North Country: A Personal Journey Through the Borderland

A resident of the part of Vermont called the Northeast Kingdom, novelist Mosher (Where the Rivers Flow North) undertook an unusual journey in 1993. Beginning at Lubec, Maine, he drove along the U.S.-Canadian border to the Pacific, resolved to make his trip ""one of exuberance and affirmation rather than lament."" Unfortunately, most of the places he visited complicated his task, as he found innumerable ghost towns, deserted home sites and abandoned mines. The people he met, however, were a different story. From coast to coast, they agreed that life is hard in the north country but that living there is a pleasure; all were willing to put up with the long, cold winters in exchange for the joys, particularly fishing, that the rest of the year brings. Among those he met were ex-smugglers, a former rodeo rider now an authentic cowboy, an idealistic Native American leader, an overworked veterinarian and two hostile survivalists, all but the last two with entertaining tales to tell. One of his most absorbing subjects is himself; Mosher started as a teacher, worked as a handyman and finally succeeded as a novelist. The only drawback to the book is the absence of maps. (May)