Sucktown, Alaska - Hardcover

Craig Dirkes

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1630790559 ISBN 13: 9781630790554

Publisher: Switch Press, 2017

Synopsis

Freshman year, Eddie Ashford had it all. Friends, parties, Taco Bell. He enjoyed it, reveled in it even. And he flunked out. Now he wants to redeem himself. Has to. He takes a job in tiny Kusko, Alaska, and promises to stay a year. His intentions are pure, but soon he's lonely, low on cash, and desperate to escape the tundra. In this rough, raw, harrowing, and hilarious story, Eddie's life becomes a dogsled ride along a line between youth and experience, bravery and recklessness, right and wrong. It's tough going, and Eddie is alone at the helm for the first time.

About this title

About the Author

Craig Dirkes is a public relations writer and professional photographer. He began his career as a journalist in rural Alaska. He enjoys hunting, fishing, lifting weights, and church activities. He lives in Minnesota with his wife and three young children.

Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Eddie has screwed up. He partied too hard and failed his first semester of college in Anchorage, AK. To rectify his mistakes, he agrees to take a 12-month job as a reporter at the Delta-Patriot newspaper in the "unromantic shithole" of Kusko, AK, located in the remote Yukon Delta. He lives with his boss, Dalton, and also helps Dalton take care of his sled dogs. All the while, Eddie plans to hide his expulsion from his father and brother until he can reenroll. There's little to like about Kusko other than Dalton's sled dogs; Eddie's neighbor friend Finn, who sells weed; and his love interest, Taylor, an overachieving high school senior. Soon, Eddie is flying out to neighboring villages to do reporting and begins to sell weed as a way to make money to leave Kusko sooner than planned. Each deal gets progressively worse, and Eddie messes with the wrong person, who has friends on the police force. Eddie wisely resolves to quit selling, but when Finn loses his job, Eddie makes an impulsive choice that lands him in big trouble. Dirkes sets the scene for an interesting story full of crass, realistic teenage boy humor. Fans of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian will be drawn to Dirkes's writing. The author effectively wraps up the narrative and its message about making good decisions. VERDICT A strong addition for collections in need of funny YA.—Adrienne L. Strock, Nashville Public Library

Edition details

• Publisher: Switch Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1630790559
• ISBN 13: 9781630790554
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352