If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska 
asked by ctj on November 1, 2006 5:46 AM
Tiny Haines, Alaska, ninety miles north of Juneau, is accessible mainly by water or air—and only when the weather is good. There’s no traffic light and no mail delivery; people can vanish without a trace; and funerals are community affairs. As both obituary writer and social columnist for the local newspaper, Heather Lende knows better than anyone the goings-on in this breathtakingly beautiful place. Her offbeat chronicle brings us inside her busy life: we meet her husband, Chip, who owns the local hardware store; their five children; and a colorful assortment of friends and offbeat neighbors, including aging hippies, salty fishermen, native Tlingit Indians, Mormon spelunkers . . . as well as the moose, eagles, sea lions, and bears with whom they share this wild and perilous land.
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I live here. Heather knows my name. I know hers. I'm even rated a quick mention in her book. But there are many people in town she doesn't know. Heather doesn't get to the trailer courts and the local convenience store all that often. And in all fairness, the publishers were the ones who slapped the title on this book. Heather's Haines is just that Heather's Haines. It is Haines as seen through 'A Prairie Home Companion' liberal vision of life. On the surface it is all embracingly fair, painting a picture of wonderful quirky resilient people all moving, even if unconsciously, towards a politically correct utopia. Yet the reality is of course quite different.
While the town does have the vestiges of real community, satellite cable television, the internet, cellphones are all making inroads. Back in the early 90s when music videos finally arrived the teen boys suddenly all turned their caps around. And they became as disaffected as teens everywhere. Black Metal is now the rage. Sex before the age of 13 is not uncommon. And the Christian or New Age parents often don't understand the kids at all. But of course it is not all of the kids. Athletics, Drama and other influences keep a fair number of students relatively sane. Nevertheless there are serious problems.
Alcoholism is one of them, particularly among adults and Native Americans. And it's pretty much a taboo subject in public discussion. The town is not that violent though, unless you spend a LOT of time at the bars only. The doors to the homes are still unlocked, though lower forty-eight styled teen alienation are making a few people wonder how long that will continue. And there are some seriously prickly and petty people lodged in places of power. Heather doesn't note the real dark side of Haines, because I don't think she thinks that there is much darkness in the world. One can live in a Haines that is somewhat like Heather's description of it. And just sort of close one's eyes to it. You can go to a festive event, and see the smiling faces and not the alcoholics also present. The chipper couples at today's parties will have often switched partners within a year or two. One can see the moment without seeing past or future.
Heather does often capture something of the joy of living in Haines, yet she glosses over many of the dark spots in the picture. And she ignores many of the really great aspects of living here. What are they? You'll have to visit for yourself in October or April to find out. Many of the people I've met who have read this book probably wouldn't appreciate Haines on the many gray days of rain. But that's the reality. Sunshine is more the exception than the rule. Heather's book is a bit too sunny. But yes the sunshine is here too.
While the town does have the vestiges of real community, satellite cable television, the internet, cellphones are all making inroads. Back in the early 90s when music videos finally arrived the teen boys suddenly all turned their caps around. And they became as disaffected as teens everywhere. Black Metal is now the rage. Sex before the age of 13 is not uncommon. And the Christian or New Age parents often don't understand the kids at all. But of course it is not all of the kids. Athletics, Drama and other influences keep a fair number of students relatively sane. Nevertheless there are serious problems.
Alcoholism is one of them, particularly among adults and Native Americans. And it's pretty much a taboo subject in public discussion. The town is not that violent though, unless you spend a LOT of time at the bars only. The doors to the homes are still unlocked, though lower forty-eight styled teen alienation are making a few people wonder how long that will continue. And there are some seriously prickly and petty people lodged in places of power. Heather doesn't note the real dark side of Haines, because I don't think she thinks that there is much darkness in the world. One can live in a Haines that is somewhat like Heather's description of it. And just sort of close one's eyes to it. You can go to a festive event, and see the smiling faces and not the alcoholics also present. The chipper couples at today's parties will have often switched partners within a year or two. One can see the moment without seeing past or future.
Heather does often capture something of the joy of living in Haines, yet she glosses over many of the dark spots in the picture. And she ignores many of the really great aspects of living here. What are they? You'll have to visit for yourself in October or April to find out. Many of the people I've met who have read this book probably wouldn't appreciate Haines on the many gray days of rain. But that's the reality. Sunshine is more the exception than the rule. Heather's book is a bit too sunny. But yes the sunshine is here too.
reviewed by john316 on November 23, 2006 2:18 AM
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I live in rural Colorado and first moved here from New York City just after graduate school. Heather's accounts and comparisons of living in a small town in Alaska I can relate to. Opportunities are limited but adventure is bountiful. Her stories and feelings sound so familiar to me it is like looking in the mirror. The sections in between the chapters "Duly Noted" bring the characters and flavor of the community to life. Somehow I never quite thought of a cemetary as a multi-residential district but I guess it is. The residents just don't move. If you are thinking Alaska is for you read this book first. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. By the way I picked this book up because I am going to Alaska next year.
reviewed by bethness on November 29, 2006 6:14 AM
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Heather Lende's neck of the woods--Haines, Alaska-- is a place where the name of the game is subsistence, and the surroundings are both breathtakingly beautiful and frequently downright dangerous.
Episodic in the fashion of an Alaskan "All Creatures Great and Small", Lende's book creates a panoramic view of her small community built out of informal, conversational anecdotes. No one could be better equipped to write about Haines than Lende, who authors all the local obituaries for the local newpaper. Her job as the "chronicler of deaths" also wins her the dramatic role as the Narrator in the local production of the play, "Our Town". She plays softball for a team called the "Diehards", and each Christmas can be found with a chain of her friends beneath the costume of the "Christmas Dragon" weaving through the streets.
It's a measure of Lende's authentic and intimate writing style that most readers will feel as if they are right beside her as she recounts the triumphs and travails of her family, friends and neighbors.
As for her politics--who really cares? She tips her hand about her causes once or twice, but for the most part the book is not overtly political. She seems like a fair-minded and caring individual. I thank her for providing readers with this quaint book elucidating the mysteries of a small Alaskan village. The local tourism industry should be thrilled with this book-- it will bring curious readers to Alaska in droves.
Episodic in the fashion of an Alaskan "All Creatures Great and Small", Lende's book creates a panoramic view of her small community built out of informal, conversational anecdotes. No one could be better equipped to write about Haines than Lende, who authors all the local obituaries for the local newpaper. Her job as the "chronicler of deaths" also wins her the dramatic role as the Narrator in the local production of the play, "Our Town". She plays softball for a team called the "Diehards", and each Christmas can be found with a chain of her friends beneath the costume of the "Christmas Dragon" weaving through the streets.
It's a measure of Lende's authentic and intimate writing style that most readers will feel as if they are right beside her as she recounts the triumphs and travails of her family, friends and neighbors.
As for her politics--who really cares? She tips her hand about her causes once or twice, but for the most part the book is not overtly political. She seems like a fair-minded and caring individual. I thank her for providing readers with this quaint book elucidating the mysteries of a small Alaskan village. The local tourism industry should be thrilled with this book-- it will bring curious readers to Alaska in droves.
reviewed by savvy on November 29, 2006 12:58 PM