Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of My Lead Dog Was A Lesbian : Mushing Across Alaska in the Iditarod--the World's Most Grueling Race (Vintage Departures)

Grnemae avatar reviewed on + 451 more book reviews


Brian O'Donoghue was a newspaper and radio reporter who moved to Alaska from the Washington DC area. He covered the small personal interest stories of the Iditarod race for many years. One night in 1991 in a bar Brian and some of his friends put together a strategy for Brian to enter the Iditarod. He thought it was all a joke until he friends got them a team of dogs, a training plan , a sled and all the equipment needed for the race .
As the race starts, Brian soon is in a cold comedy show. His best lead dogs were Harley who only wanted food and was searching for it constantly. His other main lead dog was Rainy and she only wanted to hump other dogs, male or female. Brian's adventures, usually negative, made me laugh out loud. His race was one of if it could go wrong it did.
Brian went into lots of detail about the many small villages that the racers go through. For me it made the route of the race much more interesting. 75 racers started the race. 1 as disqualified, 14 scratched as some point in the race. The rest of the musher finished the race. The last person to finish the race is given the Red Lantern award and in 1991 the winner was Brian Parick O'Donoghue.