Peter’s own travels.

All in all, Jenkins delivers a memorable diary of discovery- both of this place that captures all of our imaginations, and of himself, all over again.

This book is a wonderful way to “Find Alaska” in a way that most of us never would even by taking a vacation to Alaska. I would encourage you to get a copy and read and enjoy it.