About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
"Vallely transports the reader to places few will ever go: the very edges of the earth and of human endurance."
—Evan Solomon
In this gripping first-hand account, four seasoned adventurers navigate a sophisticated, high-tech rowboat across the Northwest Passage. One of the "last firsts" remaining in the adventure world, this journey is only possible because of the dramatic impacts of global warming in the high Arctic, which provide an ironic opportunity to draw attention to the growing urgency of climate change.
Along the way, the team repeatedly face life-threatening danger from storms unparalleled in their ferocity and unpredictability and bears witness to unprecedented changes in the Arctic habitat and inhabitants, while weathering gale-force vitriol from climate change deniers who have taken to social media to attack them and undermine their efforts.
Contributor Notes
Kevin Vallely is an architect, adventurer and happily married father of two. He is a member of the Explorer’s Club and was an Explorer’s Club Flag recipient. In 2009 he and two teammates broke the world record for the fastest unsupported trek from the edge of the Antarctic continent to the Geographic South Pole.
Editorial Review
A rousing combination of science and adventure in the Arctic. —Booklist
…harrowing but beautiful… as much a history lesson and thrilling travelogue as it is an ecological warning. —Publishers Weekly
"Climate change is happening so rapidly in the Arctic that it is absolutely essential that people go there and intelligently record what they see, as Kevin Vallely so compellingly does in Rowing the Northwest Passage."— Peter Wadhams, author of A Farewell to Ice
"A thrilling adventure tale in which each hard mile not only reveals the strength of the human spirit but also hammers home the hard truths of climate change."—Cameron Dueck, author of The New Northwest Passage
"Vallely transports the reader to places few will ever go: the very edges of the earth and of human endurance." —Evan Solomon, host of CTV's Question Period
"A must-read for any Arctic or Northwest Passage enthusiast or for anyone concerned about our planet's future in the face of global warming."—Captain Kenneth K. Burton, Executive Director, Vancouver Maritime Museum
"A compelling page-turner of an adventure story. Rowing the Northwest Passage gave me a greater appreciation of the Arctic wilderness—just not as a place of brutal beauty, but also as a crucial player in the Earth’s ecosystem." —Roz Savage, Guinness World Record-setting ocean rower
"Nothing stirs the imagination of Canadians in song and story like the Northwest Passage . From Robert Service to Stan Rogers, the Northwest Passage has been conjured as impossibly unnavigable and laden with peril. But Kevin Vallely set out to make the passage in one season - and rowing! What this modern saga of the Northwest Passage brings to light is the new image of the passage as canary in the coal mine. A warning sign of vast planetary changes - caused by us - and threatening our future."—Elizabeth May
"Rowing the Northwest Passage combines a fantastic tale of adventure with an important message on the state of our environment. Vallely's writing keeps the reader engaged with beautiful descriptions of the people, landscapes and wildlife he encounters. Overall, this is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, or just a well-written book."—Colin Angus, author & National Geographic Adventurer of the Year
