Re: [Paddlewise] Books...

From: Sarah Ohmann <s_ohmann_at_email.msn.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 03:13:27 -0600
I read Victoria Jason's book last year, as well as the companion book about
one of the same trips, "Paddle to the Arctic" by Don Starkell (appropriately
dubbed "piddle to the arctic" by one Paddlewise member).  These two books
have been making the rounds here and the general reaction seems to be, um,
well, unfavorable.

After reading them both, I felt as if they made good lessons in how *not* to
plan or carry out an expedition.  They made about every mistake possible
(including some that I had previously thought impossible), a number of which
were nearly fatal.  To be fair to Victoria, Starkell deserves credit for the
most heinous acts of stupidity, and her number one error seems to have been
taking up with him in the first place.

I second the recommendation for "A Perfect Storm", which has also been
passed around;  everyone seemed to like this one.  I also liked "Kabloona",
I think Chuck recommended this one a while back, about a European
"ethnographer" who goes to live with the Inuit in the 1930s.  A personal
favorite, about a couple's two year long wilderness canoe trip, is "Water
and Sky" by Alan Kesselheim.  I have yet to find a book about a kayaking
trip that I really really like, but so far the one I like the most is "A
Boat in Our Baggage" by Maria Coffey.

Sarah Ohmann



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Received on Thu Nov 19 1998 - 14:02:43 PST

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