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Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic
Kevin Krajick Book Review

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Plot Summary of Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic
"For most of recent history, it was thought that diamonds came only from tropical lands like India, southern Africa, and Brazil. But men had searched for them pretty much everywhere else, including Georgia, Kentucky, Colorado, and southern Canada. In the 1990s what seemed like a huge strike finally occurred in northern Canada, in harsh, cold terrain filled with bears and wolverines. Naturally, the scientists and fortune hunters that fill Krajick's account are eccentrics to a man, and their stories make for hugely entertaining reading along with the history of man's search for diamonds across the planet, historic scams, a little on the history of the indigenous peoples and early British explorers of the American arctic, and the geology and physics of diamond creation. It reads like the best of John MacPhee's geology tales, but with wilder characters."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history: - 1990's - 20th century - 19th century - 18th century
Nationality? - Canadian
Economic History? Yes
History of a journey/colonization? Yes
Kind of journey? - foot travel

Subjects of this Historical Account
Ethnicity (if plays a major part) - European/White
Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Somewhat sympathetic
From a certain profession/group? - businessmen

Main Adversary - business executives
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Ethnicity? (if plays big part) - White/European
Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Somewhat Unsympathetic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - West - Deep South - Midwest
Africa Yes
Part of Africa: - Black Africa
The Americas (not US): Yes
The Americas: - Canada

Style
How much gore? - 3 (some)
How fast-paced is the book? - 4 (a fair amount)
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel... - thoughtful
How much focus on stories of individuals? - Focuses mostly on history of key players
How much romance? - 2 (a little)
Is book humorous? Yes
How much humor? - 3 (some)
If humorous, kind of humor - eccentric personalities
Minor characters feature lots of: - miners
Pictures/Illustrations? - None
Maps necessary? - Necessary maps provided
Length of book - 350-400 pages
How much emphasis on small details? - 7 (a good amount)
Most similar books to Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic
The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream by H.W. Brand
The Ice Master by Jennifer Niven
The Days of the Hercules by John Fahey
In The Footsteps of Lewis and Clark by Gerald S. Snyder
Women's Journals of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel


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