Deneena Yazzie's love of the woods and trail come from her grandfather, who teaches her their all-but-vanished Native Alaskan language. While her peers lose hope, trapped between the old and the modern cultures, and turn to destructive behaviors, Denny and her mysterious lead dog, a blue-eyed wolf, train for the Great Race—giving her town a new pride and hope.

"Smelcer clearly knows his way around Alaskan mountains."—David Roberts, author of The Mountain of My FearPraise for Edge of Nowhere:"A survival story, but one with a strong heart."—ForeWord Reviews"A thought-provoking and moving coming-of-age story."—Publishers Weekly"Another gripping literary triumph for Smelcer."—Midwest Book ReviewPraise for Lone Wolves:"A beautiful and moving story of courage and love."—Ray Bradbury"An engaging tale of survival, love, and courage."—School Library Journal"[Smelcer] promises to further solidify his status as 'Alaska's modern day Jack London.'"—Suzanne Steinert, Mushing"Powerful, eloquent, and fascinating, showcasing a vanishing way of life in rich detail."—Kirkus"Combines good old-fashioned adventure . . . with heart-tugging moments of clarity and poignancy that...

"More psychological depth than Robinson Crusoe."—Frank McCourtPraise for Lone Wolves:"A beautiful and moving story of courage and love."—Ray Bradbury"Powerful, eloquent, and fascinating, showcasing a vanishing way of life in rich detail."—Kirkus Reviews"An adept focus on coming-of-age and an illuminating glimpse of Native Alaskan cultures."—The Horn Book"A gifted storyteller with a unique perspective. . . . A breathlessly paced and thrilling ride for readers of all ages."—Cambridge Book ReviewPraise for The Great Death and Alaskan:"Gripping and poignant. . . . Smelcer's prose is clean and rich; original yet unpretentious."—Horn Book, starred review"John Smelcer is Alaska's modern-day Jack London."—W.P. Kinsella"An indispensible contribution to Alaskan literature."—J. D. Salinger"Smelcer speaks from the land, for...

The Great Death arrived with the man from downriver, the one who came with the light-colored strangers and had little red spots covering his body. Thirteen-year-old Millie and her younger sister, Maura, are fascinated by the guests, but soon sickness takes over their village. As they watch the people they know and love die, the sisters remain unaffected and begin to realize that they will have to find a new home. Alone in the cold Alaskan winter of 1917, struggling to overcome the obstacles nature throws their way, the girls discover that their true strength lies in their love for each other. John Smelcer's spare and beautiful prose shapes the sisters' story with tenderness and skill, presenting a powerful tale of determination, survival, and family.

"A poignant story of colonization and assimilation, something I know a little bit about. A masterpiece."—Chinua Achebe"One of our most brilliant writers tells a harsh truth about American history."—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United StatesPraise for Edge of Nowhere:"Smelcer's prose is lyrical, straightforward, and brilliant . . . authentic Native Alaskan storytelling at its best."—School Library Journal (starred review)"A spare tale of courage, love and terrible obstacles."—The Wall Street Journal"More psychological depth than Robinson Crusoe."—Frank McCourtPraise for Lone Wolves:"A beautiful and moving story of courage and love."—Ray Bradbury"Smelcer [is] a rockstar of Alaskan literature."—Mushing magazine"Powerful, eloquent, and fascinating."—Kirkus Reviews"Smelcer's work has a...

Written over the course of a quarter century by one fo Alaska's best living writers, these two dozen stories embody the spirit of Alaska—its colliding cultures, magnificent beauty and dangerously unforgiving environment. "John Smelcer is Alaska's modern-day Jack London"—W. P. Kinsella. "John Smelcer's stories are an indispensable addition to Alaskan literature"—J. D. Salinger.

2,000 years ago an itinerant Jewish preacher was condemned to crucifixion. A man named Simon, from Cyrene, was compelled to help Jesus carry the heavy cross. What did he and Jesus talk about? Eager to learn more about this “rabbi," Simon returned to Jerusalem the next day. What he learned changed his life, and gave his descendants an incredible secret.

"Poetry at its most satirical and courageous. A tremendous book."—Seamus Heaney"Few voices in American literature are so honest and daring."—Mark Strand"One of our most brilliant poets."—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz"I feel the primal grain and temper of the genuine here."—William Heyen"A lament, a protest, an inextinguishable song."—Sherod Santos"Among the best and most original poets in America."—Stanley Kunitz"Nothing short of splendid."—Robert Nazarene"The kind of energy found in the poems of William Carlos Williams and Gary Snyder."—Joseph BruchacThese poems tell harsh truths of hopelessness and genocide. The confusion of children whose religion is forbidden; the ironic poverty of a lottery winner; an alternate American history in which Columbus turns and sails away—in deceptively simple language, we hear the protest of survivors. "'Indian' is not a derogatory word. It's...

A gripping wilderness adventure and survival story It was getting colder. Johnny pulled the fur-lined hood of his parka over his head and walked towards his own cabin with the sound of snow crunching beneath his boots."He should be back tomorrow," he thought, as a star raced across the sky just below the North Star. "He should be back tomorrow for sure." Seventeen-year-old Johnny Least-Weasel knows that his grandfather Albert is a stubborn old man and won't stop checking his own traplines even though other men his age stopped doing so years ago. But Albert Least-Weasel has been running traplines in the Alaskan wilderness alone for the past sixty years. Nothing has ever gone wrong on the trail he knows so well.When Albert doesn't come back from checking his traps, with the temperature steadily plummeting, Johnny must decide quickly whether to trust his grandfather or his own instincts. Written in...