Following the Alaskan Dream

by Marilyn Jordan George

Marilyn's memoir is a colorful account of raising a family on an Alaskan fishing boat that begins in 1946 with Marilyn's transformation from an Iowa farm girl into a seasoned fisherman. She interweaves history, the beauty of the country, the wildlife, the friendships and the challenges with the happy times afloat. The 133 photos capture her family's uniique lifestyle.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Rachel Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I give myself permission to enjoy my journey through life. I envision the world as a great place to live in. This vision comes true every day.” pg. 333

I am so grateful that Marilyn Jordan George shared her life story in this book. My fiancé and I just moved to Petersburg, AK following our own Alaskan dream. It was delightful to read Marilyn’s experiences in Southeast Alaska. A coworker lent a signed copy of this book to me. Seeing Marilyn’s handwritten note, “Hope you enjoy my story,” and her signature on the front cover somehow makes me feel closer to the woman whose mind and hands have accomplished so much.

The story she tells is about real life, and that means it includes happy times, hard times, and heartbreaking times. I admire Marilyn’s strength & perseverance. Among the tragedies of life, she shares an abundance of beautiful stories of friendship and family bonds. I enjoyed learning about Alaska’s history prior to its statehood from her storytelling. I am very excited to get out and experience the fishing here firsthand, although I am glad I will not be making a living of it!

This is a beautiful read; I highly recommend it. I wish I could have met this remarkable woman!

[C_Kayaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

354 pages of SE Alaska trolling history. I enjoyed the story and reading about familiar places as well as others I'd like to visit. Marilyn Jordan George has wonderful story telling abilities, and definitely has the reader rooting for their trolling (and life) success. I could have done without all the "history" of who named certain places and why, but can see the value in this for other readers who aren't as familiar with SE Alaska history. My biggest disappointment was 17 pages missing (copy error) at a very crucial part of her life. Almost all of Chapter 25 was missing and a good part of Chapter 26.
I would recommend this book to others who are interested in what it was like in SE Alaska prior to statehood, or just interested in commercial salmon trolling.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was self-published by the author when she was 78 years old and it won the Library of Congress award for "Local Legacies"! It's the story of her life as she & her husband & their four children trolled the waters of Alaska for salmon in the 40's, 50's and 60's. It wasn't easy (other trollers thought they were insane for packing four children into a fishing troller all summer!) and they didn't make a lot of money but their joy in the lifestyle and the beauty of Alaska shines through. After she was widowed, she left Alaska and spent eleven years in the lower 48 making a living as a professor, finally using her college degrees :) Her last teaching job sent her back to Alaska where she remarried--another salmon fisherman--and went back out into the waters of "the Southeast." Loved it!

[Terry Tracz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this on our cruise thru Alaska's Inside Passage, and enjoyed reading of the author's excitement when she moved here, became a fisherman's wife, and raised her children here.