I have followed and have read a good number of books about the Iditarod since I first became interested around 1989, and went up to watch in 1995. This is certainly one the very best first-person accounts, and gives a flavor for how incredibly difficult this race is. Although Libby Riddle was the first woman to win the Iditarod she is very humble in her writing, and tells stories about her dogs and about the challenges faced with temperatures at -60 degree F (-51 C). Self-transplanted from Wisconsin, she has come to embody the Alaskan spirit, and her love of the wilderness is apparent. Because it is organized as she travels from checkpoint to checkpoint, one gets the feeling of traveling along with her, and of getting to know the people who help maintain the checkpoints and trail. All in all an excellent book if you want to have a better understanding of the Iditarod, or of the nature of people in Alaska. ( )

First of all, I'm not the Tim Jones who co-wrote this book - though I would have enjoyed co-writing it, because it's a fascinating story of courage, endurance and bravery. Those three qualities apply to everyone who takes part in this dog-sled race of over 1000 miles through the late Alaskan winter, but in particular, in this retelling of Libby Riddles' 1985 race victory, it applies to her decision to press on towards the finish line in a storm that kept every other competitor hunkered down. It could have all gone horribly wrong - but it didn't, thanks to Libby Riddles' preparation and her superb dog team.

The one thing that disappointed me about the book is that, while it does a great job of covering the race itself, there is little coverage of the lead-up to it and no coverage at all of the aftermath, in which Riddles, as the first woman to win the race, shot to fame. I would loved to have heard what effect this had on her life, but there are only the barest hints in this book. Still, as a record of one of the world's most demanding sporting events, this ranks very highly. ( )

While I thought the subject of the book (as the title indicates, it is the story of the first woman to win the Iditarod) was absolutely fascinating, the prose was so dry that I couldn't really enjoy it. Informative, but not particularly exciting. ( )