Rating: 
Summary: 3+ stars; good read, tackling both dogs and politics
Review: Balzar takes the reader behind the scenes and behind the sled, without getting mired in "technical speak" and superfelous jargon. A good blend of analysis and attitude. Having lived in Alaska for 10 years, I can say his take on social cliques, animal rights/dog mushers and the PFD are right on the money. While self-absorbed at times, the book nonetheless captures the "essence" of a lifestyle and a race. Having covered the race on three occassions for a radio station, I can say Balzar is never off-target, and even manages to hit a few bullseyes.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Job in describing a tough race
Review: Bought the book for Father's day for my husband who loves outdoors, hunting, etc. He was visibly pleased as he read and I knew it was a serious read when the TV didn't come on as usual. He got a whole new idea of what the dogs were like. Don't think he is going riding on a sled!
Rating: 
Summary: Yukon Alone
Review: I can't imagine a book that could describe the Yukon Quest any better. Balzar captures the race, the mushers, and the country just perfect. There are times when he puts you on the trail with your own team as you feel the thrills and spills! A must read for anyone interested in dog mushing and the north country.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Scoop on the World?s Most Challenging Dogsled Race
Review: John Balzar is first and foremost a reporter, with a reporter's unerring nose for news. So it should come as no surprise that word of the Yukon Quest, a 1,023-mile dog sled race through some of the coldest and most challenging terrain in the world, would capture his attention and get him started on the trail of a good story. What was a surprise, as much to Balzar as to his readers I suspect, was the degree to which the race and its participants came to matter. Quirky, devoted to a sport that doesn't translate well to television, and immersed in a way of life that 90% of the population can't begin to fathom, the people Balzar meets when he first heads north have "the power to fascinate." Following the advice of George "Skip" Brink, a construction worker who volunteers at the race, Balzar stops taking notes, sets aside his writing tools, and asks what he can do to help out with the race. Thus begins his stint as a pooper-scooper and veterinary assistant at the race, in which he slowly comes to realize that he is there to learn as much about himself as about the race. Yukon Alone is full of Balzar's characteristically insightful and amusing observations on life as he sees it, but it is not as polished or self-assured as some of his other work. In fact, the reader gets the distinct impression that Balzar is flying by the seat of his pants, figuring things out as the story progresses, which lends an immediacy and intensity to the writing. We are there, for instance, when he loses control of his dogsled team and ends up in a heap on the side of a trail with a nasty gash in his head. We stand by and watch with embarrassment as he asks a friend to fly him to see a woman friend, even though he knows he is risking both their lives. Here is a story that has much to say about what motivates and sustains us, and the importance of meaningful relationships with other creatures and the land. No doubt you will be amused and disgusted, shocked and dismayed, thrilled and touched by this book. The one thing you will not be is bored, which is one of the highest compliments I can pay Balzar.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Scoop on the World¿s Most Challenging Dogsled Race
Review: John Balzar is first and foremost a reporter, with a reporter's unerring nose for news. So it should come as no surprise that word of the Yukon Quest, a 1,023-mile dog sled race through some of the coldest and most challenging terrain in the world, would capture his attention and get him started on the trail of a good story. What was a surprise, as much to Balzar as to his readers I suspect, was the degree to which the race and its participants came to matter. Quirky, devoted to a sport that doesn't translate well to television, and immersed in a way of life that 90% of the population can't begin to fathom, the people Balzar meets when he first heads north have "the power to fascinate." Following the advice of George "Skip" Brink, a construction worker who volunteers at the race, Balzar stops taking notes, sets aside his writing tools, and asks what he can do to help out with the race. Thus begins his stint as a pooper-scooper and veterinary assistant at the race, in which he slowly comes to realize that he is there to learn as much about himself as about the race. Yukon Alone is full of Balzar's characteristically insightful and amusing observations on life as he sees it, but it is not as polished or self-assured as some of his other work. In fact, the reader gets the distinct impression that Balzar is flying by the seat of his pants, figuring things out as the story progresses, which lends an immediacy and intensity to the writing. We are there, for instance, when he loses control of his dogsled team and ends up in a heap on the side of a trail with a nasty gash in his head. We stand by and watch with embarrassment as he asks a friend to fly him to see a woman friend, even though he knows he is risking both their lives. Here is a story that has much to say about what motivates and sustains us, and the importance of meaningful relationships with other creatures and the land. No doubt you will be amused and disgusted, shocked and dismayed, thrilled and touched by this book. The one thing you will not be is bored, which is one of the highest compliments I can pay Balzar.
