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One of the best books I have read in a while. This book will definitely keep your attention and entice you to stay up all night reading. The book is easily read and comprehended. Almost made me want to move to the Alaska wilderness. I lived in Alaska for three years and traveled extensively in the bush. This book brought out some old memories. Norma Cobb should be commended for writing such a book and being a true part of Alaska heritage and history.

I read this book because I have always had an interest in the lives of those who choose to live in the wilderness. Louise Dickinson Rich (We Took to the Woods) and Deanna Kawatski (Wilderness Mother) come to mind. Norma Cobb's account of her family's homesteading in Alaska is very readable but unlike these other books, her writer's focus is on the high drama of their lives rather than an account of their daily life. I came away wondering if some of that drama (and it's one drama after another) was self induced. Norma and Les Cobb seem to be awfully shrewd judges of character, but unfortunately after the fact. There are several incidents where she feels they are 'ripped off' or worse by people they encounter. After a while I started to find her guilty of what she was accusing those people of; blaming someone else for their problems. I came away from this book feeling that Norma Cobb has little patience for anyone she deems less perfect than herself. I do not deny that their life in remote Alaska is a challenge few could rise to and her book is a gripping account of that life, but there is an edge to her story that left me wondering if anyone but God could meet her standards for a neighbor.

If you've never lived where the weather can kill you, you might be inclined to believe everything Norma Cobb writes. If you've never encountered a Black bear outside of a zoo, you might think Norma has it right. If you've never set out on your own without a net, you might think God was Norma's personal servant.

I usually enjoy books of adventure, particularly set in the North, and books of personal hardship overcome. This book, however, annoyed and insulted me. Does this author really believe she and her family are unusual? Pioneering is not about moving to Alaska and kind of living off the land; it is about meeting great obstacles and finding the resources to overcome them. Her world view is based on superstition, ignorance, and paranoia. When others start to follow their lead in mining gold in their precious valley, she starts to whine like those she says she despises. To use one of her pet phrases, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander."

Read the reviews carefully. You will find one from someone who is actually mentioned in the book and was a witness to the reality of the Cobb's lifestyle. I didn't read them before I bought and read the book. I wish I had.