Etok: A Story of Eskimo Power [Paperback]

Hugh Gregory Gallagher (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0918339596 | ISBN-13: 978-0918339591 | Publication Date: June 22, 2001

This biography of Charles Edwardsen, Jr. (Etok), an Eskimo radical, is the story of the struggle to protect Alaska Native land rights and way of life in the face of the relentless onslaught of Western culture.
Etok is a contradiction in terms -- wild-eyed and mystic, by turns incredibly rude and terribly vulnerable, but always politically astute. He is both a product of his own ancient culture and a prophet of our times. Etok is the only book which gives an account -- from the Alaska Native point-of-view -- of how Alaska Natives organized and fought to obtain the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. As such, it is a valuable part of Alaska history. It is a story that should make every Native American proud.

Editorial Reviews

Review

…As the first account of the development of Eskimo Power and their vast land reclamation, Etok is a particularly important book. --Christian Science Monitor

…an important book for those concerned with the plight of the Indian and with the effects the Alaska pipeline will have on native cultures and lands. --Library Journal

About the Author

The author is a writer and scholar on the Washington scene. He served in the Johnson White House and as a Senate staffer. His previous books include: the just released, Nothing to Fear: FDR in Photographs (Vandamere Press, 2001); the internationally acclaimed Roosevelt biography, FDR's Splendid Deception, 3rd Edition (Vandamere Press, 1999); Black Bird Fly Away: Disabled in an Able-bodied World (Vandamere Press, 1998); By Trust Betrayed: Patients, Physicians, and the License to Kill in the Third Reich, 2nd Edition (Vandamere Press, 1995); and Advise and Obstruct: The Role of the United States Senate in Foreign Policy Decisions (Delacorte, 1969), a Pulitzer Prize Nominee. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, People, Mainstream, and many other publications. He is a highly regarded and popular speaker nationwide on both disability and presidential history. He is the father of the Architectural Barriers Act, and considered to be the grandfather of the Disability Rights Act. Gallagher contracted paralytic polio in 1952. He was rehabilitated at the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation. He is paraplegic, uses a wheelchair, and lives in Cabin John, Maryland. In 1995 he was awarded the prestigious Henry B. Betts award in recognition of his lifelong contributions to disability thought.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Vandamere Pr (June 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0918339596
• ISBN-13: 978-0918339591
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,367,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An historical look back in the recent history of Alaska, September 4, 2007

By 

Stephen C. Hall "Stephen H" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Etok: A Story of Eskimo Power (Paperback)

The author has captured the man who is Etok and at the same time given us a look into politics in early Alaska statehood. Etok's intensity of feelings for his people and his land was powerful and unharnessed. This is demonstrated well here. Also, we get a look into both congressional and presidential politics of this era. This book is more than about this one man.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down..., October 5, 2007

By 

Inuuraq (Barrow, AK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Etok: A Story of Eskimo Power (Paperback)

Etok is my uncle. I knew it had a lot about Alaska Native land claims, but it was so much more. I learned more about my own family, more about Inupiaq culture, and of course, more about Native rights and the political resurgence of Alaska Natives. It was a really good book! I couldn't put it down.

I recommend it to anyone who's interested in Native Land Claims, or Native rights in general.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History, March 16, 2008

By 

Paul Barrow "HotMedia Interviews" (Nashville) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Etok: A story of Eskimo power (Hardcover)

I was a childhood friend of Charlie. We called him "Etook," not "Etok," if the spelling is any indication of pronunciation. It's a curious difference that makes me wonder about the real depth of the author in penetrating this man's story, but it's certainly accurate in respect to the living conditions and culture I knew as a young white boy, the son of a missionary, living in the village of Barrow.