Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod
- Book Review,
by Gary Paulsen
Amazon.com
Fueled by a passion for running dogs, Gary Paulsen entered the Iditarod--the 1150-mile winter sled-dog race between Anchorage and Nome-- in dangerous ignorance and with a fierce determination. Winterdance is his account of this seventeen-day battle against Nature's worst elements and his own frailty.
From Publishers Weekly
Acclaimed children's book author Paulsen offers a gripping account of his experience running the 1180 mile Iditarod dogsled race. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The Alaskan Iditarod is an annual 1180-mile dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome that generally takes two to three weeks to complete. Paulsen, a popular YA writer, ran the race in 1983 and 1985 and was again in training when a heart condition forced him to retire. This book is primarily an account of Paulsen's first Iditarod and its frequent life-threatening disasters, including wind so strong it blew his eyelids open and blinded his eyes with snow, cold so deep matches would not strike, and packages of lotions kept next to his skin that froze solid. However, the book is more than a tabulation of tribulations; it is a meditation on the extraordinary attraction this race holds for some men and women. In a style reminiscent of fellow nature writer Farley Mowat, Paulsen deftly examines careening on a precarious edge. Highly recommended for all libraries.- John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, N.J.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
In the tradition of Jack London...[Paulsen's] prose is spare and physical; at its best, it has the fluid simplicity of Hemingway... He also has a sense of farce...What's most moving is his behavior at the end of the race: "I didn't want to go in," he says. Armchair travelers will understand.
From Booklist
Paulsen's survival adventure is in the tradition of Jack London: one man and his dog team together against the Arctic wilderness. With everything stripped down to the barest essentials, Paulsen finds elemental connection with a world beyond cities, family, and work. His prose is spare and physical; at its best, it has the fluid simplicity of Hemingway. On the other hand, there is too much reliance on the pattern of menace beneath the surface. Paulsen is always teetering on the edge of a precipice, waiting to be dragged, dropped, crashed, frozen, torn apart, and buried alive. Fortunately, however, he also has a sense of farce, and there's a lot of the Marx Brothers here. As Paulsen makes clear from the start, the Iditarod race is itself an absurd undertaking--to run with a dog team for 1,800 miles through unimaginable cold, "winds beyond belief, roaring waters and deadly dreams." What's most moving is his behavior at the end of the race: "I didn't want to go in," he says. Armchair travelers will understand. Hazel Rochman
Book Description
Paulsen and his team of dogs endured snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, and hallucinations in the relentless push to go on. Map and color photographs.
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