Rating:
Summary: Escaping Oklahoma
Review: Reading "Yukon Alone" gave me the hint of the thrill of mushing across a frozen landscape that I could never hope to experience in my home state. Balzar's talent in describing the scenery gave me goosebumps. His characters were true to life. The best book I have read in years.
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL
Review: This book taught me a lot of dog mushing, the experience of extreme cold, life in the Yukon and remote Alaska. The author follows the race, even mushing for one stretch, so you get a ground view of the racers' experiences and personalities. Especially interesting was the author's encounters with persons living subsistence lifestyles in wilderness areas. It's important to note that most of the cursing in the book seems to be direct quotes from mushers and locals rather than the author's prose. Moreover, the cursing occurs at moments when it might be deemed appropriate, such as when being dragged face-down across the ice by a loose dog-sled. Therefore, the cursing wasn't remarkable at all when I was reading the book, I only comment because others have seen this as a fault. An excellent book about adventure and life in very wild areas.
Rating:
Summary: Cold, Dogs, Hermits, and Cursing
Review: This book taught me a lot of dog mushing, the experience of extreme cold, life in the Yukon and remote Alaska. The author follows the race, even mushing for one stretch, so you get a ground view of the racers' experiences and personalities. Especially interesting was the author's encounters with persons living subsistence lifestyles in wilderness areas. It's important to note that most of the cursing in the book seems to be direct quotes from mushers and locals rather than the author's prose. Moreover, the cursing occurs at moments when it might be deemed appropriate, such as when being dragged face-down across the ice by a loose dog-sled. Therefore, the cursing wasn't remarkable at all when I was reading the book, I only comment because others have seen this as a fault. An excellent book about adventure and life in very wild areas.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: This is a good and compelling, but not a great, book. The author needs a little bit more polish in his writing style. As another reviewer points out, he swears a bit too much. The parts of the book about drug abuse among dog sled racers, the insensitivity of reporters to native Americans, and the coming end of frontier life in Alaska were also a little disheartening (although these are not the author's fault). Nevertheless, the author does a great job of taking us into this amazing race. His description of the absolute dedication that dog sled racing takes was excellent. He does more than just talk about the race and the racers; he really uses the race to show what life is like in rural Alaska and Yukon. The author does a particularly good job of describing what cold temperatures do to the body (his "walk down the thermometer") and the sleep deprivation that sled racers experience. His analysis of animal rights and dog sled racing was also quite good, walking the fine line between the opinions of animal rights activists and the dog sled racers. I'll also never forget that one of the main goals of dog sled racing is carrying as little as possible on your sled (the author uses a curse word to describe this, by the way). I also appreciated this book because it describes the sub-arctic experience, as opposed to the many books on arctic and antarctic expeditions; you really come away from this book thinking of those two different climates as being distinct from one another.
Rating:
Summary: A look into the Great White North
Review: What a great book. After reading, and now re-reading, this book I wanted nothing more than to pack up, quit my city job, and move to the Far North in search of a life dominated by weather, dogs, and the will to survive. John Balzar does a great job describing a life dependant on dogs and neigbors (even though they may be 50-100 miles away) in the huge landscape of the Yukon and Alaska. Although the book mostly focuses on the Yukon Quest dog-sled race, it gives the reader an intriguing look into the culture of the people in and around the dog-sledding culture and the Quest itself. Definately worth the read!
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