A Place Beyond: Finding Home in Arctic Alaska

"A Place Beyond" by Nick Jans is an inspiring collection of essays that reads a bit like a memoir, a bit like a story book, a bit like a history book, and a bit like a travelogue. Jans combines them all into one winsome treat. In this book, the author shares with us an inside look at life among the Inupiaq Eskimos in northern Alaska. Jans, who lived in Ambler, just south of the Brooks Range, for fifteen years, captures his eccentric and humorous northern lifestyle in easy-flowing prose. His ability to capture the beauty and complexity of nature in words reminds of award-winning author Bill Bryson. Jans shines when he waxes about his Alaskan friends and their adventures together. My heart warmed at each mention of Clarence Wood, a wise Eskimo native, whose few words and relaxed attitude made him my instant favorite. And I was moved to tears when Mr. Jans described the spring funeral of a lonely neighbor; Ambler's inhabitants, through this writer's eyes, are people with bottomless hearts. This Alaskan expert, however, is at his best when he's penning descriptions of the land itself and its indigenous creatures. Through the author's writing, I could almost feel the Kobuk River's mighty power and majesty during its spring ice breakup. And Jans's stories about his rare and magical brush with a wolf pack left me breathless. This book is a great read for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of life in the Arctic, but it's also wonderfully entertaining and informative for those who love to peek into other cultures and lifestyles.

This is a must-read for anyone planning to spend time in Alaska. Jans captures the norms, customs and ways of the people in the Northwest Arctic region. This was one of my very first books when contemplating moving to Alaska. And I recently re-read the books and realized exactly how much I had missed the first time through. It has been almost two years since returning to the Arctic and I cannot believe the everyday life he captures! Read this for all it is worth and extract all you can from his words.

A Place Beyond didn't disappoint. Jans writing style isbeautiful, simple, and eloquent. There are few authors who can weavethe reader into the story. Through all of Jans adventures, I was right there with him riding shotgun. The most underated and under publicized book(s) about Alaska. A must read!

Nick Jans is an extremely gifted writer. I first read one of his essays in the Reader's Digest, and I was so impressed, I just had to read the rest of the book. His straightforward clarity, use of metaphor and intriguing observations make the Alaskan wilderness come to life. I personally would never want to live in Alaska, but I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing a bit of Alaska by reading this book.