If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska

by Heather Lende

Book Overview

"Part Annie Dillard, part Anne Lamott, essayist and NPR commentator Heather Lende introduces readers to life in the town of Haines, Alaska . . . subtly reminding readers to embrace each day, each opportunity, each life that touches our own and to note the beauty of it all." -- The Los Angeles Times Tiny Haines, Alaska, is ninety miles north of Juneau, 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 a community affair. Heather Lende posts both the obituaries and the social column for her local newspaper. If anyone knows the going-on in this close-knit town--from births to weddings to funerals--she does. Whether contemplating the mysterious death of eccentric Speedy Joe, who wore nothing but a red union suit and a hat he never took off, not even for a haircut; researching the details of a one-legged lady gold miner's adventurous life; worrying about her son's first goat-hunting expedition; observing the awe-inspiring Chilkat Bald Eagle Festival; or ice skating in the shadow of glacier-studded mountains, Lende's warmhearted style brings us inside her small-town life. We meet her husband, Chip, who owns the local lumber yard; their five children; and a colorful assortment of quirky friends and neighbors, including aging hippies, salty fishermen, native Tlingit Indians, and volunteer undertakers--as well as the moose, eagles, sea lions, and bears with whom they share this wild and perilous land. Like Bailey White's tales of Southern life or Garrison Keillor's reports from the Midwest, NPR commentator Heather Lende's take on her offbeat Alaskan hometown celebrates life in a dangerous and breathtakingly beautiful place.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565123166
• ISBN13: 9781565123168
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
• Length: 281 Pages
• Weight: 1.09 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

from light to literary...

At first I found this book to be a fun, light read, something I could pick up when I just had a few minutes to sit and read. It reads like something you'd hear on NPR, small town tidbits. Yet, about 2/3 of the way through, the author slowly starts to delve deeper into her own thoughts, her own heart, and starts to reveal a part of herself that is not only dark at times, but is so honest you almost feel guilty, like you're listening in on someone else's confession. The last few chapters of this book are so beautifully written that I found myself reading them over and over, not wanting to let go of the imagery presented, the people i'd come to really be interested in...and in a way, a little afraid of what might happen next. Alas, the final journey (and end of the book) did take me by surprise, not by what is written, but at the emotional depth the writer is able to not only reach, but convey. This book is light, funny and fun...but it's also a wonderful journey into the soul of a woman who still asks 'what if' and 'why' and most importanty....'and why not?' I highly recommend this book not just because it will teach you about small town living, or Alaska, or even the author herself, but because it will make you stop and think about yourself as well...and in the end, isn't that the what great literature should do? Help us open up our windows just a crack more? - Vincent Yanez, Author of: It Doesn't Matter Which Road You Take

I LOVED this book.

I can't begin to tell you how much I loved this book. Lende celebrates the simple life which so often goes unnoticed. The people came alive for me and reminded me of so many characters that I know. I was so moved by the book that I wrote to the Chamber of Commerce in Haines, AK to get more information about this little bit of heaven where neighbors take care of each other.

I live here, she knows my name...

This is my town, these are my friends. Heather does a great job portraying our lives. She makes me remember why I live here and after reading this book you'll wish you lived here too. And, yes, everything she's written is all true...and the Duly Noted's are for real.