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The Cruelest Miles

The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic

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The Cruelest Miles

Written by: Gay Salisbury, Laney Salisbury
Narrated by: Margot Dionne
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About this listen

 Alaska, 1925: the diphtheria serum is 674 miles away. Without it, the people of Nome will not survive. Nome, Alaska, sits on the edge of the Bering Sea two degrees below the Arctic Circle, and there are few more forbidding places on earth, especially in winter. Dr. Curtis Welch knew the signs of diphtheria, knew that his patients - many of them children - would die without a shipment of fresh serum.

The port was icebound and the nearest railhead was almost 700 miles away across mountains, rivers, and the treacherous ice of Norton Sound. A blizzard was brewing, and airplanes, in 1925, could not fly in such conditions. Only the dogs could do it. A relay was set up, and the drivers, many of them Native Alaskans, set off into the night at 60 below zero, often trusting their lead dogs to find the trail under feet of driven snow. The legendary heroism and endurance of the men and dogs in the Serum Run need no enhancement. Here, for the first time, their story is told in full.

©2003 Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Randhom House Inc. Travel Writing & Commentary Dogs Alaska Nonfiction Polar Region
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What the critics say

"This is an elegantly written book, inspiring tremendous respect for the hardy mushers and their canine partners." (Publishers Weekly)
"The Salisburys have written an amazing story of endurance and courage." (Booklist)
"Margot Dionne delivers this mind-numbing experience in a calm voice, allowing the words to convey the terror and agony that characterized the journey." (AudioFile)

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People were so much tougher back then.

Pretty wild story. I had no knowledge about it until I came across an article in Reddit, and this book was recommended in the comments.

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