John Welsh's personal history makes him familiar with many strands of Alaska’s unique culture. He lived and worked in Southeast Alaska’s villages in forestry, in tourism, in commercial fishing and as a teacher. Teaching also brought him to villages on the Yukon river, on the North coast and along the Aleutian chain. He raised his family in Sitka, where they immersed themselves in local culture. His novels are authentic, sometimes startlingly candid, but always celebrate Alaskan character. If you visit Alaska and enjoy the sights, The Drums of Sitka will clue you into the local heartbeat, something that would be difficult to elicit without having read his novels.