Prescription for Finding Home in Alaska is the story of a young, Mennonite girl, transplanted from from the flat-land prairies of Kansas to the remote, tundra, and mountains of Alaska. She searches for home against the backdrop of village potlatches, school in a Quonset hut, the fragrance of wood smoke, Native friends, a doctor-daddy who creates adventures with a Bush plane and hunting tales, and a mother who makes the tastiest moose roasts and has what it takes to homestead. A detour into childhood depression is added to the mix.
Woven into her journey are the perspectives of her three siblings, mother, and father. As a family, they face lack of conveniences, isolation from extended family, freezing temperatures, and unknown hardships—oftentimes with an attitude of humor, ingenuity, optimism, and sense of adventure.
Prescription for Finding Home in Alaska is currently out of print, but under contract with Tate Publishing for reprinting by winter 2011. I'd be delighted to notify you when it's available again.
Download a FREE copy of the Reader's Guide for Finding Home in Alaska. Use it for your own reading, family reading, homeschooler's book report, or Book Club.
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Take a sneak peek at all the chapters.
Table of Contents
- Chp 1 — The Making of a Homesteader
- Chp 2 — We're Not in Kansas Any More
- Chp 3 — In the Bush (Read free chapter excerpts)
- Chp 4 — Blowin' in the Wind
- Chp 5 — Fantasy Land
- Chp 6 — The Cold House
- Chp 7 — Homesteading Takes Root
- Chp 8 — Introducing Visitors to Homestead Life
- Chp 9 — Just the Beginning
"Even though you had access to your parents' letters, you did an amazing recall of how life was in Alaska 40-some years ago. You have an outstanding ability to use colorful and picturesque words, and you made almost everything appear as though it was 'present-day.'"
"I browsed through your book and liked the photos, sketches, and maps you included. I admire your writing ability, your gift with words, and enjoyed 'being invited into your family' through your writing—actually considered it privilege. I look forward to settling in front of the fireplace with a cup of cocoa and your book."
"The Denver blizzard was raging, so I grabbed your book and spent the next three days cozy beneath a blanket, in front of the fireplace, reading it — from start to finish — I couldn't put it down! You have a wonderful story and I love the way you write with all the vivid descriptions. I felt like I had shared your Alaskan experience with you (and the weather outside helped, too.) I hope you keep writing!"
Last Updated August 2010