North to the Future is an engaging travel memoir detailing a young writer’s adventures in Alaska alongside some of the state’s most distinguished climate scientists. With little prior wilderness experience, Ben Weissenbach approaches the Alaskan landscape—and the people who study it—with humility, curiosity, and a refreshing willingness to admit what he doesn’t know. That honesty was one of the aspects I most appreciated about this book.
Weissenbach is at his best when observing and reflecting on the scientists he meets—each with their own unique relationship to the land and their work. These encounters offer fascinating insights into the challenges of conducting fieldwork in remote environments—from trekking through the wilderness in search of the northernmost treeline to mapping glaciers from the air—as well as deeper questions about how we make sense of environmental change.
The book also explores the contrast between digital life and the raw physicality of Alaska, though at times this theme felt a little overstated. The idea of “disconnecting” is a familiar trope in adventure writing, and I found myself more drawn to the tangible experiences and science than the philosophical reflections on screen time. That said, the section describing the author’s solitary days at a reindeer herding station in –40°F, was particularly interesting.
One aspect I found more difficult to reconcile was the portrayal of some scientists as skeptics of mainstream climate models. While it’s valuable to present diverse scientific perspectives, the book doesn’t always offer enough context to distinguish between healthy scientific debate and broader climate skepticism. In a time when clarity on climate science is crucial, that omission felt like a missed opportunity.
That said, North to the Future offers a thoughtful and often entertaining perspective on what it means to step outside your comfort zone and into a landscape that demands attention, respect, and adaptation. Readers interested in the human side of scientific research—particularly in extreme environments—will likely enjoy this book.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for providing an advance content copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A different read than my usual fare, but well worth the effort. A different tack to show us the dangers of climate change. A bunch of regular type people show us how the Earth is changing through their trips in Alaska, This is a highly readable book that shows us in a way I want to keep turning the pages how the Earth is changing for the worse. The adventures described are fun and I wish I was out there with them.