Mad Dogs and an Englishwoman

December 15, 2008
Evans excels at stranger in a strange land travel writing, and readers looking for a light version of Bill Bryson will enjoy her intimate look at the inner workings of one of the most professional sled-dog kennels in the sport. She spent 11 weeks with Yukon Quest winner Frank Turner as his son entered the annual race between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Canada, for the first time. Evans does everything from cleaning up after the dogs to joining the support crew for Saul Turners team. She gamely drives her own sledand camps out in extreme temperatures. Her vivid accountis peppered with brief histories of the towns she visits andthe locals she meeets, most notably in historic Dawson City. Alaskans willfind her dismissive comments about their statecondescending, however, and her suggestion that there is no accessible grocery store in Fairbanksborderson the bizarre. Otherwise, armchair explorerswill find much of interest, from strikingdescriptions of howling dogs toFrank Turnersexpertise.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)