PRAISE FOR CHASING ALASKA
Finalist for the 2014 Oregon Book Awards’ Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction
Publishers Weekly named it a Top 10 Travel Pick, where it shared a list with new books
from Dave Eggers and Paul TherouxNo. 1 Amazon bestseller
National Geographic chose it as one of the 10 best travel books for spring 2013
Bask Magazine made it the number one recommended book in its Summer 2013 issue
Utne Reader excerpted the first chapter
Merrimack Valley Magazine highlighted the book with an author interview
““The great unknown has always held a mysterious power over the adventurous at heart. While Alaska may not be as unknown as it once was, it still beckons to explorers and there’s no better season for wanderlust than summertime. Bernard’s lyrical descriptions of his journey through the wildly varied landscapes of Alaska and his encounters with its colorful inhabitants make readers feel like they are traveling alongside him every step of the way.” ”
““The author is an excellent writer… His sense of humor and clever words keep us fascinated, not to mention laughing. Overall, the purchase of two copies is recommended. You will likely wear out the first one from re-reading or the second will be useful to loan to a friend who forgets to return books.” ”
“It’s a humble and admirable beginning, one he stays true to, and one that yields a fascinating crop of adventures and characters. ... But he also discusses, with uncommon intelligence, the nature of hunting as a means of subsistence and the toll of environmental disasters, all the while applying the lessons he learns to his own life.”
““This lyrical book, with its abundant wisdom, humility, and grace, made me see Alaska anew and with deeper regard. Bravo.””
““[Bernard] writes movingly of the northern climate and landscape, of solitude and distance, of feeling utterly transformed.””
““[Joe Bernard’s] impressive achievements as a navigator in extreme corners of the planet and his scientific voyages will never be forgotten thanks to the phenomenal work of his descendant, a versatile, refreshing, and captivating writer.””
““The story of Joe Bernard—and his descendants’ attempts to understand him and each other—makes this worth a read.””
““Elegant snapshots of contemporary life in Alaska.””
““C. B. Bernard deftly takes us along on the pivotal journey of following his lodestar…Through his eyes we gather the extreme diversity of the land and the colorful people who inhabit it, past and present. By strapping us in for the ride, Bernard reminds us that we too might discover the breadths of our own waiting potential.” ”
““Bernard’s stories are so vivid you can feel the bear breathing down your neck. He crafts his sentences to be so lean he is like the hunter who never wastes a part of the deer he kills. In his work you will find not only a great story, but a great writer with a generous heart.”
—Poet and Novelist Kate Gray (“Carry the Sky”)”