ssindc's review
4.0
Something different, but extremely worthwhile. I bought this on the recommendation of the Alaska museum staff while in Anchorage - otherwise it would not have captured my attention or interest. Long before the modern era of the modern graphic novel, long before Alaska was a state, and far from urban life as we know it, Kent took his young son to live, almost entirely alone, in the island wildness of Alaska. Accompanied only by an elderly miner (with a couple of goats and foxes), they embraced a simple, Spartan life recorded through a journal, sprinkled and enlivened by drawings of how they lived, what they saw, and what they dreamed. Apparently, this book's success was not fluke: Kent would become one of the nation's pre-eminent graphic artists (creating, among other things, the iconic "Random House" mark/image). The whole - published, supplemented, and improved over the decades, merits the label "timeless classic." As a special treat, the tale contains a handful of poignant vignettes that, standing alone, made reading the book worthwhile.
My only criticism - and, indeed the reason that I rated this 4 rather than 5 stars - was that I would have been far happier had the (extremely informative) preface been an afterward. Unfortunately, I learned a couple of things (no spoilers here) about Kent and subsequent events that diminished some of the magic and the joy of the book itself. (Of course, you could avoid this mistake by ignoring the preface until after you've read the book.)
My only criticism - and, indeed the reason that I rated this 4 rather than 5 stars - was that I would have been far happier had the (extremely informative) preface been an afterward. Unfortunately, I learned a couple of things (no spoilers here) about Kent and subsequent events that diminished some of the magic and the joy of the book itself. (Of course, you could avoid this mistake by ignoring the preface until after you've read the book.)
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