From earthquakes to floods, atom bombs aimed at Amchitka and Black Gold to prostitution Mike, Charley, Jewel and Wolf persevere in Alaska’s wilds Jewel is not destined to be the teacher her mother wished, or to be romantic with Mike. All must find their own paths, not just through Alaska’s wilds, but also summer’s ninety and winter’s sixty below. Little in Alaska is easy, as this book reveals.

In Alaska a popular belt buckle reads: “Alaska is what America was.” This novel is about 1950 Alaska, when the state’s population was an unbelievably small ninety-eight thousand people, compared to today’s seven hundred thousand plus. And yet Alaska is still “The Last Frontier.” This book is about a time when adventure and challenge were daily in the wilderness as well as in the small towns and cities between the great Mountain Ranges. In particular in the far north where these five years of wilderness intimacy take place, of coming of age and old age, of migrating caribou, free roaming wolf packs, aerial hunters. denning bears and huge moose, constant daylight, constant night, and much, much more.

From earthquakes to floods, atom bombs aimed at Amchitka and Black Gold to prostitution Mike, Charley, Jewel and Wolf persevere in Alaska's wilds Jewel is not destined to be the teacher her mother wished, or to be romantic with Mike. All must find their own paths, not just through Alaska's wilds, but also summer's ninety and winter's sixty below. Little in Alaska is easy, as this book reveals.

Howlin’ Wolf was a musical giant in every way. He stood six foot three, weighed almost three hundred pounds, wore size sixteen shoes, and poured out his darkest sorrows onstage in a voice like a raging chainsaw. Half a century after his first hits, his sound still terrifies and inspires. Born Chester Burnett in 1910, the Wolf survived a grim childhood and hardscrabble youth as a sharecropper in Mississippi. He began his career playing and singing with the first Delta blues stars for two decades in perilous juke joints. He was present at the birth of rock ’n’ roll in Memphis, where Sam Phillips–who also discovered Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis–called Wolf his “greatest discovery.” He helped develop the sound of electric blues and vied with rival Muddy Waters for the title of king of Chicago blues. He ended his career performing and recording with the world’s most famous rock stars. His passion for music kept him performing–despite devastating physical problems–right up to his death in 1976. There’s never been a comprehensive biography of the Wolf until now. Moanin’ at Midnight is full of startling information about his mysterious early years, surprising and entertaining stories about his decades at the top, and never-before-seen photographs. It strips away all the myths to reveal–at long last–the real-life triumphs and tragedies of this blues titan.

CMJ New Music Report is the primary source for exclusive charts of non-commercial and college radio airplay and independent and trend-forward retail sales. CMJ's trade publication, compiles playlists for college and non-commercial stations; often a prelude to larger success.