A Miserable Paradise: Life in Southeast Alaska

by Jeff Lund

Hunters, anglers and outdoor recreationists have always put a premium on visceral experiences in Nature, but things are not always simple. Social media has created an opportunity for user groups to share experiences and provided entrepreneurs opportunities to create content or products to meet the needs of the market. This connectivity is largely beneficial but can also undermine our motives and hurt ethical practices. This book was supposed to be a month-by-month look at life in Ketchikan, Alaska, through the eyes of a seasoned Alaskan contemplating things like resource management and the proliferation of content in the outdoor industry. But 2020 was not typical. Between the steelhead trips and the hunts for grouse and blacktail deer, there was always the dramatic impact of the pandemic not only on the author's job as a high school teacher, but life in general. This book is not just a look into a year in the life of a resident of Southeast Alaska. It is a time capsule, written without the benefit of hindsight, of a truly devastatingly remarkable year.

195 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 8, 2021

Reviews

[Astin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What started out as a book intending to tell the story of the great outdoors thats accessibel from Ketchikan, one month at a time, ended up also being a window into the perspective of a teacher and a human living there during Covid lockdowns.
I really enjoyed the perspective offered by both. I liked how they seamlessly flowed together, and I gained a sense of what things looked like in another corner of the world. It helped me soften the edges around my own corner.
Thanks Jeff for intending to write one story, but being open to what the Universe offered you along the way.

[Thomas Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mix of Hemingway-like prose and wordiness. Still, some excellent sentences and strong ideas, especially on the role tech plays in consuming versus producing in the world of outdoor activies and adventure lith. and its pull on young minds. The idea of getting outdoors fishing and hunting as a balm for the COV19 year (2020) is also interesting. Well worth reading, especially on a trip to Alaska as I was.