Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.4 / 5.0

Great story, well told:

For once the blurb on the back cover is accurate, ",,,the Salisbury's writing is as straightforward and honest as the men they are describing. This is a moving story, superbly researched and deftly told."

In the small town of Nome, in the furthest northwest corner of the coast of Alaska, a diptheria epidemic occurs in the winter of 1925. The town doctor knows he needs serum to save lives but he has only a very small supply. There are no roads or railways to Nome. The port is unreachable because of ice and... more info

A gripping yarn:

This book is not only a gripping tale of heroic men and dogs working against long odds and unimaginable hardships to save Nome from an epidemic, it is a fascinating account of dogsledding, gold rushes, Alaskan history, and harsh weather. Some of the most interesting passages describe the weird acoustical effects and other strange and unfamiliar phenomena caused by extreme cold. Other reviewers have criticized these digressions for interrupting the narrative, but I found that they added depth and context.... more info

Majorly cool book, in more ways than one!:

I adore history. I love medicine. When you combine the two of those topics and do it well, then you deserve accolades for doing so. Salisbury and Salisbury did a phenomenal job with this (which I take is their first book together). I had known about the outbreak of the 1918 influenza that killed so many Native Americans (including the indigenous tribes of Alaska). I did not know about this particular outbreak of diptheria in Nome, which was, and still is basically out in the boondocks.

For those who don't... more info

Similar Products:

Togo by Robert J. Blake

The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail by Debbie S. Miller, Jon Van Zyle

Iditarod: The Great Race to Nome by Bill Sherwonit, Jeff Schultz

Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen

Dogs of the Iditarod by Jeff Schultz

?