John McPhee: Coming into the Country
| published in: | 1977 |
|---|---|
| read on: | 2025-10-19 |
| language: | English |
A journalistic foray into the pre-oil-boom Alaska of 1960s and 1970s.
The book consists of three books. The first one is about the Alaskan nature and about paddling down a river. The second one is about finding a new location for Alaska’s capital. The third books is about the people who in the village of Eagle and in the surrounding wilderness.
I found the third one the most interesting. John McPhee interviews dozens of people about how they ended up in Alaska and about their life there. A lot of it is about making the ends meet. There are hunters, trappers, gold miners, and all sorts of enterprising businessmen. Rugged individualism gets a spotlight.
I don’t know much about Alaska of today, but I imagine it has changed a lot. I suspect the book is about a place that does not exist anymore.
The book is long but remains interesting till the end.