Long ago, I had a habit of asking everyone I knew or met for a list of book recommendations. It didn’t matter who the person was or what station in life they were at, I wanted to know the fuel that drove them, and I wanted to build a library of books that mattered.

My brother-in-law, then, was the first person ever to introduce me to Gary Paulsen, when he recommended Hatchet as one of his all-time favorite books (up to that point at least). Knowing this, I got a copy of that book this past summer and tried reading it to my kids (7 and 9 at the time), neither of whom enjoyed it. The dead pilot, the plane crash, the danger—all of it was it bit too terrifyingly realistic for their tastes. So I finished the book on my own and now long someday to delve into the whole series.

In the meantime, I’m picking up other Paulsen books whenever I see them, and this one was a bit of a surprise. I own Winterdance, which is his non-fiction record of running in the Iditarod, so I knew he wrote more than just youth fiction, but I wasn’t anticipating what Paulsen had in store for me here.

In Woodsong, Paulsen shares snippets of life running dogs on the trap lines of northern Minnesota and along the Iditarod of Alaska. Filling these pages are anecdotes of his love for the dogs, his sensible fear of the wild, his respect for all life, and his relationship with nature. It’s a spiritual journey as much as anything else, a coming-of-age tale, even though Paulsen had long been an adult by the time he experienced many of these things.

I started reading the book aloud to my son, but the gore of the wolf-beasts destroying a deer were almost too much even for me to handle, so like I did with Hatchet, I left off and finished it on my own. It’s not that I don’t mind sharing real-life scenarios like this with my kids, it’s just that my son got nightmares not a month ago from watching Shrek, so I need to take it slow.

I may not agree with everything Paulsen writes or believes, but he’s reminiscent of Jack London, and I didn’t agree with his philosophies on life either. Both authors write quick, choppy prose that puts the reader in the moment. It’s soothing, in fact, despite the abrasiveness, like a massage gun kneading the knot in just the right way. I may not always be in the mood to read either of these guys, but whenever I am, you can be sure I’ll plow right through a book in a single sitting.

I’m glad I’ve got more of Paulsen’s books sitting on my shelves right now. Come winter, they be calling.

©2021 E.T.

Read More from Gary Paulsen:

• Dogsong (1985)
• Hatchet (1986) [view also my first review of this book]
• Woodsong (1990)
• The River (1991)
• Brian’s Winter (1996)
• Brian’s Return (1999)
• Brian’s Hunt (2003)
• Time Hackers (2005)
• Woods Runner (2009)