Word: mcphee
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Between 1975 and 1977, John McPhee traveled through and lived in many different Alaskas. "Coming Into the Country," which first appeared as a series of "New Yorker" articles, is a record of what he saw, of his Alaska. It is a new departure for McPhee, because he permits far more of himself to come through than in his previous books...
...strength of the book, beyond its magnificent descriptions and its subtle humor, lies in McPhee's skill in presenting a broad, multi-faceted picture of Alaska today--no simple task, for Alaska is an enormous state, stretched still wider by the conflicting demands of conservationists, oil men, settlers, Indians and politicians, all of whom view each other as interferers and encrouchers. He accomplishes this portrait without the familiar posture of tepid objectivity, by adopting the point of view whoever he is with. He is, in effect, a man of every loyalty, and of no loyalty at all, achieving a rare...
...McPhee wrote "Coming Into the Country" in three sections, corresponding to different parts of Alaska and to different periods in McPhee's travels. The first section, "The Encircled River," is a more-or-less random introduction to Alaska, involving the reader in a trip through a circular system of rivers with McPhee and a four-member conservation study team. There is considerable talk about grizzlies, and whether or not one should carry a gun to avoid being eaten. The consensus is no. Guns are an unnecessary intrusion, bears rarely attack people in the wilderness anyway...
Describing the river trip, McPhee is superb. His eye for detail is acute, yet never excessive. He treats the use of detail, not as an end in itself, but as a means of making the country real, of placing the reader in its midst. In his opening lines, McPhee writes...
...important one--part of disturbing trend of sacrificing the Alaskan wilderness to economic and political exigencies--the various interest groups pushing for one location over another are all too familiar. This section of the book does not measure up in fascination or majesty to the other sections and unfortunately, McPhee treats them a little too thoroughly...