Enjoyable, authentic storytelling

Since becoming an American Orthodox Christian in 2012, I have been especially intrigued and inspired by the saints who braved the harsh & beautiful Alaskan wilderness to bring their ancient faith to the United States. Their resilience and dedication to me is super-heroic.

Fr. Michael Oleksa is among the ranks of those travelers called to that distant part of the United States. His book, EVERYDAY WONDERS, is a collection of stories and lessons that not only give the reader intimate and detailed glimpses into the traditional cultures of Alaskan villages, but tell of how he came to be in Alaska from ancestral roots that began across the continents. The stories Fr. Oleksa tells give the reader the sure sense that human beings are all connected and that coincidence is always more than just coincidence.

Fr. Oleksa’s stories range from explaining traditional Alaskan fare & hunting practices, to escaping death because of a painting project, to describing the robust Ethiopian celebration of Theophany and how to transport some treasured gym shoes across the ocean. Fr. Oleksa also gives some inspiring accounts of some “everyday” saints like Matushka Olga Michael who lived a simple yet faithful life of service to others. Fr. Oleksa’s stories made me laugh out loud, or just be still and thoughtful, or even audibly exclaim “No way!”

I “read” this book by listening to the audiobook edition and often would listen during bouts of insomnia in the middle of the night. EVERYDAY WONDERS would often help me get back to sleep - not because it was uninteresting or dull - but because the stories are genuinely full of faith and hope and they were calming to my over-thinking, anxious nighttime mind. The stories are told simply and are easy to follow and I often felt as if I was sitting with Fr. Oleksa in my living room just having a chat about some of his “everyday” adventures. Sometimes the quality of the audio would change but, to me, this just added to the authenticity.

This book is a fun read (or listen!) for anyone who is intrigued by “happenstance” and enjoys good storytelling. It will help any reader remember that human beings are really just a global family and that what may seem like random coincidence is really an “everyday wonder.”

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Glorious events retold by a great story-teller

Delightful and wonderful. Each chapter is a more or less self-contained retelling of an amazing (miraculous?) adventure or series of events taken from Fr. Oleksa's amazing (miraculous?) life. Venues span the globe: Pennsylvania, Alaska, Bulgaria, Russia and more. The listener can't help feeling that he's sitting around a cozy fire, listening to a master story-teller holding everyone in the room transfixed. While listening to this book, my commute went by so fast I was almost wishing for a traffic jam.

The only imperfection is the recording quality (e.g., abrupt volume and tone changes at recording session breaks), but this is a small price to pay to hear Fr. Oleksa tell his own story.

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A Book Full of Good Reports

I prefer to avoid the news, don’t watch a lot of television, and hardly pay attention to headlines. Some might argue that it leaves me uninformed, though I have enough trustworthy people in my life who keep me abreast of things in the “need-to-know” category. As a person who has had a tendency toward anxiety, I prefer to look for what is “pure, honest, noble, just, pure, lovely and of good report,” (Phil. 4:8) and keep my thoughts on those things.

The title of this book piqued my interest, because it picks up on what some of us miss - that there are wonders, every day, if we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to understand. Father Michael Oleksa’s “Stories of God’s Providence” points mostly to autobiographical moments in his own life where, upon reflection, he (and now we, the readers or listeners) could see how God was working. I appreciated the reminder to use that lens, to pray and to trust that there is more going on in any given situation - how even an incidence of pickpocketing could lead to greater things.

A wise man once told me that, wherever I was, I should look for the golden nugget that was being offered at that time. This book is full of examples of golden nuggets. From Alaska to Romania, from seminary to retirement, there are glimpses of providence, not just for Father Michael, but for all of us.

This book is worth reading, for the reasons above, and also for the pieces of history and cultural education that it also provides. I found the information about the internment of Aleuts during WWII informative and surprising - there are parts of American History that haven’t been written into our history books. It’s always good to learn to see beyond what is presented directly, to learn more about others, and to increase in compassion.

