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Reviews
Tisha: The Wonderful True Love Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaskan Wilderness by Robert Specht
srash's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Really interesting and very readable memoir about a young woman's first year as a teacher in 1920s Alaska. Anne Hobbs grew up in mining camps in the Lower 48, but she was still in for a shock when she arrived at the small mining community of Chicken. Her teaching methods were surprisingly engaging for the time period, but her pedagogy provokes the town much less than her insistence on teaching the local Native children and their mothers alongside the white students. Her budding romance with a half-Inuit miner named Fred also leads to a lot of anger from the local community. Great portrait of rural 1920s Alaska.
thejoyofbooking's review against another edition
5.0
Tisha is one of my all-time favorite books. My mother used to read this to me as a kid, and I found it hauntingly beautiful. I was too young to catch the nuances of racism and desperation that were woven throughout, but that made it all the more special when I read it myself as a teenager.
Anne's spunk, resilience, and bravery have stuck with me through many reads. In my mind, she is the epitome of what little girls should have as a role model - ready to roll with the punches, ready to stand up for what's right, and ready to call it like it is. I'm sad that so few people nowadays seem to have heard of the book, and I'd love to see it get added to some high school reading lists or book club recommendation lists. Anyone who loves great, human stories, true life adventure, Alaska, or social commentary of life in the early 1900s will love this book.
Anne's spunk, resilience, and bravery have stuck with me through many reads. In my mind, she is the epitome of what little girls should have as a role model - ready to roll with the punches, ready to stand up for what's right, and ready to call it like it is. I'm sad that so few people nowadays seem to have heard of the book, and I'd love to see it get added to some high school reading lists or book club recommendation lists. Anyone who loves great, human stories, true life adventure, Alaska, or social commentary of life in the early 1900s will love this book.
aidnoah's review against another edition
5.0
So I chose this book for the final in my English concurrent class, if only because my teacher sold it so well. Not only that, but the other book I wanted to read had been stolen by the first class. *grumbles* But anyway.
This book was worth it. I had to fight in order to get it, as it was between this book an "Touching the Void" by Joe Simpson - it REFUSE to read mountain climbing books. >_>
So this book deals with love and segregation - those are books I always feel a tug to, though I have no true understanding of why. Although it had a slow beginning, and I was thinking to myself, "Oh dear, how will I ever finish this in a week?" once the school started, it picked up way fast, and I was freaking pleased.
I thought the ending epilogue ruined the whole story though. :\
But all in all, it's a heartwarming good read, and it's honestly a quick one, too - you'll be surprised at how fast it goes once you hit the good stuff. That's for sure. :)
This book was worth it. I had to fight in order to get it, as it was between this book an "Touching the Void" by Joe Simpson - it REFUSE to read mountain climbing books. >_>
So this book deals with love and segregation - those are books I always feel a tug to, though I have no true understanding of why. Although it had a slow beginning, and I was thinking to myself, "Oh dear, how will I ever finish this in a week?" once the school started, it picked up way fast, and I was freaking pleased.
I thought the ending epilogue ruined the whole story though. :\
But all in all, it's a heartwarming good read, and it's honestly a quick one, too - you'll be surprised at how fast it goes once you hit the good stuff. That's for sure. :)
rachelb36's review against another edition
4.0
This true story of a 19 year old who moves to Alaska to be a teacher in the 1920s definitely reads like fiction.
There are themes of poverty, racism, and young love; descriptions of the landscape and outdoor adventures actually made snow and cold sound exciting to me, and I hate both those things!
I really liked the story, but felt that it ended abruptly. A longer, more detailed epilogue would have made for a more satisfying read.
Note: There is quite a bit of profanity.
There are themes of poverty, racism, and young love; descriptions of the landscape and outdoor adventures actually made snow and cold sound exciting to me, and I hate both those things!
I really liked the story, but felt that it ended abruptly. A longer, more detailed epilogue would have made for a more satisfying read.
Note: There is quite a bit of profanity.
askmashka's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
llkendrick's review against another edition
3.0
This is a true story about a 20 yr old woman who went to teach in a small community in Alaska in the 1920s. I really enjoyed learning about Alaska during that time and had no idea about the strong prejudices towards Indians. I liked that she stood up for what she believed in and made a difference to those people. I didn't like where the book ended at all. It really only covered a year of her life and I wanted more details on the remainder of her life.
felinity's review against another edition
4.0
"Tisha" is the story of a young, idealistic teacher who goes into the Alaskan wilderness. Although the land is harsh, the people can be friendly, as long as you're the right race. She comes up against racial prejudices affecting some of her pupils as well as some of her friends, but does not let herself slip into the same narrow-minded attitude, instead trying to change how other people think.
Not quite as inspiring, to me, as "Mrs. Mike", but a lovely true story nonetheless.
Not quite as inspiring, to me, as "Mrs. Mike", but a lovely true story nonetheless.