A proud but impoverished Alaskan Indian family struggling to move into modern white society from its ancient culture filled with spirits -- deeply moving, humorous, tragic, yet inspirational.

An informative and important ethnographic work giving a glimpse of one family's life experiences in interior Alaska. A story well crafted and researched by one of the descendants of an Athabascan/Irish family filled with the realities of the sometimes harsh aspects of life in the north but yet also filled with the joys of living with strands of hope. It demonstrates how people cope with the clashing of cultures and how people on another level recreate their identity with one foot in the past (belief in Cold River Spirits) and one in the present. This book is highly recommended as a prime example of how to do ethnography. At times an air of expectancy is created and much like Louise, a central character in the family story, we get a sense of what's to come. It was story told with candor and helps to give us a snapshot of the cultural landscape of her people.

COLD RIVER SPIRITS is a wonderful and welcome addition to my library. Jan Harper-Haines writes with wisdom and humor. She tells the story of her family with candor, helping readers appreciate the challenge of living in two cultures. The book is a fast read; I couldn't put it down. As a result, I gave several copies as holiday gifts to friends and family. COLD RIVER SPIRITS deserves five stars.

This story reminded me of my own growing-up years, not in Alaska, but on a reservation, nevertheless. It is a powerful book and reminds me of the strength our people have to survive, despite the odds, and interference of another culture. Velma, thanks for sharing in an honest and sensitive way, and letting us know we were not alone.

Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in Coming Of Age Story From The Yukon River is the personal testimony of Velma Wallis (a full blooded member of one of the Gwich'in clans that had settled where the Porcupine River flows into the Yukon) on what it was like grow up as a Native American in an Alaska dominated by white teachers, traders, and missionaries. The endless battle against despair, alcoholism, and the loss or forgetting of all the ways that were once practiced permeate this courageous and thoughtful memoir. Raising Ourselves is a welcome, engagingly written, and very highly recommended addition to academic and community library Native American collections.

Velma, once again thank you so much for having the courage to bring your stories to paper. I bought this book because of my love for the Gwich'in people. I knew about the sustinance living and the tents with the stoves, the hunting, the alcoholism and various other things, but this book puts everything I had heard, and more, into the perspective of a complete picture. You get the feeling you know the people involved because she has described her entire family in detail. Drawing us in so close to her inner world, she gives us the sense that we are experiencing a Gwich'in childhood in the village with her. In addition, the tragic stories of the liquor problems in Fort Yukon are heartbreaking. I now have a better understanding why some villages chose to go "dry."
Mostly, Velma's story left me with the lesson: that we all have dysfunctional families in one way or another, and as much as you can love them, sometimes you just have to face that you can't change them. But what you do have the power to do is to look in your heart for what makes you happy and follow your dreams and live out your potential. Only you can do that for yourself. And all you can do for your family really, is to just love them.

This small book's size belies the wealth of information it contains. The book gives brief (2-5 page) summaries of the lives of a wide variety of women that participated in the Klondike Gold Rush. The authors write as if they personally knew these women and were telling their friends about them. Their writing style is easy to read, brief and very descriptive.The women include a native woman whose husband made an early stike; a woman whose son didn't return from the Klondike so she followed to search for him; several women who started/worked in businesses in the Klondike and women and families that entertained the prospectors. Photos accompany each biographical sketch.These are poignant stories that made me marvel at the strength of character of these women. Many made fortunes and found husbands in the Klondike but most suffered emotional or financial loss later.This book can be savored as either a very enjoyable read or for the historical bibliography it provides. I've referred to it several times and will continue to re-read it.

What an awesome book! Couldn't put it down. The odds these women fought against to chase their dreams during such a dangerous journey, not to mention the hardship of simply being a woman during this time in history is astounding! A must read for any woman looking for inspiration and motivation to follow her dreams!

I loved this book it was a great resource to me in building my Women in Alaska's History page. It was both well written and visually appealing, it flowed nicely and had excellent graphics!

Wonderful job of compiling information for this piece of historical fiction! Having heard so much about the Alaskan gold rush and Klondike Kate, I was most interested in reading this version. It made for great reading; especially with the author's slant of Kate reflecting back years later. It truly made it hard to determine fact from fiction. A time stopper in literature! This book was also reviewed by the Tacoma Koffee Singles.

I bought this book for a vacation read. I finished it in two days. The mixture of historical fact and fiction are woven to produce a multi-layered plot and a bit of a twist at the end. The romantic element is written in a way that every woman of every age will enjoy. I was reminded of Jan Karon's Mitford series, well written, characters that you feel like you really get to know and can't wait to read the next page. I bought 2 more for gifts for friends. ENJOY!

