On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Survival on the World's Deadliest Roads
Fans of the History reality television series Ice Road Truckers will be thrilled with this inside look at the job by Rowland, a regular participant. He opens hard and fast by imagining a colleague’s death after breaking through the ice and then continues with yet more dangerous moments from his decades on the job, such as when he was run off the road or chased by wolves. Rowland mixes a fair amount of Yellowknife color and history with a recounting of his own past, and fans will enjoy his personal reflections on school (dropout), prison (for a barroom brawl), and his long, successful marriage to the understanding Dianne (fan of Stephen King and Dean Koontz). Rowland deviates from the expected by discussing the impact of cameras on the job, making sure to point out that he finds their presence humorous and easy to ignore. The point, of course, is that it is all real, all unscripted, and nobody can tell him what to do, which is exactly what his millions of admirers want to hear. --Colleen Mondor