Review (PDF) The Hard Way Home: Alaska Stories Of Adventure, Friendship, And The Hunt (Outdoor Lives)
A lifelong Alaskan, Steve Kahn moved at the age of nine from the “metropolis” of Anchorage to the foothills of the Chugach Mountains. A childhood of berry picking, fishing, and hunting led to a life as a big-game guide. When he wasn’t guiding in the spring and fall, he worked as a commercial fisherman and earned his pilot’s license, pursuits that took him to the far reaches of the Alaskan wilderness. He lived through some of the most important moments of the state’s history: the 1964 earthquake (the most powerful in U.S. history), the Farewell Burn wildfire, the last king crab season in Kodiak Island waters, the Exxon Valdez oil spill and cleanup, even the far-reaching effects of the 9/11 attacks. The landscape of the essays in The Hard Way Home extends from the tip of Admiralty Island in the southeast to the Teocalli Mountains of the interior, from the windswept Alaska Peninsula to the author’s present home on Lake Clark. These essays offer a view of Alaska that is at once introspective and adventurous. Here we find the state’s plants, animals, people, geography, politics, and culture considered from an intimate perspective, leading to hard-earned lessons about conservation, sustainability, and living well. Ever the irrepressible guide, Kahn invites readers to share his experiences and discoveries and to consider questions about a place, and a life, that are disappearing.
File Size: 1375 KB
Print Length: 224 pages
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (October 1, 2010)
Publication Date: October 1, 2010
Sold by: Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B004P8J388
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
Word Wise: Not Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Not Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #1,007,325 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #112 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Hunting & Fishing #120 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Arctic & Antarctica #576 in Books > History > Arctic & Antarctica
This is one of those books that tell things on several levels. Yes, it is a great book of hunting adventures and fishing. But, there is more to it. It tells of a persons growth from a kid on. It also tells of a time and place where there was none of this namby pamby crap about "safety". If anything gets my goat it's those people that think or feel that unless someone is watching their kid every minute or letting play out of sight it is those parents, society leaders that by their actions actually hinder kids from growng up to be responsible and thinking for themselves. The sad thing is, compare what living was like for the author as a young man,,,,,,,and look at what is going on today. Damm Government is ever more encroaching on peoples right to live as they please. OK......I'll ger off my soapbos now... This is one very good book.
I expected to enjoy this book, but my expectations were far exceeded. Steve Kahn has a gift for explaining life in bush Alaska through short stories that are not only fascinating, but touch our souls by reminding us what really matters in life. The further I got into the book, the more compelling I found it. I could easily visualize Kahn's experiences as a hunting guide and commercial fisherman. Of course, by the time I got to the last section about his life at Lake Clark the hook was set so deep that I could not let go. My wife would remind me that it was time to go to bed, so I needed to put the book down. Kahn manages to capture the essence of a bushy cast of characters without doing them any harm. The story that probably got to me the most was "Of Wood and Warmth." The topic of woodcutting is brought to life in a way I never would have imagined possible. What a treat!
Alaska is a state like none other in the union. "The Hard Way Home: Alaska Stories of Adventure, Friendship, and the Hunt" is a memoir from Steve Kahn reflecting on the staples of Alaskan life, as eh shares a collection of essays on his time in Alaska, bringing readers a fine collection of thoughts on Alaska through many important events and natural disasters. A fine read for anyone who wants to understand Alaska better, "The Hard Way Home" is a solid addition to any memoir collection, highly recommended.
Fascinating book that gives you a sense of growing up and living in Alaska! Well written and enjoyable to read.
Great stories of the outdoors.
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