Tisha as told to Robert Specht - Spoiler

[BookBuffoonery]

I'm not surprised that this book isn't on here yet. It seems not to be very well known. My dad must have had this book on his shelf, because I remember reading it when I was younger. Anyhow, it's one of my favorite books, if not my all-time favorite.

Tisha is about a young woman named Anne who goes to Alaska for her first year of teaching. I believe she went in the 1920's or 30's. She ends up in a tiny little town and discovers that she is going to have to learn how to survive, not only physically, but socially. Her big city ideas are not welcome and she is too friendly with the native "Indian" population for most peoples' taste. On top of that, a love interest develops with a dreamy young man named Fred.

So what is it that sets this book apart from others? It's a combination of things. There is a whole underlying dialogue about prejudice and race relations. There is a wonderful romantic element as Anne and Fred's relationship develops and endures despite adversity. There are a couple of children who are in desperate need of a loving home. The characters are complex and we see them develop and change as the story progresses. We also get to see some action adventure because of the extreme environment that is Alaska and the rough characters who live there. It's amazing to think that Anne actually went through these things and this was her real life. She had a lot of tenacity!

Really, I can't do this book justice. I highly recommend it as a wonderful all-around story. Be warned, there is plenty of racially-charged language in this book.