I only gave 4 stars for performance of the audiobook because there are obvious differences in the quality of audio and the volume of speaking between chapters. The differences do not impact the story or what’s offered, but I couldn’t give it a 5 for performance because of that.

I hope that anyone who chooses to listen to this would also enjoy it! It was a book that I was comfortable allowing my children to listen along with, and one that we would listen to again.

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A delightful introduction to Orthodoxy in Alaska

Father Michael Oleksa is a retired Orthodox priest in Alaska, but he’s not actually from there - he’s from Allentown, Pennsylvania. How he came to Alaska, what he found there, and why he stayed are just a few of the many subjects he covers in his delightful collection of stories that he has compiled here in this one volume. Through these tales of Alaska, and other tales of his travels around Alaska, Europe, and Africa, Father Oleska weaves a remarkable chain of providence and miracles both great and small that have surrounded his life and ministry.

“Ever since I learned that there were Orthodox Christians who were also Alaskan Natives, I was determined to go there. Here my two greatest lifelong interests, Native Americans and Orthodoxy, were united in one place, and I didn’t even need a passport to get there! This was a phenomenon I sincerely wanted to experience and explore.” (Page 7)

Father Oleksa had longed to go to Alaska since he was quite young, and while in seminary at St. Vladimir’s, in New York, he finally was granted the opportunity when a small Aleut fishing village, in need of a priest (most Aleut are Orthodox) as it rebuilt after the disastrous Good Friday earthquake of 1964, and its diocese having no priests to spare, agreed to sponsor the young seminarian if he would come to Alaska during the summer months and teach. Thus began Michael’s first forays. In those summers up north, Michael tells the tales of how he immersed himself in their culture, learned their languages and traditions, and even met and married a young woman of the Yup’ik tribe (pronounced “YOO-pick”). Into those tales he weaves the history of the Russian traders and monks who brought Orthodoxy to the people as they too intermarried, fusing Christian Orthodoxy with the native traditions to create a new creole culture that has endured through to this day, and has contributed greatly to worldwide Orthodoxy.
As Father Oleksa establishes his roots in Alaska, he is also looking to reconnect with the far flung branches of his family still who still live in Europe, and how they endured two world wars and decades of communism. In time his travels to meet them also take him to their ancestral villages in Poland and Ukraine, and even to finding new friends in Romania, Bulgaria, and Finland. There are no coincidences in these meetings for him, as his life and work live out his faith and ministry. He sees the hand of God in all things, even in the actions of a Bulgarian pickpocket or a freelancing Romanian tour guide looking to brush up his English.
The volume is a short one that can be read in just a couple of hours, but it serves as an excellent and gentle introduction to the peoples of Alaska, introducing the reader to several Alaskan Orthodox saints and the miracles associated with them, and even why you might spot a helicopter in an icon of Saint Herman. There is also an audio version of the book, narrated by Father Oleksa who is a jovial and entertaining reader (and pronounces the various Aleut words correctly, I might add).
Note: Full Dislosure - I was given a copy of the audio book in consideration for posting this review. But I should add that I liked the book so much I also bought the print version.

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Love it!

I enjoyed this book so much! It enriches both the mind and the heart. I felt as if Fr Oleska was sitting in my living room telling stories by the fire. These stories demonstrate a life in Christ, a life where God’s work is palpable.

The book is also fascinating from a cultural perspective. Hearing stories about how the Alaskan people view time and food was fascinating and thought provoking. Fr. Oleska’s attitude toward learning new things was beautiful, an example of Christian love. He also shares the shining example of Mother Olga who is venerated by some as a saint (yet to be confirmed by the Orthodox Church.)

This book is entirely appropriate for the whole family. I think I could happily listen at least twice if not more, as it’s full of beautiful lessons as well as warm and cozy feelings. I hope you enjoy it too!

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