Everyone in the family, except her mother, was away at fish camp. Her mother, Sophie, stayed in the village of Emmonak awaiting the birth of her second daughter, Molly. Molly was born in the territory of Alaska in the summer of 1956. Alaska would not become a state in the union until 1959 Molly Hootch was born into a family that knew only a subsistence lifestyle along the banks of the lower Yukon River. It was a harsh life by today’s standards. Her mother was the typical Native wife. Her father, James, was a fisherman, trapper and hunter. He built dogsleds, boats, snowshoes, and fish traps. Molly, while a young girl, enthusiastically followed her father and observed his lifestyle that made her people Eskimo. He taught her everything she needed to know about living a subsistence existence. From this rugged environment, Molly breathed the Alaska air, loved deeply, lived fully, and studied diligently--and made history! As a teenager, Molly had to leave Emmonak to attend high school in Anchorage. That traumatic departure set off a series of events leading to a class action lawsuit against the State of Alaska Department of Education, called the Molly Hootch Case. The court case settlement resulted in the construction of high schools in Native villages. It made Molly Hootch a household name in Alaska during the last half of the 1970s. She was selected as the most influential person of the decade of the 1970s. She was also honored as the fifteenth most important person since Alaska statehood.

The remote, unforgiving landscape and colossal—and unpredictably unstable—mountain ranges of Alaska have kept at bay many a faint-hearted outsider, but the lure of this territory’s beauty, as well as its rich and vast resources, continues to entice adventuresome natives and outsiders alike. It Happened in Alaska goes behind the scenes to tell its story, in short episodes that reveal the intriguing people and events that have shaped The Land of the Midnight Sun. In an easy-to-read style that's entertaining and informative, Alaska resident Diane Olthius recounts some of her state's most captivating moments.

Thinking about moving to Alaska? You might find more reason to as author Jack Hodnik shares Lessons from Alaska. In nine chapters, Hodnik tells you what to expect based on his thirty-six year experience in Alaska. Learn about Alaskas history and the unusual challenges an Alaskan may face. Extreme weather is to be expected and the author shares some exemplary personal stories of enduring and persevering despite this brutal opponent. Using factual information and personal anecdotes, Lessons from Alaska tells life in Alaska as it is without sugarcoating the truth. Discover why people are drawn to this part of the world and how you can fall in love with your own Alaska!

Growing Up America brings together new scholarship that considers the role of children and teenagers in shaping American political life during the decades following the Second World War. Growing Up America places young people—and their representations—at the center of key political trends, illuminating the dynamic and complex roles played by youth in the midcentury rights revolutions, in constructing and challenging cultural norms, and in navigating the vicissitudes of American foreign policy and diplomatic relations. The authors featured here reveal how young people have served as both political actors and subjects from the early Cold War through the late twentieth-century Age of Fracture. At the same time, Growing Up America contends that the politics of childhood and youth extends far beyond organized activism and the ballot box. By unveiling how science fairs, breakfast nooks, Boy Scout meetings, home economics classrooms, and correspondence functioned as political spaces, this anthology encourages a reassessment of the scope and nature of modern politics itself.

Mission of Change is an oral history describing various types of change—political, social, cultural, and religious—as seen through the eyes of Father Astruc and Paul Dixon, non-Natives who dedicated their lives to working with the Yup’ik people. Their stories are framed by the an analytic history of regional changes, together with current anthropological theory on the nature of cultural change and the formation of cultural identity. The book presents a subtle and emotionally moving account of the region and the roles of two men, both of whom view issues from a Catholic perspective yet are closely attuned to and involved with changes in the Yup’ik community.

In Dana Stabenow's breathtaking new novel, Though Not Dead, the eighteenth to feature Kate Shugak, Kate's search for the long-lost family secrets that have been interwoven with the epic history of an unforgiving land leads to an extraordinary treasure hunt with fatal consequences. The residents of Alaska's largest national park are stunned by the death of one of their oldest members, eighty-seven-year-old Old Sam Dementieff...even private investigator Kate Shugak. Sam, a lifelong resident, dubbed the "father" of all of the Park rats—even though he had no children of his own—was especially close to Kate, his niece, but even she is surprised to discover that in his will he's left her everything, including a letter instructing her simply to, "find my father." Easier said than done, since Sam's father is something of a mystery. An outsider, he disappeared shortly after learning about Sam's existence, taking with him a priceless tribal artifact, a Russian icon. And in the three days after Kate begins her search through Sam's background, she gets threatened—and worse. The flashbacks from Sam's fascinating life, including scenes from major events in Alaska's colorful history, punctuate a gripping story in which Kate does her best to fulfill Sam's last wish without losing her own life to the people who are following her every move, though what they are searching for Kate doesn't even know.