Travel to Polar Regions

North to the Night: A Spiritual Odyssey in the Arctic

Format: Paperback
Author: Alvah Simon
ReleaseDate: 14 September, 1999
Publisher: Broadway
Rating:

Adventure in the Arctic
To gain an understanding of some of the native peoples of the frozen Arctic wilderness and this unique place on earth read this book!. If you like an exciting adventure that you don't want to end and if you enjoy the style of writing that makes you feel you're actually there experiencing what the writer is going through you'll enjoy this book.

Unbridled narcissism in an arctic setting. ?Spiritual?
My first impression at the beginning of the book was of the author's extreme self absorbtion, and the impression never left me, and the self absorbtion never left the author either, despite whatever "spiritual" experience he may have had. I could not agree more with every word of Isha Beharim's review. The book, by the way, never comes within a country mile of anything even remotely spiritual, and I think perhaps the word was used in the sub-title only to improve sales, although, who knows, maybe sadly this sort of stuff passes for spirituality for this guy.

The book was only interesting as the most extreme example of this sort of narcissist-meets-survival writing, which seems all the rage these days, and which also seems increasingly boring to me. I believe this book has cured me of my interest in this entire genre, and for that I suppose I owe a debt of gratitude. .

It's more like a 10-star book
It's exciting, honest, moving, educational, thoughtful, humorous, philosophical. because it has all the things great books are supposed to have. You'll be different after you read it.

Okay, a husband and a wife and a cat going up into the Arctic to winter-over in a small boat is a goofy idea. The author admits as much and realizes he bit off more than he could chew. It was much worse than he expected, but with grit, resourcefulness, and well, lack of any other choices, he somehow, against all odds, lives to see spring.

That the cat got through the winter is even more astonishing. At one point Simon picks up the cat, and not knowing it's frozen, breaks off one of its ears. (The ear heals -- sort of. )

Simon's wife has to leave before winter sets in, and Simon is left alone with the cat to get through months of darkness and 60-below (F)weather. He goes blind for a time, nearly dies from lack of oxygen and carbon-monoxide poisoning, and loses his mind for awhile. He does endlessly dumb things -- it would be much less of a story if he didn't.

Simon is an astonishingly good writer, his style easy and natural, and his description of the Actic as good as Barry Lopez' best.

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Related products:
click image or link for details on these Polar Regions travel books.

	Arctic Crossing: One Man's 2,000-Mile Odyssey Among the Inuit
	In the Land of White Death
	Rowing to Latitude: Journeys Along the Arctic's Edge