Alaska

I decided to explore the NY times Bestseller list from years gone by and happen to land on the year 1988.  There is nothing magical about the year for me.  No sentinel events that year. What drew my attention to this list was the book itself.  I have read books by James Michener and loved them and really this one is no exception.

The book starts out, like many of his books with a thorough description of the land and the early settlers.  Alaska has a most interesting story behind its formation as a land mass.  I am not a geology or geography student but during my studies I have read about the plattes that lie below the surface of the earth and their constant movement and I did find it incredibly fascinating that the land mass of Alaska now situated up by Canada once existed somewhere else. Several places to be exact.

Due to Sarah Palin's comment about seeing Alaska from her house she has brought a lot of attention to the state.  I am going to give Ms. Palin some credit when it comes to that statement.  I am going to assume she meant that since mainland Russia is approximately 55 miles from mainland Alaska that Alaskans and Russians are metaphorically speaking, neighbors.

Anyway the book starts millions of years ago and works its way up to more modern times. Michener even manages to give such great descriptions of the prehistoric animals that you feel like they are almost human. In fact the thing that draws me to James Michener is his amazing prose.  If you haven't read him before, give him a try.