Midnight Wilderness: Journeys in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

by Debbie S. Miller

* Presents the original foreword by Margaret E. Murie
* Features a new afterword by the author, providing context for the Refuge today
* Includes a new map and an updated bibliography

Originally published more than twenty years ago, Midnight Wilderness is a passionate and vivid account of one of Alaska’s greatest natural treasures, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Author Debbie Miller draws on her years of exploring this unique, magical, and expansive territory, weaving chilling adventure, personal anecdote, wildlife observation, and Native American life into a beautiful and compelling memoir of place.

Proceeds from sales of this book will benefit the Alaska Conservation Foundation in its ongoing efforts to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Genres: Travel, Outdoors, Nature

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1989

About the author

Debbie S Miller has lived in Alaska for 40 years, and has developed a passion for writing nature books about the extraordinary wilderness and wildlife that surround our home near Fairbanks. When she looks out my office window, she may see a moose walking by, chickadees or gray jays at the bird feeder, or a fox on the prowl.

During the early years, Debbie taught school in Arctic Village, a small village in the Brooks Range. She learned about the fascinating culture of the Athabaskan Indians, the natural history of the region, and the wonders of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR. For many years Debbie's family explored this incredible place, studied the great caribou herds, and observed wolves, grizzly and polar bears, migratory birds, and other Alaska animals. Their many outdoor adventures and encounters with wildlife inspired her to write nature books for children and adults.

Debbie works closely with Jon Van Zyle, an outstanding Alaska wildlife artist who has illustrated ten of her children's picture books. Jon has lived in Alaska for 40 years and he has a deep love for the wilderness and wildlife of our state. He turns simple words into captivating paintings that authentically reflect the beauty of Alaska's environment.

Reviews

[Eric Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Debbie Miller moved from California to become a schoolteacher in Arctic Village. From there, she took numerous treks into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This book captures her experiences and impressions.

Debbie is a graceful writer who weaves a story well. Occasionally she gets a little preachy about the need to protect the Refuge from development, but for the most part her writing is informative, entertaining and entirely readable. I found the last chapter absolutely gripping as she describes taking her toddler to camp in the Refuge. As a parent of young kids, I cannot possibly imagine this--it's hard enough to travel there as an adult without kids, but bringing a kid just seems overwhelming. But her stories, especially the interaction between her daughter and a wolf, were moving and emotional.

The book did a great job giving me a preview of life as a visitor to the Refuge. This is the seminal book about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, written before the Refuge was "cool," and it is the template for all of the books that follow it. If you're going to read only one book before going to the Refuge, this is the one. Strongly recommended.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not surprisingly I was utterly devastated by yet another example of our capacity to thoughtlessly and selfishly pillage, rape, burn and brutalize this stunning planet. No matter how it's argued, or by whom or under what rationale, such action is always for greed and money and privilege and the excuse of 'a better life for all'. But 'all' only means self-righteous humans.

What a stunning and EXTRA-ordinary and beautiful world we are destroying in our unrelenting rampage across it. We should be blessed by the descriptions of ANWAR's astounding landscape and its minute, tenacious and delicate flora and fauna. Instead we are wanton invaders in it, on it, under it. Everywhere. Without conscience.

My copy is personally signed by Debbie Miller to my uncle, an alaskan tundra pilot in the 50s.

[Brianna Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently went to the Arctic Refuge and this was the perfect book to read beforehand, and during, our trip. It has a little history, biology, geology, and beautiful writing.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Debbie Miller's Midnight Wilderness slightly deceived me. I picked the book up hoping for adventure and excitement in a lesser-known part of our country and instead found myself pouring through page after page of anti-oil drilling service announcements. Now let me make it known right now that I do not condone or support oil drilling in this natural, wild area, and reading this book made me more well-informed on the issue and against it. However, even the chapters on Miller's exciting hikes throughout the Refuge, she continuously throws punches at oil drilling. I get it. When I'm reading about adventurous hikes in treacherous and wonderful areas, I don't appreciate my attention being pulled away and pushed back into an anti-drilling campaign. It ruined the book for me as a whole. I'm glad the author is passionate about the issue, and it is an issue that should be brought to the public's attention, but don't market the book as being about "journeys in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge" when it's clearly written to express the author's views on a current event. I would have thoroughly enjoyed it exponentially more if every other page didn't discuss abandoned oil barrels or drilling settlements. I got the feeling that the author meant to constantly disrupt the majesty her descriptions of the landscape created with the ugly images of development to create the image of the possible future this land faces. Wonderful cause, but I did not enjoy the frequency of the interruptions. I was hoping for more glimpses into this Arctic world. I waited patiently to learn of the native people living in the area and was deeply disappointed when the author made no attempt to divulge their culture or society to the reader. I believe these people are of great importance to the area and would love to have learned more about them. Miller says at the beginning of her work that she wanted to include a chapter about the Inupiat Eskimos, but felt she could not do them justice in just one chapter. How about a teaser, then? Anything about them and their adaptations to the conditions of their homelands would have been fascinating, but sadly they did not get their time in the sun within the pages of this book.
I felt quite lost through a lot of the book due to the author's usage of terms known to those familiar with the landscape and terrain, but with little to no explanation for a reader who has never experienced a "tussock", "talus", or "moraines".
I give this book 2 out of 5 stars primarily because it didn't hold my attention and it felt like a chore getting through it. I do, however, see that the book was written to voice a very honorable stand on a controversial issue and would be a treasured read for someone more informed on the subject of oil drilling and conservation in this Arctic territory. Someone without knowledge or experience of the area may well become lost and flounder to the book's conclusion.

[Gary Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

16th book read in 2011.

number 150 out of 220 on my all time book list

Follow the link below to see my video review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPshBh...

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great description of hiking routes through one of the most beautiful places on earth. This was my second time through the book and I now want to go back to ANWR.