Battling Against Success (Humorous Historical Fiction Set in Alaska)

Alaska at midcentury offered great opportunities to the restless and ambitious people who had survived the Great Depression and World War II. Some of those who came North succeeded; some came and left; some came and managed to beat down every opportunity that raised its ugly head. That's pretty much the story of the narrator of this autobiographical novel and his family, who wrestled with the trees, the mud, the machinery, the bugs, and most of all themselves while trying to make a living on the northern frontier. Some of the characters whose lives touched on this story are the real people who acted to join Alaska to the Union and to the 20th century-or fought bravely against both. Davis draws the reader into the often funny, sometimes sad, and always rich experiences that bring his young protagonist from childhood into adulthood.