A dear friend of mine once said, "A woman who tells you her age will tell you anything!" The reader of "Mush on and Smile," is given a unique opportunity to relish the thoughts of a reflective 70-year-young celebrity -- a former showgirl in the wilderness of the Alaskan Yukon -- who probably has never told her real age to anyone. Kate Rockwell's prospective marriage causes her to review her life, her performing career, and her enduring, unrequitted love and ask, "Who am I, really, after all?" She can hardly reveal the answer to herself, let alone to her friends and fans who know her only as Klondike Kate: Queen of the Yukon. Her soulful efforts to discover the real Kate Rockwell provide an intriguing, tender page-turner for the reader of this delightful book. You will find that you do not want to put this book down. Fortunately, it's a quick read -- perfect for a weekend vacation or cross-country flight.

If you buy only one book before venturing to Alaska, buy the Milepost. For the budget traveller who is driving the Alaska highway or sailing on the Alaska Marine Highway, the book is absolutely essential. It gives detailed information about lodgings, ferry schedules, attractions, history and any other information the traveller needs including the location of gas stations on remote highways (very important if the nearest station is 90 miles away). It is updated yearly so the information is always current. The only problem with the Milepost is that it is phone book sized so it is not very portable. In fact, when I backpacked on the marine highway, I bought two copies of the milepost -- one to disassemble so I could take the relevant pages with me and one that I used to plan the trip and to enjoy reading when I returned home. If I travel to Alaska again, this is the only book I will buy.

This was our first trip on the Alaska Highway and the Milepost was a great help, not only did it give a complete description of road conditions, but it helped pass the time as we drove. Reading about the historicial happenings was great. I would recommend to anyone taking this trip to purchase the Milepost and enjoy a wonderful trip.

Wow! This book does it all, mile by mile up the Alcan Highway not to mention even on the ferry system. At first the advertising bothered us, but after awhile we found that fun and valuable as well. This is a real good travel book. Wish they had something like this in other remote places, like the Baja.

"Yukon Ho!" is a collection of daily and Sunday "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strips. Since the dates have not been left in the strips, it is difficult to determine the time frame involved. But that doesn't really matter, because this strip is as fresh and funny today, years after Bill Watterson ended the strip, as it was back in the day.

If you have never heard of Calvin and his adventures with his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, pick this book up today and become hooked with the rest of us.

bill watterson is an amazing cartoonist. When I opened this book I was immeadiatly sucked in. His drawings are amazing and the water color he uses is great. once again he has created a comic book that anyone can enjoy. calvin and hobbes is not the ordinary slapstick humor you find in most funnies, it has a refreshing touch of witty charm. I love these comics and i would recommend them to anybody.

Bill Waterson is argudably one of the best comic writers out there. Even through his retirement, he has made great books of past comics featuring his Calvin and Hobbes characters. I laugh and laugh at these comics he creates and I sometimes wonder how he comes up with such brilliant ideas sometimes with the storylines of some of the strips.

Calvin, one of his best known characters, is the trouble-making kid in the school. He is funny and imaginative and likes to make funa and games with his "real" pet friend Hobbes. Through the comics, you can see the relationship between a stuffed animal and a human.

In this comic though, Hobbes "comes to life" in Calvins eyes. The things that Calvin can sometimes get involved in is so hilarious and sometimes out of this world.

I guarantee that anyone that loves comics will fall in love with this one and should definitely buy this book to start their collection of classic comics.

All of Bill Waterson's comic books are very well done and very professional. His work is his life and it shows the time and consideration it took to make these characters come to life. Thank you Mr. Waterson for creating such a great comic and thatnk you people for reading my review!

I am a Calvin & Hobbes fan, and I find Calvin a most amusing and imaginative boy. He imagines a lot especially the fact that Hobbes is a real tiger. In fact, I never knew that Hobbes was just a toy, until I read a few more Calvin & Hobbes comics. Thanx, www.amazon.com. and also to B.W. I loved reading this book!

Bill Waterson is argudably one of the best comic writers out there. Even through his retirement, he has made great books of past comics featuring his Calvin and Hobbes characters. I laugh and laugh at these comics he creates and I sometimes wonder how he comes up with such brilliant ideas sometimes with the storylines of some of the strips.

Calvin, one of his best known characters, is the trouble-making kid in the school. He is funny and imaginative and likes to make funa and games with his "real" pet friend Hobbes. Through the comics, you can see the relationship between a stuffed animal and a human.

In this comic though, Hobbes "comes to life" in Calvins eyes. The things that Calvin can sometimes get involved in is so hilarious and sometimes out of this world.

