Customer Reviews

90 Below: Or, What Bush Alaska Taught Me About Drink, Destruction & Survival

Gorgeous writing! A thought-provoking and compelling look at the issues of alcoholism, substance abuse and survival in the Alaskan Bush.

I kind of hated the author. First because he was so judgmental and making fun of the people and culture I came from, and then because he actually really understood and portrayed that culture. Who does he think he is, anyways? Plus, the book is way too short. Everyone knows when you write about a problem or something tragic you're supposed to go on to resolve it, not just stop.

As a resident of the interior, I had high hopes for this book. I've never been to the places he describes other than a few trips up to the Yukon river. However, I was a limo driver in and around Fairbanks for a few years, and he captures the bar mood perfectly. Often times a group would come in from a village and rent the limo for an all night, rolling, alcohol fueled, ritual of self-destruction, catharsis and desperation. Some of the scenes in this book took me back to those nights where I'd be outside the limo at negative 40, breaking up a fight between best friends covered in vomit, blood and tears. This far north and in the conditions described in the book there isn't really a way to blow off steam safely. As the author points out, it's all too easy to go 0 to negative 90, emotionally and physically.

My only complaint is that this book is way too short.

I've been to Alaska -- but never to *this* Alaska. In 90 Below, Eric Mack shines a spotlight on Galena, a tiny, insular town struggling to cope with life in the Alaskan Bush. It's a chilling depiction of an existence filled alcohol, tragedy and the occasional spark of joy -- which typically withers in the freezing cold. 90 Below is a must-read.

Mack takes the readers where most of us have never been. To a small, isolated village in Alaska, inside a bar which reveals the lives of the locals. Mack also takes us inside himself, examining the impact of where he is and what he sees. This is a very personal story, as much telling about himself as about his adventure. It is a gritty real life story, compelling, and worthy of the pages of the New Yorker. We should look for more from this outstanding writer.

Very well written. I just wish there was more. This story went entirely too fast. The characters we r e very well developed for such a short space.

Couldn't get interested in this book. I love all Alaska adventures and I have read many books. This one was
a little bit boring.

This book is so short that to call it a book is sort of stretching it. It seemed to jump all over the place and then Bam! it's over. I had a hard time following the author's method of writing or maybe it was the way he strung together sentences in a confusing way. Lacking....

I am drawn toward books and articles written about Alaska so when I saw this, I was immediately interested. Different things I have read focus on various aspects of life in this state, but this is the first one that has truly focused on some of the ugly parts of it. While other books often touch on the alcoholism, rough life, and isolation, this short book exposes it more brutally than others have.

While this is classified as a "book", it's 16 pages so more like a long magazine article.

One more snapshot of the people. One more person's experiences in this interesting culture.

I am interested in anything that has to do with Alaska and surviving in the Alaskan environment. This book was well written and satisfied my interest in the topic.