Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod

Written by Gary Paulsen

Narrated by Danny Campbell

Fueled by a passion for running dogs, Gary Paulsen entered the Iditarod—the eleven hundred and eighty mile sled-dog race through the Alaskan wilderness—in dangerous ignorance and with a fierce determination. For seventeen days, he and his team of dogs endured blinding wind, snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, hallucinations—and the relentless push to go on. Winterdance is the enthralling account of a "stunning wilderness journey of discovery and transformation" (Chicago Tribune), lived and told by "the best author of man-against-nature adventures writing today" (Publishers Weekly).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781977339522

Gary Paulsen

GARY PAULSEN (1939 - 2021) wrote nearly two hundred books for young people, including the Newbery Honor Books Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room. 

Reviews for Winterdance

[Audrey Heeren Vance · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Delightful book for Northern dog lovers! Laughter and tears. Excellent.

[Dawn Hill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For some years now I have described this as my favourite book. I have bought copies and given them as gifts to friends. I've long wanted to hear it as an audiobook and Danny Campbell does it justice. The part with the training of the dogs has often had me crying with laughter, so much so that there have been complaints from the next room that "I can't hear the telly because of your laughing!" This time around, it's not been quite so funny because I KNOW the book, I know the matches in the pocket, the traipsing through swamps, the searching for 'lost' dogs. I've very much enjoyed hearing it and, yes, I did still laugh out loud at some bits and I felt sad at other parts.

[msf59 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"But the beauty of the woods, the incredible joy of it is too alluring to be ignored, and I could not stand to be away from it--indeed, still can't--and so I ran dogs simply to run dogs; to be in and part of the forest, the woods." “How can it be to live without the dogs.”Paulsen is a outdoorsy, kind of guy, living in the wilds of Minnesota, but one day, in his early 40s, he decides to run the Iditarod. A grueling 1,180 miles dog-race, from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.This is his memoir, of that event and it is awesome. It is also funny, gripping and terrifying. There is more adventure packed into these pages, that you would find, in a half a dozen other books.I thought the idea of climbing Mt. Everest, is insane, (it does remind me of Into Thin Air, just not as somber) but this is a whole different kind of madness.I can not recommend this one high enough and I will be searching out more of his work.

[schneider_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just one of my absolute favorites!
Gary Paulsen, known for his young adult novels, has just absolutely crushed it with his autobiographical masterpiece on his attempt at prepping for and running the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska.
Not a novice at running sled dogs, as Paulsen explains in his early chapters (he checks his traps around northern MN using a team), he believes that he would like to run the Iditarod race in Alaska. The only problem is that he doesn't know what to do or how to do it.
This hilarious tale is one of a man and his ignorance and maybe lost in the humor is the love story between he and his dogs he spends so much time with, yes, even Devil... It has everything, adventure, humor, love, dogs, friends, an all-too-knowing spouse, hate, races, and heartbreak.
Cannot recommend this higher. This is a book for everyone. Go get it!

[sandyamcpherson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating first-hand look at running the Iditarod and managing dog-sled racing. The journey starts in Anchorage, AK and finishes in Nome. A bittersweet story of endurance.

[talbin_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The last chapter ruined the book for me. It should’ve either been omitted or expanded upon.

[sushicat-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gary Paulsen tells us how, living in Minnesota, he came to participate in the Iditarod, the legendary dog sled race across Alaska, in 1983. When he made the decision to participate, he had very little experience and at the starting line he was not expected to last through the race.

The narrative is inspiring and amusing as he takes us along his learning experiences on working with dogs, establishing a very close relationship with the dog and finally running the race itself. It is quite fast paced and paints a vivid picture of the difficulties one has to overcome to reach the finishing line in this race that takes the participants 1153 miles across an unforgiving landscape in deep winter.