I guarantee that anyone that loves comics will fall in love with this one and should definitely buy this book to start their collection of classic comics.

All of Bill Waterson's comic books are very well done and very professional. His work is his life and it shows the time and consideration it took to make these characters come to life. Thank you Mr. Waterson for creating such a great comic and thatnk you people for reading my review!

Ok. So I will not further my education or use any of the years that I spent getting first my undergraduate degree in Communications from Oglethorpe University or my Masters degree in Library Science from Clark Atlanta University; however, who cares? With this book in question, i.e., The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes : Includes Cartoons from Yukon Ho and Weirdos from Another Planet by Bill Watterson, I will have hours worth of fun and the interaction between Calvin and his toy tiger Hobbes is simply hysterically amusing. I especially like the times when Calvin's dad tries to help Calvin build some character; these scenes are hilarious since we all know that they at the time seem like punishment rather a parent caring for their child.

This book was not quite what I expected when I bought it. My first thought when I saw it on the shelf was, "Oh, a new Daniel Pinkwater novel! I better get that." About halfway through the first story, though, I began to be suspicious. "This isn't a novel. . .or is it? Is he kidding, or is he serious? Is this nonfiction?" This is one of the great things about Daniel Pinkwater--he keeps you on your toes, always trying to guess what is next to come. By the time I'd finished the book, I'd learned some neat dog-training tips (in case I should ever need them). I'd laughed guiltily and hysterically at the idea of a parrot being frightened to death by the misconception that it was being cooked, and I'd thought a lot about how funny life can be. This book is good for reading over one long sitting or for digesting one anecdote at a time.

Daniel Pinkwater is a very smart and funny writer -- one who knows the value of not taking himself too seriously. This thoroughly enjoyable book points out what most perceptive dog-lovers know: that dogs have a lot to teach us, about them and about ourselves. Pinkwater's dogs have taught him, among other things, that having the capacity to be both silly and dignified enriches a life.

I ended up reading this book one chapter at a time before bedtime, and each night I'd go to sleep with a smile.

If you loves dogs, you'll enjoy this book -- which also makes a great gift for the dog-lovers in your life.

Anyone who knows Daniel Manus Pinkwater's work is destined to buy this book for the sheer pleasure of carefully digesting every syllable he writes, as always. In this autobiographical book he bears his huge soul, his comical side (that we all know and love) and his uncanny, campy, unusual way of looking at the world, all as it relates to his many relationships with Canines.
Buy it! You will not be disappointed.

After reading this book for school, (not that I was forced to) I gave it a 4/5 star rating. It was excellent when it came to the setting of the story. Even though it is a very short, it crams alot of suspensfull and interesting moments into 100 some odd pages. This book is quite good and page turning. I highly recommend it to readers who like a mix of reality and fantasy in one. Masterful piece of writing.

Jack London was one of the greatest American writers. I love everything he wrote and I wish I could write as well as he did.

Collected works of Jack London have been reprinted in a variety of editions. It is a good collection to add to any library. Jack London (1876-1916) was born John Griffith Chaney to an unwed mother. He is known to have associated with the rougher elements of society and went to Alaska in 1897 in the early stages of the gold rush, returning a year later broke and in ill health. Most of his writing used the Yukon and Alaska as a setting, although some material is undoubtedly drawn from other sources as well. The description of the town used in one of his short stories fits in well with what he would have observed during his stopover in my hometown in Washington State. He is generally regarded as an author/adventurer, and his novels and short stories have endured the test of time, being as popular now as when they were written. Like many artists and writers, his life was somewhat short.

I took this book with me to the yukon (in paperback form) and it was quite useful. The 1999 update, in the format of a 4 page insert, was helpful. However, due to the nature of the region, services opening and closing in a season, I found that when I arrived in July 1999 (with the 1999 update in hand) that some of the info was outdated. Regardless, it's an indispensible travel tool to this magnificent region.

There really is no better guide book covering the Yukon. Seems to be a bit dated but the info concerning the Yukon is still very accurate especially with the 2003 insert - certainly more accurate than other guide books claiming to have been updated their info in 2003!!!!
Do recommend the Yukon Travel Adventure Guide for anybody heading North to the Yukon.

after reading the book one thing is quite clear: my next trip will be to the yukon. It's more than a simple guide: it's a story-telling book, a who-is-who of the territory, a preperation to coming adventures, written in an entertaining, ironically style (see the bear-chapter) with lots of interesting details on how to do this and that and everything (and by the way even a complete, probably life-saving telephonebook) - read, go and enjoy !!