Thursday, June 18, 2015 – My Book Report
I did it! I finished James A. Michener’s Alaska. It was long. It was very long. In fact, it was 868 pages long. I started reading it upon my return from Alaska last September. I read the hardback version. I had to be careful reading at night due to the fact that if I fell asleep and the book fell into my face, I risked facial bruising or perhaps a mild concussion.
Seriously, Anchorage Angela, you can and should read Alaska since it is your newly adopted home state. Like all other frontiers and discoveries, the arrival of foreigners and their treatment of the natives are deplorable. The influence of Seattle is fascinating and sad. The story of statehood is one I have never heard. And the ascent and descent of Denali shows the ruggedness of the indescribable and beauty of nature and scenes of the area. It is a fascinating story of a unique state that is vital to the livelihood of The United States and the world.
This paragraph stood out because this is exactly how I saw it. My sister was there and can testify.
Page 815 of Alaska – “At a spot some miles south of the little town, as I was driving, I swerved to the shoulder of the road, slammed on the brakes and cried, “There it is!” From the almost level plain rose the three great mountains of the Alaska Range: Foraker to the left, Denali in the center, Silverthrone on the right, with off to one side the remarkable black cube called Mooses Tooth. They formed a majestic march across the blue sky, a line of mountains that would have been commendable in any terrain: here, where the surrounding plain was so low, with an elevation not much above sea level, they soared enormously, white-capped, inviting but filled with subtle menace.”
From Alaska.
“Then where does McKinley come from?”
“The mountain’s name changed after William McKinley to promote his Republican campaign as president.
“Will his name stay on the mountain?
“Everybody with good sense is trying to remove it.”
Here's What I'm Thinking 