Linda F's Reviews > The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic

It's interesting to read this book during a worldwide pandemic. It was a stark reminder of the devastating effects of certain diseases, but also a great reminder of what happens when people selflessly help others. I did not know much about the history of the diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska, and the dog sled teams who brought serum across the harsh Alaska territory in the middle of blizzards to save the children. It was a very informative book, but there were actually two things happening in the book which became a little distracting. The first was the story of the epidemic which was powerful and kept you engaged in wanting to know the outcome. The second was background information on dogs, mushers, Alaska, Nome, the Native settlers and their tradition, and many other things. It was a little frustrating for the emotional story to stop while we received a little background. And it wasn't that the information was unhelpful, it often just stopped the flow and several times felt like information we had already been told. That repetitiveness detracted from the story I wanted to finish. Still worth the read however.