[evelynbernard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March from Anchorage to Nome. (Wikipedia) Sounds civilized, organized, doable even, right? Like most people, I have seen documentary clips about the race. This book is a whole different animal. Gary Paulsen writes a first hand experience of his preparation for and participation in the Iditarod in 1983. A 'fine madness' is no exaggeration. The first portion of the book deals with his decision to participate in the race; how he obtained his dogs, their daily runs, the trust that is built up as man and dog depend on eachother for direction, guidance and strength and their very survival. This is a man obsessed with his dogs to the point where he literally becomes one with his team - eating, sleeping and running with them twenty-four hours a day. As the book moves into the description of the actual race, it is evident that such a relationship must exist for a team to have any hope of completing. For seventeen days they encounter temperatures of -60 degrees, blinding snowstorms, impassable trails, hunger, sleeplessness, hallucinations, moose attacks and more. - only to finish and immediately have the urge to 'do it again'! Paulsen writes with wonderful detail and a strong sprinkling of humour - there were times I laughed out loud. There were also times I caught my breath at the sheer lunacy of it all! If I had any criticism, I would have had the author leave out the last five pages - I found them unnecessary, but they did not diminish my absolute enjoyment of this excellent book.

[thewasp_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gary Paulsen's description of his foray into dog sled racing is hilarious, although his passion and love for the dogs is clearly evident.
This is an entertaining and educating read and I would highly recommend

[smetchie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I never knew being sprayed by a skunk could be so hilarious!

[daniexj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gary Paulsen has a weird, weird mind. I had read his books like Hatchet when I was a teen, but this non-fiction novel was an entirely different creature (perhaps a dog? ;))

In retrospect I probably read it during the wrong part of the year (Late January into Early February. During a definite cold snap in New England). When he talked about negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit on The Yukon or even a warm negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit it sent a literal chill down my spine for sure.

I've always had an interest in the Iditarod (like I do in the Boston Marathon. Cool to watch, don't really ever want to participate.) And this book helped reinforce that. The way Paulsen talked about the dogs and the race as well as the training made the whole thing come alive. And the chapter about his Major wrecks was hilarious and had me laughing the whole way through it.

A must read, though I suggest it be read during the summer, and during a heat wave, a very, very long heat wave.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The subtitle is “the fine madness of running the Iditarod” and “madness” doesn’t begin to cover it. For those who don’t know, the Iditarod is a dog sled race in Alaska from Anchorage to Nome covering 1,180 miles of Alaskan wilderness in weather that can hit 60 below--Fahrenheit. That doesn’t begin to delineate its dangers which include attacking moose, frozen whirlpools and sea ice giving way under you. This is Paulsen’s first hand, first person account of his rookie race taking 17 days--and let me tell you, several times (including in preparing for the race) he came close to winning a Darwin Award. (They’re given for doing humanity a service by removing yourself from the gene pool by causing your death with your stupidity.) I think you probably should be given the award--or a straight jacket--just for wanting to do the Iditarod--doing it with Paulsen’s admitted lack of preparation is just insane.

There’s more to this book though than just hair-raising adventures. Above all, there are the dogs. A blurb on the front cover from a Washington Post review claimed that the book is “one of a handful of indispensable dog books.” And the pack of dogs Paulsen uses in the race do come through as individual and endearing personalities, especially lead dog Cookie and the aptly named Devil. (Although more than once I thought pack leader Paulsen could have used some training from Cesar Millan in their handling.) The dogs are the highlight--nay, the stars--of the book. There’s one other redeeming feature--a sense of humor. One that a couple of times threatened from me a burst of giggling out loud. There was the incident with the skunks...and Paulsen’s wife Ruth had a winning sense of humor--probably much needed to deal with her husband. For instance, one exchange when Paulsen was training with the rowdy sled dogs, who are not your standard pet:

“They remind me of that time when you were drunk and brought the bikers home to dinner ...”

“I thought we were never going to talk about that again.”

“They kinda remind me of them though--only they’re cuter.”

“The bikers?”

“The dogs.”

