Mike Doogan is a journeyman storyteller who finds extraordinary deeds and sometimes goodness in the lives of ordinary people. A third-generation Alaskan, Doogan is an opinion columnist at the Anchorage Daily News.

He certainly calls 'em as he sees 'em. He uses words as one would use a flame thrower, often scorching the hides of the powerful and pretentious.

His subjects are so diverse that the editor says he puzzled at length over how to organise them for this collection. In the end, they are ordered alphabetically by the first word (excluding ‘a’ or ‘the’).That makes about as much sense as any other method I could think of!

This is a fascinating insight into a world very far from down under.

These are not exclusively stories about Alaska, though – Doogan’s thoughts and commentary could (with just a few words changed) be written about Australia. ( )