In No Place Like Nome: The Bering Strait Seen Through Its Most Storied City, Michael Engelhard crafts a compelling and nuanced portrait of a place that is often romanticized in popular culture, yet rarely understood. Far from a simple travelogue or a dry historical account, Engelhard's work is an insightful blend of cultural analysis, environmental observation, and personal memoir that reveals Nome as a microcosm of the larger Bering Strait region. It's a journey into a world where a man can strike gold one day and the next realize he probably should have just brought a warmer coat.

	The blanket toss helped celebrate a successful whale hunt. Photo taken before the Nome gold rush around 1898 b Dr. Samuel J Call. Courtesy Library of congress		“Eskimo Highkick” is a regular feature of the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO) held since 1961. 1915 photo taken by Butler, Mauro & Co., a Nome drugstore. Courtesy Library of Congress

DISMANTLING A MYTH

Engelhard's narrative begins by dismantling the myths surrounding the city, immediately confronting the image of Nome as a dusty, wild-west outpost of the gold rush. Instead, he presents a city with a rich, if tumultuous, history. He skillfully navigates the often-painful legacy of the gold rush era, detailing how the arrival of tens of thousands of prospectors in the early 20th century violently disrupted the life of the Iñupiat, who had inhabited the land for thousands of years. The book explores this historical trauma not as a distant event, but as a living part of the city's identity, influencing everything from land ownership to social dynamics. Engelhard's deep respect for the indigenous culture is evident throughout, and his interviews with local residents, both Iñupiat and descendants of settlers, provide a crucial, human-centered perspective on these historical events.

	Nome gold rush tent settlement covered 30 miles of beach. There was gold in the sand. Photo taken by Lomen Brothers in 1900 Courtesy Library of Congress		Cross cultural encounter on Nome street Children were quicker to pick up on new ways than their parents and often mediated. Courtesy Library of Congress

WHERE CULTURES COLLIDE

Beyond its historical foundation, the book excels in its exploration of Nome's contemporary cultural and environmental landscape. Engelhard delves into the unique blend of cultures that defines the city today—a community where subsistence hunting and fishing coexist with the demands of a modern, cash-based economy.

For example, Engelhard says, "To this day, Iñupiaq whalers sometimes repurpose a paddle as a simple but effective kind of sonar. With the blade in the ocean and the grip pressed against the echo chamber of their skull, they detect game moving underwater, through the wood’s vibration. They can distinguish bowheads from bearded seals—a question of volume—as if they were reading tracks in the snow."

He writes with a keen eye for detail about the Iditarod, an event that draws the world’s attention to Nome, but also discusses the less-publicized realities of daily life, such as the challenges of food security, the high cost of living, and the isolation that comes with being a remote hub. Engelhard notes, for example, the local running joke that the only time Nome's streets are truly clear of snow is for the sled dog race. After the last musher crosses the finish line, it’s back to business as usual, which usually involves a snow shovel.

The author also provides a sobering look at the effects of climate change on the region. He describes the shrinking sea ice, the thawing permafrost, and the erosion of the coastline, all of which threaten Nome's very existence. This environmental focus elevates the book from a simple regional study to a vital commentary on a global issue, making Nome a powerful symbol of a changing world.

	Ivory carver “Happy Jack” Angokwazhuk and his wife, Assongoyi, by Frank Hamilton Nowell, 1904. Courtesy Library of Congress		Father Bernhard Rosecrans Hubbard, known as "Mother Hubbard," feeds condensed milk to an orphaned polar bear. Photo courtesy Santa Clara University Department of Archives & Special Collections

A THOUGHTFUL EYE

What makes Engelhard’s book particularly effective is his accessible and engaging writing style. He weaves his own experiences and observations—from walking the windswept streets to joining a group of birdwatchers—into the larger narrative, making the reader feel as if they are discovering the city alongside him. His voice is that of a thoughtful and empathetic observer, never preachy or judgmental, even when faced with a mosquito swarm so thick you could swear it had its own zip code. This personal touch infuses the book with a sense of genuine curiosity and wonder. Engelhard’s ability to find the profound in the ordinary—whether in the resilience of a community or the quiet beauty of the tundra—is the book's greatest strength.

I particularly enjoyed the depth of his appreciation for how bicycles became a mode of overland and downriver transportation. An indigenous observer chortled, " White man, he sit down, walk like hell!"

	Iñupiaq dance near Nome in 1900 Photo courtesy Library of Congress		1900 Lomen studio portrait of sea kayaker and model kayak Photo courtesy Library of Congress

No Place Like Nome reminds us that the Bering Strait isn't a distant, frozen frontier, but a vibrant and critical part of the world, full of stories that deserve to be told, and heeded.

ABOUT THE BOOK'S AUTHOR:

	Trained as an anthropologist with a degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Michael Engelhard worked for twenty-five years as a wilderness guide and as an outdoor instructor in youth programs. The editor of four anthologies and author of Ice Bear, a cultural history of the polar bear, he has won three Alaska Press Club Awards, a Rasmuson Individual Artist Award, and a Foreword INDIES gold medal in the Adventure and Recreation category.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

Web manager Steve Giordano, past president of the Society of American Travel Writers, is a veteran ski and travel journalist & photographer whose work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, books, radio and television and many places around the Internet. He's written numerous travel books. Steve is the designer and technologist of HighOnAdventure.com and was the online and guidebook editor of SkiSnowboard.com. He can be reached at rsgiordano@gmail.com.