There’s also less. It would have been nice for instance to have more background about the race itself. It’s never stated within the book, but the Iditarod, like the marathon, was instituted to commemorate a specific event--a journey from Anchorage to Nome by dog sled to bring life-saving medicine. (For that story you might want to look up Gay Salisbury’s The Cruelest Miles.) I also could wish Paulsen had cut the final self-pitying chapter. The book should have ended with the end of the race--the final chapter felt jarring and out of place.

[laytonwoman3rd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book nailed me to my chair for the afternoon, but I felt like I was racing through it pulled by a team of sled dogs running for pure joy. This is Paulsen's story of his naive preparations for, and first experience of running the 1100+ mile Iditarod in 1983. Fascinating, moving, hilarious, terrifying. We should be grateful that a diagnosis of heart disease stopped him from running after his third start; he would either have died out there somewhere, or simply become so obsessed with the race, at one with his dogs, that he never would have written this beautiful book for the benefit of mere humans.

[horomnizon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book from the very first page and found myself laughing out loud at several points. Paulsen's ability to step outside himself and paint a picture of what he must have looked like being constantly dragged around by these dogs that he had very little (if any) control over.

There was also a moment or two when I just about cried. The whole story is interesting and not just about one man's craziness, but of his relationship with the dogs and how together they survive this brutal race - only to want to do it again.

[andrewfahler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

very good.lots of madness!

[lieslmayerson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as a gift from my friend Kim with a message that said she just knew I would enjoy it. And enjoy it I did. A wonderful outdoor adventure, this book presents one team's story of running the Iditarod. I knew very little about the Iditarod going into the book, but have a completely new appreciation for the race. While I have no aspirations of running it myself, I really do think you have to have a certain madness to do so, I appreciate the want to. And, as a dog lover and admirer, I really liked the team nature of these dogs doing what they were bred to do. Truly impressive. I would reread this book and would recommend it to lovers of nature and challenge and especially to dog lovers.

[sovranty · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It will be difficult to put down this comical book, as you read of one man's journey from novice to experienced Iditarod competitor. Get an emotional and visual picture of what the competitors - human and canine - go through during this race. It is sure to leave you satisfied.

[karrieskorner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Award-winning children's author, Gary Paulsen, has another life besides just being a children's author. He draws on his experience as an avid outdoors man to write his amazing books, i.e., Hatchet, Brian's Winter.

Within the first couple pages of Winterdance, Paulsen is careening around in the Minnesota back woods on a sled that is being pulled by a pack of dogs. The book could end right then and there as he goes off the edge of a cliff, but he manages to survive and so do all his dogs. That somehow inspired Paulsen to decide that he wanted to run the ultimate of dog sledding events -- The Iditarod. He titles his book, The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod because he knows how crazy this pursuit truly is. Yet he begins his preparation as his wife questions his sanity.

There begins a remarkable journey. He has to acquire the appropriate dogs to pull his sled, he has to train himself for the hundreds of hours of running, he has to prepare himself for the lack of sleep and a lack of food. While all this sounds like a trip through Hell, Paulsen tells his tale -- or tail -- in a hilarious and incredible voice. Laugh out loud as you read about him racing through the night woods and being sprayed by skunks so many times he can't even open his eyes by the time he pulls up to his house in the dawn-breaking hour. For awhile he's riding around in a VW bug as his dogs -- some of them as insane as he is -- are pulling him around as if he was in a Radio Flyer red wagon.

As the time draws near to the start of the Iditarod, Paulsen and his dogs are ready. His description of the beginning of the race is hilarious as he and his dogs run through people's backyards in an effort to find the course! The reader realizes how high the stakes are when he describes the possibility that he could be running along for hundreds of miles, only to discover that he's on an ice flow as he and his dogs pitch off the edge and into the ocean -- never to be heard from again. As he writes about the Burn, and all the other aspects of the race, you will feel all the ups and downs of actually running the Iditarod yourself. One minute you're laughing hysterically, the next minute you're on the edge of your seat trying to read fast enough to know whether he's going to die. Of course in a rational moment you know he doesn't die -- he's gone on to write dozens of books since he published Winterdance. But it's easy to forget that when you're in subzero temperatures, being pulled by 12 crazy running dogs and facing down an angry moose that is about to attack!

