- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf (Mar 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0375404090
- ISBN-13: 978-0375404092
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.3 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 783,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
The Arctic—with its twenty-four-hour daylight, surprisingly curious animals and inexplicable humming noises—is a world of constant danger and limitless possibility. This unforgiving landscape is home to the Inuit (the name they prefer to “Eskimos”), whose complex and little-studied society is fascinating in its divergence from as well as its assimilation into Western culture.
Jonathan Waterman’s 2,200-mile journey across the roof of North America took him through Inuit communities in Alaska to Nunavut, Canada’s new, 770,000-square-mile, self-governed territory. His story, at once illuminating and alarming, offers firsthand observations of their life, language and beliefs; records their reactions to global modernization; documents their centuries of unjust treatment at the hands of Kabloona (bushy-eyebrowed whites); and witnesses unemployment, teen suicide and such persistent plagues as spousal violence and substance abuse. From the perspective of his 1997–1999 voyage—as the Inuit stand on the brink of a more hopeful, independent future—he also looks into a past marked by famous (or infamous) Arctic explorers, government cover-ups and environmental destruction.
This beautifully written work of intrepid reporting and even scholarship also reveals the physical risks and psychological perils of crossing the legendary Northwest Passage. Utterly alone for weeks at a time, Waterman struggles against freezing conditions, the tricks played on him by his own mind and dangers more complex than aggressive bears, stormy seas and mosquito blizzards. Following the advice of an Inuit shaman, who said that “those things hidden from others” are discovered only “far from the dwellings of men, through privation and suffering,” Waterman kayaks, skis, dogsleds and sails across the Great Solitudes in a thrilling and ultimately successful quest for this “true wisdom,” arriving at a profound understanding of environment and culture.
Jonathan Waterman’s 2,200-mile journey across the roof of North America took him through Inuit communities in Alaska to Nunavut, Canada’s new, 770,000-square-mile, self-governed territory. His story, at once illuminating and alarming, offers firsthand observations of their life, language and beliefs; records their reactions to global modernization; documents their centuries of unjust treatment at the hands of Kabloona (bushy-eyebrowed whites); and witnesses unemployment, teen suicide and such persistent plagues as spousal violence and substance abuse. From the perspective of his 1997–1999 voyage—as the Inuit stand on the brink of a more hopeful, independent future—he also looks into a past marked by famous (or infamous) Arctic explorers, government cover-ups and environmental destruction.
This beautifully written work of intrepid reporting and even scholarship also reveals the physical risks and psychological perils of crossing the legendary Northwest Passage. Utterly alone for weeks at a time, Waterman struggles against freezing conditions, the tricks played on him by his own mind and dangers more complex than aggressive bears, stormy seas and mosquito blizzards. Following the advice of an Inuit shaman, who said that “those things hidden from others” are discovered only “far from the dwellings of men, through privation and suffering,” Waterman kayaks, skis, dogsleds and sails across the Great Solitudes in a thrilling and ultimately successful quest for this “true wisdom,” arriving at a profound understanding of environment and culture.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Waterman details an epic journey, largely solo, in a kayak which he sometimes sailed from Alaska to the Gulf of Boothia across the roof of the world. A much more accomplished trip than that of Starkell, the differences between the two accounts are quite deep rooted. Waterman talks to the locals rather than trying to pretend they don't exist. A detailed look at the troubles of life in the high arctic written in a readable, engaging style.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Waterman gives an refreshingly honest account of Inuit life, warts and all -- both fascinating and highly educational.
'Arctic Crossing' won the Adventure Travel category at the 2001 Banff Mountain Book Festival.
'Arctic Crossing' won the Adventure Travel category at the 2001 Banff Mountain Book Festival.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
29 reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
ain't no arctic wide enough
31 Jan 2002
Format:Hardcover
I am always amazed and delighted by Jonathan Waterman's skill with language, and with his ability to convey his explorations of both external and internal landscapes. This is a writer who loves wild places, but never seeks to conquer them.
Arctic Crossing gives readers a genuine view into the challenges of solitary travel, and a welcome understanding of the rich Inuit culture.
Waterman sugar coats nothing - not the cold, not the real dangers of his travels.Yet he captures the sweetness of learning to "watch birds" rather than identify, of a reunion with his wife that helps him regain his center. He catapults readers right into places in the world and in the heart that most would have never otherwise travelled.
Arctic Crossing gives readers a genuine view into the challenges of solitary travel, and a welcome understanding of the rich Inuit culture.
Waterman sugar coats nothing - not the cold, not the real dangers of his travels.Yet he captures the sweetness of learning to "watch birds" rather than identify, of a reunion with his wife that helps him regain his center. He catapults readers right into places in the world and in the heart that most would have never otherwise travelled.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Multi-level Success
4 Jan 2002
Format:Hardcover
Jonathan Waterman's book succeeds on several levels. The most important is the treatment the author gives of the Inuit and Inuvialuit communities, their history, and his own interactions with them. The presentation is unsentimental and the reader is rewarded with a view of things as they are. The book presents the historical and present situations in a way that enhances our understanding, though it is by no means clear what exactly should be done by Canada or Nunavut to alleviate the problems. One can only wish the best for this amazing far-north culture.
From the point of view of adventure, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in solo exploration. Waterman is as experienced as they come in the realm of long, strenuous adventures in arduous conditions. He takes on this multi-year kayaking trek without a radio, even though he knows he is not an expert kayaker. While he deals with various problems and incidents, the most intriguing problem seems to be that of simply being alone for long stretches. He survives it, but it was apparently not easy.
Finally, the book succeeds in conveying the beauty of nature (landscape, seascape, birds, and animals) in this shoreline environment. For the author, and probably for most who have visited it, the Arctic is a very special place, and the book, in its prose, general spirit, and photographs conveys that. Regarding the pictures, I appreciated the fact that in addition to the standard color insert, which has excellent photos, the author and publisher have decided to include many black-and-white pictures in the text. These enhance the presentation a lot, especially compared to many adventure books that get published quickly and without real thought to the inclusion of the best photos.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Accurate Portrait of a Land and Culture in Transistion
5 Dec 2001
Format:Hardcover
Author Waterman does it again!
Arctic Crossing is a very readable and powerful solo tale of high drama in one of the most unforgiving corners of our planet. Jon's richly written tale captures the many moods of both a hauntingly beautiful landscape and the Inuit Culture that inhabit it. The myriad challenges faced by the author in his epic trek should be reason enough to lure virtually any adventure travel reader. Offering far more than yet another tale of polar endurance, Waterman's keen observations of Inuit Culture becomes the unexpected hook.
Having spent three years living in a remote Siberian Yupik Eskimo village, I found this book to be compelling in its honest appraisal of Indigenous Northern Culture. Rapid cultural change and its associated dysfunction which challenges many Arctic cultures is typically not well documented in print. That which exists often times is either candy coated or worse yet, over sensationalized. Reported with a sense of respect, Jon's accounting of cultural interactions are at times brutal, yet refreshingly accurate.
This book captures the unique rhythms of remote Arctic ecosystems through rich imagery. The author was very obviously moved by his time spent in the spare pastel light of the Barrens. His writing is focused on capturing that elusive essence of the Arctic experience that defies the average writer's efforts. Fortunately, Waterman is no ordinary writer.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
