Iditarod Dreams: A Year in the Life of Alaskan Sled Dog Racer Deedee Jonrowe

by Lew Freedman, DeeDee Jonrowe

DeeDee Jonrowe loves dogs, and her consuming passion is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Winter and summer, virtually day and night (even in her dreams!), she and her huskies prepare for the annual race across Alaska. IDITAROD DREAMS is an absorbing, personal account of a year in the life of this remarkable woman living on the edge of the wilderness with her husband, Mike, and enough howling huskies to populate a small town. It is about the special bond between a woman and her dogs and about the astonishing measure of skill and stamina required to compete in the Iditarod.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Animals, Sports, Autobiography, Adventure

194 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1995

Reviews

[Fran Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

DeeDee Jonrowe and her quest to win the Iditarod Sled dog race from Anchorage, Alaska to Rome, Alaska is the exciting, all consuming, passionate, and true account of one year in her life. It is compellingly interesting, informative, and engaging. I read it in one day, couldn't put it down. And as I read it, I would reread parts because the information was just so well, interesting. Her love of the sport and her love for her dogs comes through on every page.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Informative about dog mushing.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a particolar fetish for books of this genre. It's probably why at my age I'm still doing marathons, albeit, slow ones. Many of my favorite books are of some curious fool walking the length of the Amazon or taking a VW van from the U.S. to Tierra del Fuego, or walking across Borneo, or heading into the Hindu Kush or the lost quarter of Arabia. You get the picture! This book appealed to me even more because of my love of Alaska. I have stood at the start of the Iditarod and also under the "burled arch" that constitutes the finish line in Nome. It doesn't hurt that this story is told by a 130 pound woman that is tougher and more focused than I was on my best day. So if you would like a little arctic adventure, insight to the characters and dogs and culture of Alaska, this is a good place to start.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is DeeDee Jonrowe's account of racing two Iditarod's and also the Alpirod, a Euopean sled dog sprint.

I really enjoy biographies and memiors. This one has added fascination since it is about the Iditarod. However, this book is not very well written. Jonrowe writes in a very straight-forward manner -- she reports incidents, and that is all. Maybe this book would have been better if an author or journalist had been hired to help share the account (no denying it is an interesting account) in a more artistic way.

I do respect Jonrowe for her perseverance and faith. There is nothing she is afraid to tackle, a trait I could stand to emulate in my own life.

[E · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother with this one. Poorly written on both the micro and macro levels, lacking in plot trajectory, overly pitying of self as well as self-indulgent, full of god-speak (do we need it on every page?), and finally petering out into nothingness. Feels like the book was written in about, oh, one week. Instead, read Paulsen's Winterdance, Riddles' Race Across Alaska, Cook's Running North (about the Yukon Quest), or even see Disney's animated film Balto. Any and all would be much more worthy of one's time.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by the Iditarod, so when I saw this sitting at our Bed and Breakfast I had to pick it up. It was very interesting and informative; worth a read if you are interested in the subject. In addition, while I didn't agree with all of the messages in the book, it was a pleasant surprise to find that Mrs. Jonrowe is a Christian and that Iditarod Dreams was written from a religious point of view.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book, and I'd have liked more detail about the day to day life of preparing for the Iditarod, as well as the race itself and the individual dogs. But it's a good portrait of one of the Iditarod's personalities.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading stories about the Iditarod!!! Loved it!

[Cecelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting about a year in the life of an Iditarod racer.

[Brynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Wish it was longer and more detailed.