Rating: 
Summary: A Journey Through Hell's Icebox
Review:
Authors Gay and Laney Salisbury tell the gripping drama of the ultimate race to deliver life-saving serum to a remote Alaskan village to save the lives of children stricken with diptheria.
A description of how diptheria kills comes early in the book, making the reader fully aware of the stakes. The victim develops a cough and throat lesions which grow thicker until finally the victim succumbs to death by slow strangulation. The last sound heard by horrified family is a final gasp for air.
This is more than an adventure story. It's history. We learn about Alaska and early natives, the Gold Rush, dogs and dog breeding, sleds and tackle, even ice conditions and effects of weather.
In other words, it's a lot like reading Moby Dick, only this book is a true story. Plus, it's interesting.
Mark Twain described the hazards of piloting on the Mississippi River and the crucial necessity of reading the face of the water for shoals and sandbars to avoid disaster. No less crucial is the necessity of reading the ice ahead to avoid certain death from frostbite and hypothermia. A group of hardy men running a relay race with life-saving serum is passed along like a baton. At any point the entire effort could have failed. And very nearly did when one of the sledders dropped the container in the snow and he desperately dug until he miraculously recovered it.
Dogs' loyalty to their masters is related in poignant examples, such as a mailman who was discovered frozen to death: "But the lead dog had stayed behind, by his master's side, with his four paws frozen to the ground. The loyal dog was so severely frostbitten that Mitchell had no other option but to shoot him."
Equally touching is a description of the sled dogs' passion for dogsledding: "Some dogs just won't accept being left out of the team and will howl and moan as the team leaves the yard. Sometimes they will sink into depression and die. Even those who accept their fate to sit by and watch the team leave always keep alive the instinct to one day run again."
"'If ever their master comes to them with harness in hand,' a modern-day musher wrote, 'they will struggle on arthritic legs to ready themselves for the trail. There may be pain in their backs, but there is always hope in their eyes.'"
Rating: 
Summary: Gripping race against time and the elements
Review: "The Cruelest Miles" is an excellent recounting of an incredible race to save the citizens of Nome in the mid-1920's. The Salisbury cousins do an admirable job of covering the sled-dog relay, and relating the dangers involved in the relay. Since the story of the relay, while compelling, is a relatively quick one to recount, the authors "fill-in" with some Alaskan history - especially that of Nome - and with descriptions of how the natives of Alaska survived in such a seemingly harsh environment. The political machinations that went into deciding how to deliver the serum (by plane or by sled relay) are also thoroughly covered. "The Cruelest Miles" is a fitting tribute the heroic men and dogs who helped to save Nome.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, well told
Review: 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 the airplanes of the time could not take off because of the extreme cold. The only solution is to run the serum in by dogsled, across Alaska in temperatures of around minus 60 degrees. This is a saga of the heroism of both men and dogs. Some of the dogs died as a result of giving more than they had to the race across the ice. Men had their hands frozen to the sled. But they made it and saved many lives. Both men and dogs displayed valour and tenacity in conditions beyond anything we can imagine. In telling this deeply moving story the writers take the opportunity to show us the basic elements of life in the outposts of Alaska - the effects of the cold, the wind, the winter darkness, the isolation. The readers don't learn this, they FEEL it. The pace of the story builds from the discovery of gold at Nome in 1898 to the dramatic, heroic dash with the serum in 1925. I recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about the outdoors and the courage of men and dogs in overcoming impossible odds.
Rating:
Summary: Historically Accurate!
Review: Gay and Laney Salisbury have done a wonderful job of researching and writing a riveting saga of one of the most incredible journeys in history.
I knew one of the primary mushers...Leonhard Seppala, and the story they have told is the story I heard direct from Seppala. In the early 1960s Seppala lived in the Ballard district in Seattle. I got to know the man several years before his death and would stop to visit him after school and listen to his tales over cookies and milk. At the time there was no way a 10 year old could appreciate the incredible conditions Seppala faced in this epic race to save Nome.
The Salisbury's have filled in those details. They have set the scene and helped me appreciate just what it was like in Nome in 1925 setting out by dog sled in 50 below temperatures to travel so many miles. I received the book for Christmas and it was the most delightful book I have ever read.
What's more it was wonderful to see that Leonhard's lead dog Togo got the recognition he so deserved. I remember how saddened Leonhard was even late in life that Balto got the glory and Togo got virtually no credit. The stories he told me about Togo showed he was an exceptional dog and Leonhard loved him to the end.
Thank you for writing such a well researched account of this event and presenting it in such a fascinating fashion.
Robert Lane
Ashland, OR
Rating:
Summary: The Coolest Dogs
Review: Huskies, to a lot of people, have a great-house-no one-home reputation: they're undeniably gorgeous, but not necessarilly the sharpest crayons in the box. This book debunks that whole myth and presents us with the husky's smart, resourceful, strong, and heroic ancestors. They've proven their mettle again and again for their human partners, but never so brilliantly as when they raced to stop a diphtheria epidemic in its tracks. This book is well-researched and well-written, and it's very interesting to learn about sled dogs in the context of Alaskan history. The authors also ably describe the horror of watching diphtheria victims--often children--literally have the life choked out of them while the doctor, nurse and parents can do nothing. The Alaskan territory attracted people who were resilient survivors, in harsh conditions, and who had learned to respect the dogs they often entrusted with their lives. Sled dogs earned that trust by making split-second decisions on the trail that often made the difference between becoming hopelessly lost and finding the next outpost, or between freezing to death and getting home. A sad part of the book is what happened after all the hoopla surrounding the Serum Run died down, and how the same dogs that risked everything--just because they were asked to--were later exploited. Unfortunately, this is still going on. A lot of people are drawn to the northern breeds because they look flashy, and then tire of the endless vacuuming, or the dog's innate urge to run, and the dogs get passed on to other owners or dumped. This book reminds of of our debt not only to this particular breed, but to all dogs who give us so much and demand so little in return.