I was literally up until 2:00 in the morning last week -- on a weekday with work looming ahead of me in a few short hours, laughing. And this was the third time I've read this book!

It's no surprise to me that this book won an Alex Award years ago. Now, whenever someone asks me to recommend a good book for someone who doesn't like to read, I recommend this one! Given that I've read it three times and recommended to no less than 50 people, there has been plenty of time for me to hear back from all those reluctant readers and not one has come back to me to tell me that they didn't like it. In fact, everyone I've recommended it to has come back to tell me how much they loved it, especially the part about Paulsen eating the moose chili. Yep, that's the part I was laughing about at 2:00 a.m. Pick up this book and laugh out loud!

[sunnysd_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Warning... this is definitely not a book to read with either a full bladder or in a location where silence is a virtue. It has to be one of the all time most hilarious books I have ever read, bar none. Paulson's inside look at what it takes to prepare for the premier Alaskan sled dog race, the Iditarod, is a pull-no-punches romp. Skunks, omnivorous canines, the exponential mathematical calculations necessary for figuring pulling power; all this and a fine, tongue-in-cheek story-telling style -- well, let's just say that even if you're not familiar with Paulson, or the sport of dog-sledding, this is still a page-turner. Honestly, the man was an accident that didn't wait long to happen, and still he kept going!

The language can get a bit raw, but give this to the more mature of your young adult reluctant readers, boys or girls -- my experience suggests they'll come back for more.

[jbheffernan_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was the first book I have read about dog sled racing. It provided me with one man's view of the bond between a musher and his team. The writing is sparse. There are some sections that mad me laugh out loud. The description of the race Iditarod race itself is compelling. However, the last chapter leaves the book with a flat feeling.

[nm.fall07.j.barrett · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great book about running the Iditarod

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have taken only one dog sled ride in my life, but it was up the Snowmass ski mountain in Aspen. Had I not taken that ride, I would have been skeptical of many, if not most, of the anecdotes in Gary Paulsen's "Winterdance." Having experienced the exileration and power exerted by a good team of sled dogs, I don't think he even exaggerates.

In Paulsen's story, the dogs love to run and to pull. They train with 75 mile runs, averaging 10 miles per hour. The big, nasty dogs love to fight, and may even begin eating their foe before a fight is over. The Iditerod is an incredible hardship for both man and dog. They must cross most of Alaska in winter, over mountains, over sea ice, and down the Yukon River, where the temperature reaches -65 Farenheit in 50 m.p.h. winds. As you might imagine, the mushers are sort of local heroes in Alaska, and they get some support on the route from Fairbanks to Nome, but most of the way they are completely alone with their dogs. Paulsen says he got the most from his dogs when he began to live and sleep with them, almost to become a dog.

The book is a terrific read--for guys. My son loved it and gave it to me. My wife is less enthused, as I suppose is Paulsen's wife about his attempt.

(JAB)

[cataylor_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Funny, heartwarming story of Gary and his sled dogs as they prepare for and run their first Iditarod. Makes the reader feel the connection to the snow and the dogs and the experience of the race. Wonderful!

[dawng_37 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. Paulsen is a little egotistical but I still found it interesting. For those things that I know I will never actually do it is fun to live vicariously through another's experience. This book really does that, with some humor and drama.

[boundtogetherforgood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Want to feel as if you've raced in the Iditarod? Read this book! Crazy!

[donkeytiara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

...the FUNNIEST book i have ever read, hands-down. Read it. It will teach you about running dogs without you even knowing it. Then you can get your own team like he did...and......and....

[writestuff_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Exciting, humorous, full of life...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.