Drawing on primary sources, this informational text follows a young Jack London as he heads for the Yukon and finds the inspiration for many of his classic works. Includes Afterword, Author’s Notes, Notable Places, Jack London’s Writing, Timeline, Glossary, Bibliography and Sources, Index, Map.

Synopsis:
This is a non-fiction book covering Jack London's life specifically while he was involved with the Klondike gold rush.

My rating:

4/5

I loved how fun this book was to read. Non-fiction can be a drag or can be filled with extraneous detail. This book felt more like reading an adventure story than a non-fictional biography. The book also stayed surprisingly on point.

It doesn't have much to say about London's early life, except those tidbits important to his choice to leave for the Klondike, nor does it give more than passing information about London's later life. There are mentions of how this or that which happened in the Klondike related to stories he wrote later but the book is heavily set in the stories here and now.

There were very few digressions in this book except for those vital to move the book forward. I truly appreciated that because shortly after reading this book I read another non-fiction which I couldn't get through due to the vast digressions. This book remains on point throughout which, for me, was its second greatest strength. The first greatest being how enjoyable it was to read.

Overall, I enjoyed this read very much. My only minor point of complaint is that the author of the book did take some liberties in filling in gaps of London's story. I am assuming he did this for the sake of storytelling. The book probably would be worse for it if he hadn't taken any liberties but I did knock a star off my rating because of it.

The copy of the book I read included amazing photographs and a timeline of London's life.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy to read and inspiring book on Jack London. I would also highly recommend this to authors who are looking for inspiring tales to help them combat the frustrations of the early failures prevalent in most author careers. London went through so many hardships with the dream of writing his novels. He wrote 1k words a day and he pushed on even when times were tough and he was struggling physically and financially. London is an excellent role model for aspiring authors. ( )

JACK LONDON AND THE KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH by Peter Lourie tells the fast-paced story of how London’s gold rush experience inspired his writing.
Incorporating a wealth of historical photographs and other primary resources, Lourie uses an engaging nonfiction narrative style to tell the story of Jack London’s experiences in the Klondike. The short, action-packed chapters and historical sidebars add interest to this compelling story. The book concludes with a timeline, glossary, and other useful information.
Librarians will find that this new book complements existing library materials on the topic. Since Jack London’s works like CALL OF THE WILD and WHITE FANG are available to download, use this book to encourage youth to read the classics. Keep in mind that the author admits to taking liberties with the story to create an engaging biography likely to attract even reluctant readers.
Published by Henry Holt on December 1, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher. ( )