In structure, content, and theme, Alaska is most similar to Michener's novels Hawaii (1959) and Centennial (1974); they too emphasize racial prejudice, religious bigotry, and ecological exploitation. Characters in Alaska have their counterparts in Hawaii. The Eskimo woman, Nukleet, who encourages her husband to sail his kayak to Alaska, is similar to the Polynesian woman Marama, who inspires her husband to sail from Bora Bora to Hawaii. Father Vasili Voronov, whose missionary zeal sends him to save the souls of Alaska's Aleuts, and Rev. Sheldon Jackson, who believes Aleuts and Eskimos should be Christians but not citizens, have predecessors in Reverend Abner Hale, who preaches Christian love to his Hawaiian converts but refuses to allow a Hawaiian to be ordained. Even though Michener's novels are similar in form and content, he remains one of America's most popular novelists. Perhaps part of his appeal is based on the very...