In the morning, in the half—light before dawn, father led us to our Inuit resting place to say goodbye to our families. Then we loaded the sled, hitched the two dogs to the front, and set it off. Father saw us glancing back at the three igloos and the battered skin tents on the banks of the frozen lake. "Don't look back, boys" he ordered. "Look straight ahead and think of the future."
And so we marched off across the land. My life by the lakes was over, and I didn't know what lay ahead.
Twelve—year—old Atungalik has learned to live with death and deprivation in his unforgiving Inuit homeland of the Barrens. There are greater challenges ahead, as he's pulled into new worlds — first, under the stern command of a trading post manager, and then in the urban dazzle of Ottawa and Winnipeg.
Atungalik becomes Alec, and learns the city ways, but will he lose his Inuit identity and forget who he is?
Alec's Journey is a deep and absorbing story of change, history, and the strength it takes for a young person to welcome both.

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