Nope, I didn’t forget about our “What Alaska Book To Send Obama” challenge — I was just distracted by all the other political shenanigans of the last few weeks, and also waiting to see how the Alaska Obama campaign regroups. Energy and passion are still out there, with a rally planned for Oct. 4 at the Park Strip. I plan to watch the first Obama-McCain debate this Friday and I look forward to being at the Oct. 4 rally, which I hope will set Alaska attendance records!
In the meanwhile, back to our little survey here. That widget you see to the right is from Shelfari, and I’m using it to show off the 9 books that comment-leavers chose as some of Alaska’s finest. So far, here are how the votes stand, but I’ll keep taking votes (just leave a comment if you haven’t already voted) through Oct. 3. I allowed previous comment-leavers to name more than one book; feel free to do the same if you can’t decide.
As I’d hoped, this survey reveals more than what we want Obama to read. It also presents anyone stumbling across this blog with some really great Alaska reading recommendations. These are the books we take pride in, the books that truthfully portray the Alaska experience. It includes great books I’d forgotten about, like Sheila Nickerson’s “Disappearance,” as well as books I haven’t yet read but plan to read, like the classic “Two in the Far North.” One writer, Sherry Simpson, had two books named. But the top scorer, by far, has been “Ordinary Wolves” by Seth Kantner.
Voting so far: Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner, 6 votes
The Island Within by Richard Nelson, 2 votes
The Way Winter Comes by Sherry Simpson, 2 votes
Two in the Far North by Margaret Murie, 2 votes
The Accidental Explorer by Sherry Simpson, 1 vote
Arctic Refuge: A Circle of Testimony edited by Servid & Lentfer, 1 vote
Living with Wildness by Bill Sherwonit, 1 vote
The Whale and the Supercomputer by Charles Wohlforth, 1 vote
Disappearance: A Map by Sheila Nickerson, 1 vote
Also: no specific book titles named, but these poets were recommended once each: Jerah Chadwick, Arlitia Jones, Peggy Shumaker, Tom Sexton, John Haines.
P.S. The Convention photo was taken by my friend Judith, a writer from Colorado who volunteered that night. Thanks Judith!
I hope this is an ongoing project! I'd like to see Obama & team reading Conflicting Landscapes: American Schooling/Alaska Natives by Clifton Bates & Michael J. Oleska (2008) published by The Kuskokwim Corporation. After hearing the candidates mention "No Child Left Behind" in their third debate, it seems this look at realities would be useful to the Obama folks.