Rating:
Summary: Majorly cool book, in more ways than one!
Review: 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 know or don't remember, diptheria is the D part of the DPT vaccine given to all children, several time prior to school years. Diptheria and whooping cough are two of the most awful childhood diseases (though both can be gotten by adults). Diptheria is not just a sore throat. The combination of the toxins of diptheria and the immune system of the child's body creates a membrane that lies across the back of the throat effectively choking/suffocating the child. Prior to the vaccine, there was an anti-toxin created (which again I didn't know) but if the child had progressed this far with the membrane then death was the ultimate outcome. In those days, tracheotomies were not automatically done; the concept had not been introduced yet. And even if that were available, the lack of cleanliness would have still put the patients at risk with that type of medical interference. Cutting the membrane did not help, as apparently it could grow back. Really nasty stuff...and those parents who are into 'natural' do not realize that 'natural' was oftentimes a killer. This book is not just a dry gathering of newspaper articles. The authors talked to those involved, whether the children saved, or even some of the remaining 'mushers' (or their close families and friends) concerning this very good example of quiet heroism. Not only is the writing terrific, but there are some great old photographs, maps (which I needed to follow), and even the footnotes were interesting. The authors wove stories into the story, because they had to explain to the readers the background behind the use of dogs to cross such forbidding frozen country. Sometimes we need books like this to realize just how lucky we are to have the vaccines that are so automatically given to our children. This is a great story, a great epidemiological case study, a great tribute to the doctor and mushers who rushed to save the lives of so many. Karen Sadler,
Science Education, University of Pittsburgh
Rating:
Summary: Engaging Read but avoid the Footnotes
Review: I believe this is a well written book that really satisfied my interest in Alaska, its natives, and the amazing relationship between dog and man. I had picked up "Cruelest Miles" just on the heels of reading "Seabiscuit," which I enjoyed thoroughly. So, I was riding on some high standards when I read the Salisbury cousins' book. And, as it is their first book together, there's room for improvement, but I enjoyed their work enough to pass it on to friends. The absorbing portions of the book focus on the amazing feats of the Sled drivers and their teams of dogs. One gets a chill even in this summer heat when reading about mushing the dogs through a blinding snow with wind chill temperatures at 70 below. And that is the main tribute the book rides on: without these courageous men working in tandem with arguably the most loyal of animals, scores of Nome residents would have perished to the horrible disease of Diptheria. The authors, unfortunately, do tend to get the reader sidetracked when taking a detour chapter into the background of a specific element of Alaska history. Some of these pieces added little value, and instead slowed the momentum of the great race to get the serum to Nome. I also made the mistake of reading each footnote; some contain interesting facts, but many were quite long, and only distracted me from the adventure that the authors otherwise do a great job in relaying. Avoid the long footnotes, stick to the trail of the dogs, and you will enjoy reading a fascinating piece of history from the Last Frontier.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging Read but avoid the Footnotes
Review: I believe this is a well written book that really satisfied my interest in Alaska, its natives, and the amazing relationship between dog and man. I had picked up "Cruelest Miles" just on the heels of reading "Seabiscuit," which I enjoyed thoroughly. So, I was riding on some high standards when I read the Salisbury cousins' book. And, as it is their first book together, there's room for improvement, but I enjoyed their work enough to pass it on to friends. The absorbing portions of the book focus on the amazing feats of the Sled drivers and their teams of dogs. One gets a chill even in this summer heat when reading about mushing the dogs through a blinding snow with wind chill temperatures at 70 below. And that is the main tribute the book rides on: without these courageous men working in tandem with arguably the most loyal of animals, scores of Nome residents would have perished to the horrible disease of Diptheria. The authors, unfortunately, do tend to get the reader sidetracked when taking a detour chapter into the background of a specific element of Alaska history. Some of these pieces added little value, and instead slowed the momentum of the great race to get the serum to Nome. I also made the mistake of reading each footnote; some contain interesting facts, but many were quite long, and only distracted me from the adventure that the authors otherwise do a great job in relaying. Avoid the long footnotes, stick to the trail of the dogs, and you will enjoy reading a fascinating piece of history from the Last Frontier.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story, not so great writing
Review: I completely agree with one of the previous reviewers that the writing style detracts substantially from the joy of reading this book. The story is a wonderful accounting of an historic event, and the authors have researched the diphtheria epidemic, the serum run, and Alaska well. However, as stated before, the frequent digressions are frustrating and make it difficult to stay engrossed. Further, there are numerous typos and mistakes in the book. It is seldom that I find *any* mistakes in a book, yet I have found at least five in this one and I am not yet finished. More careful proofreading is needed. Nevertheless, dog lovers, history buffs, and adventure enthusiasts will all find this an enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: great story-tellers
Review: I don' t normally read non-fiction, but a friend recommended this book...and now I know why. It is excellent. I have always been interested in the Iditarod and the dogs of Alaska. I also loved the tv series "Northern Exposure," for its quirky characters and the beautiful ALaskan setting. Alaska is not just a setting in this book - it is another character, actually several characters, depending on the location and mood. It could be described as an adventure novel. The authors tell interesting stories in an easy, flowing style. I learned a lot, plus I enjoyed the read!
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