Fr. Michael Oleksa tells the story of how Orthodox Christianity became a Native American religion. This is an incredible history of the mission and a demonstration of how traditional Orthodox evangelism seeks to convert the whole culture. It also tells the story of persecution of the native tribes, who were already literate in three or more languages and already had their own schools, at the hands of clueless Protestant missionaries from the lower 48 after Alaska became an American territory. Last, the devastation of Native Communities by, of all things, the War on Poverty. Still, there is much to inspire in this book.

The first life available in English of St. Herman of Alaska. The work is accompanied by some truly delightful woodcut illustrations that carry alot of the flavor and spirit of Alaskan Orthodoxy and St. Herman.

St. Herman prophecied that after his own memory was almost forgotten another hermit similar to himself would flee to Spruce Island and live the life of the hermit. This man proved to be Fr. Gerasim, a priest monk who originally came to Alaska as a missionary priest to serve in the native village of Afognak. After the revolution he became a permanent exile with no home to return to. It was Fr. Gerasim who found the saint;s grave and built a church over and renewed the memory of St. Herman, eventually bringing about his canonization. For all of this he was slandered, villified, and some church officials even tried to force him off the island, as the tried to do to St. Herman and others who follow in his footsteps. This is a quick read, and a very good inspiring read about the life of one of the heavenly Orthodox choir over America.