Woodsong
Woodsong is a book of memoirs by Gary Paulsen. The first half consists of Paulsen's early experiences running sled dogs in Minnesota and then in Alaska, and the second half describes the roads and animals he faces in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Plot summary
Paulsen opens his book with a vivid retelling of a story in which he watched brush wolves kill and devour a live doe in the woods. This event revealed the raw, unfabricated realities of nature to him. Paulsen recounts many incidents he has undergone with his dogs on their runs, including times he has been carried to safety by his sled dogs after breaking his knee on the trail, became violently ill in the midst of extreme cold conditions, and a variety of mysterious happenings in the Alaskan wilderness. In all of their adventures, he bonds closely with his dogs, particularly one named Storm. Storm is portrayed as an ideal dog that taught Paulsen many life values.
Part One closes, and Part Two begins with Paulsen entering a team of fifteen of his dogs in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, an approximately 1,153.2 mile-long sled dog race from Anchorage, Alaska to Nome, Alaska. The race proves to be long and arduous. Extreme cold conditions and difficult terrain put both him and his team to the test. He is repeatedly afflicted by lifelike hallucinations caused by extreme sleep deprivation, such as a man with a trench coat talking about educational grants, and hallucinating about a man hallucinating. But Gary is spurred onward by the beauty of the race and his devotion to the team. During the race, Gary experiences a unique feeling when he is running with his dogs. After nearly seventeen days, he at last crosses the finish line in Nome. He places last in the race, but accomplishment and adventure are all that matter to him. Gary feels at home and a sense of peace when he is sledding with the dogs in the race.
The main characters include Paulsen (the narrator), Dollar, Storm, Yogi, Obeah, Duran, Columbia, Cookie, Olaf, Dunberry, Scarhead, Hawk, Neil, Fred, Clarence, Alex, Wilson, and Blue (dogs).
References
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- Hatchet
- The River
- Brian's Winter
- Brian's Return
- Brian's Hunt
- Murphy
- Murphy's Gold
- Murphy's Herd
- Murphy's War
- Murphy's Stand
- Murphy's Ambush
- Murphy's Trail
- The Case of the Dirty Bird
- Dunc's Doll
- Culpepper's Cannon
- Dunc Gets Tweaked
- Dunc's Halloween
- Dunc Breaks the Record
- Mr. Tucket
- Call Me Francis Tucket
- Tucket's Ride
- Tucket's Gold
- Tucket's Home
- The Legend of Red Horse Cavern
- Rodomonte's Revenge
- Escape from Fire Mountain
- The Rock Jockeys
- Hook 'Em Snotty!
- Danger on Midnight River
- The Gorgon Slayer
- Captive!
- Project - A Perfect World
- The Treasure of El Patron
- Skydive!
- The Seventh Crystal
- The Creature of Black Water Lake
- Time Benders
- Grizzly
- Thunder Valley
- Curse of the Ruins
- Flight of the Hawk
- Dogsong
- The Winter Room
- Canyons
- The Cookcamp
- Harris and Me
- Nightjohn
- The Car
- The Tent
- Sarny
- The Transall Saga
- Alida's Song
- Soldier's Heart
- The White Fox Chronicles
- The Glass Cafe
- Woods Runner
- The Rifle
- Woodsong
- Winterdance
- My Life in Dog Years
- Guts
- How Angel Peterson Got His Name
- Gone to the Woods
- A Cry in the Wild
- Nightjohn
- Snow Dogs
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