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Permafrost Is an Archive: and Other Inheritances from the Alaska-Yukon Borderlands
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 8, 2026
“History is like that. Always happening now.
Now.
In fact as I write this essay, news breaks of an unmarked graveyard found at the residential school in Kamloops, BC, and 215 children's remains buried in it… A few months later, news breaks again. This time, an estimated 151 unmarked graves. This time, at Marieval in Saskatchewan.
Then, schools. Now, cages. Does time pass? Does any time, ever, pass?”
There were plenty of moments during the oral and written history and essays of this book that I stopped and processed and read all over again, but this perhaps was the one that impacted me most. History happened once and happens again. What does that mean for the communities of the Alaska-Yukon borderlands? What does that mean for me as a white settler in Alaska? This book has given me a place to start, a place to begin my understanding all over again. I cannot recommend it enough.
Now.
In fact as I write this essay, news breaks of an unmarked graveyard found at the residential school in Kamloops, BC, and 215 children's remains buried in it… A few months later, news breaks again. This time, an estimated 151 unmarked graves. This time, at Marieval in Saskatchewan.
Then, schools. Now, cages. Does time pass? Does any time, ever, pass?”
There were plenty of moments during the oral and written history and essays of this book that I stopped and processed and read all over again, but this perhaps was the one that impacted me most. History happened once and happens again. What does that mean for the communities of the Alaska-Yukon borderlands? What does that mean for me as a white settler in Alaska? This book has given me a place to start, a place to begin my understanding all over again. I cannot recommend it enough.
June 18, 2026
Lovely collection of essays that describe humanity, history, connection, and the emotions that come with encountering all of it.
April 22, 2026
A gloriously expansive exploration of home, time, and responsibility in the North.
May 13, 2026
Wait did I not review this? That could be taken to show how thought-provoking the writing here was. There are pieces of it I've been turning over for months now. Corinna is an exceptional writer and there are layers to each essay. Thoroughly enjoyed the feeling-state it evoked. Not to be rushed.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews