“Winterdance” by Gary Paulsen – The Race Against Nature

Many people scoff at the idea of partaking in unreasonably-challenging activities and competitions, but what they ignore is that such trials are the ones which shape people and help them ascend to what can be basically described as a greater level of existence. 

Such was the experience of Gary Paulsen as he undertook the unnecessarily-cruel and challenging race called Iditarod, which basically involves going all the way from Anchorage to Nome (that’s about 1150 miles) with your only method of transportation being winter dog sleds. The experience was chronicles in a book very appropriately titled Winterdance.

This book is divided into two parts, with the first one being dedicated to the preparation to the race, and the second one being about the race itself. To start at the beginning, the first part is nothing short of hilarious, and the best part is that Paulsen doesn’t even need to spend much effort to turn this thing into a comedy. 

Hilarity ensues from one moment to the next as each of his preparation tasks makes it increasingly clear that Paulsen is literally the worst possible candidate for the Iditarod. He cannot train his dogs properly, build long-lasting sleds, nor does he really know anything about the great journey he is about to undertake. As a matter of fact, the other mushers (that’s what dog sled racers are called) secretly voted him least likely to ever leave Anchorage, and they would have actually been right if not for the author’s iron-clad perseverance.

Winterdance by Gary Paulsen (Book cover)
As Paulsen makes his way through the race and starts to learn from his mistakes, the tone of the book shifts somewhat drastically, in some cases even bordering on tragedy, as was with a dog getting trampled by a moose, which believe it or not, is a common occurrence. Naturally, not all is grim as Paulsen makes many discoveries about himself, the dogs, how life works in general, and both extremes of the human nature. 

In the end, all of the tragedy, comedy and philosophy is combined in an ending that makes you feel as if you have actually learned something important about life. For every person it is going to be different, but this book sure has many lessons to teach, especially to those who are willing to re-read it and check in-between the lines.

If you like your stories to be grandiose and be rooted in fantasy, then this probably won’t be the book for you. If, on the other hand, you prefer slower-paced, intelligent and thought-provoking literature, then I definitely recommend you give Winterdance a chance.



Gary Paulsen (Author)

Gary Paulsen


Gary Paulsen is an American writer who specializes in young adult literature with stories often touching on the subjects of the great wilderness and coming of age. He certainly hasn't slacked in terms of quantity, having written more than 200 books as well as over 200 short stories and magazine articles.

He is better known for Brian's Saga, the Murphy series and World of Adventure, and in 1997 was awarded the Margaret Edwards Award by the American Library Association.


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