Arctic Son/Fulfilling the Dream: Fulfilling the Dream | 
 enlarge | Author: Jean Aspen
Publisher: Menasha Ridge Pr
Category: Book
Buy New: $19.95
New (5) Used (12) Collectible (1) from $7.98
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 1701165
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 250
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.5 x 1
ISBN: 0897321731
Dewey Decimal Number: 979.87
EAN: 9780897321730
ASIN: 0897321731
Publication Date: March 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: 1995 hardcover with dust jacket, All of our products are cleaned with an disinfectant for your protection before shipping AND AS ALWAYS SHIPPED IN 24 HOURS
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Product Description
In 1992 Jean Aspen and her husband, Tom, took their young son to live in Alaska's interior wilderness, building a cabin out of logs, hunting for food, and letting the vast, harsh beauty of the Arctic close in around them. While Jean had faced Alaska's wilderness before -- in a life-altering experience she chronicled in Arctic Daughter -- this journey would be different. Dogged by sickness and hardships, cut off from the rest of the world, her family faced not only a test of endurance, but of its own well-being and survival....
From a daily struggle against the elements to an encounter with a grizzly bear at arm's length, from moments of breathtaking beauty and self-realization to a harrowing, six-hundred-mile river passage back to civilization, Arctic Son chronicles fourteen remarkable months in the Arctic. At once a portrait of courage and a heart-pounding adventure story, Arctic Son portrays a family's extraordinary journey into America's last frontier.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Should Have Been Titled "Arctic Daughter Returns" March 18, 2008
I loved Jean Aspen's first book, Arctic Daughter, and have read it several times. So I was eager to read this second book and enjoy this return to the Arctic with her husband Tom and their son Luke. It seemed especially nice that her son would continue the love affair with the Arctic, bringing the family full circle. As a middle aged woman myself, I identified with her worries that she and Tom were too old and soft to succeed.
But my impression throughout the book is that this was HER dream, and her husband and son were just along for the trip. Her son especially was unhappy, lonely, whiny, defiant and argumentative throughout their whole time there. He did backflips of joy when they returned to civilization. Even Tom told her he was ready for her to put her past aside, and that he was tired of living in it.
I rarely felt any affection or closeness between Jean and Tom. She was very concerned when he was sick, but mainly about what she would do if he died. She seems to be a middle aged force of nature, commander of the family, and the font of all knowledge. Even towards the end of the trip, when they had weathered 14 months in the wilderness, it was Jean who looked at the river and commanded "let's go!" as if only her assessment of the river's safety was valid.
I was also somewhat taken aback by Jean's unflattering description of her husband. She describes herself with words like "direct, gray-green eyes", "strong jaw and high cheekbones, full lips and even teeth," "handsome" and even "considered beautiful". Meanwhile she describes Tom as "a bit heavy," asymmetrical face," "nose drifting off to one side," "balding", "unfashionably dressed" and wearing "thick glasses" for his myopic vision.
She also spouted an awful lot of New Age philosophy, especially with Luke, who would have benefited from a firm hand and decisive parenting. I found myself skimming pages to get to the wilderness living, while Jean philosophized about the meaning of life.
But overall, this book is a good read. I loved reading of how they built the cabin, and shot the moose and dried its meat. She's a whiz in the kitchen, turning out great meals with basic staples. She made the long dark winter and extreme cold seem real to her readers.
I gave this book three stars because I didn't care for her personality as much as I liked the adventures and the descriptions of their life in the middle of the Arctic.
 arctic daughter August 3, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
i read this book years ago when goin through hard times and i got hope and inspiration from it. in my opinion very personally written.i enjoyed it right from the very first page.
A great expedition from the warmth of your own reading chair July 3, 2002
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Arctic Son keeps the reader "involved" and teaches you about surviving the Arctic North. I learned it is not something I would like to do, with months upon months of frozen everything and darkness. This book helps you to appreciate what you have and the warmth of your own home! It is nice for this authro to write about her adventures in the Arctic and share this true life tale with us, the readers.I recommend reading this if you are interested in exploring the world around you, especially the wild and frigid Arctic North.
Just as Good as Arctic Daughter March 1, 2001
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I couldn't wait to read this book after having enjoyed Arctic Daughter. The two adventure stories stand alone as exceptional works -- not of literature -- but of true adventure stories. I found Arctic Son to be true to Jean Aspen, the woman and adventurer. It was real in content, description of events, feelings and thoughts, and it allowed me to live out my own dream of building a cabin in Alaska without leaving home. Additionally, Arctic Son proved that even after a family comes along, adventure is still attainable and very rewarding to the soul of all. At the same time, the mental and physical risks and costs of such high adventure are made quite clear. This book was just as good, if not sweeter, than the first book. Also, it isn't necessary to read both books sequentially to understand events or motivation.
Loved this book and Arctic Daughter also... December 20, 2000
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I first heard of Jean Aspen when a condensed version of her first book, Arctic Daughter, appeared in a Reader's Digest. I have since acquired, with difficulty, my own copy of that book. I later located Arctic Son in a used bookstore. I felt the point of both books was not to elevate the art of literature, but rather to convey the life-shaping experiences of her years in the arctic, using literature as the medium. I understand Jean and Tom filmed portions of their time in Alaska during the "Arctic Son" period, and I would love to locate a copy of that, if possible. Any help out there???? At any rate, both books are great to curl up with and dream about during a long winter.
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