Anne Hobbs

Alaska, 1927. Anne Hobbs has traveled by ornery pony to be a teacher in the Alaskan remote village of Chicken. Tisha is a true story as told to Robert Specht. Barely twenty years old, Anne begins her adventure in Chicken battling sub-zero cold winters and even more frigid prejudiced hearts. The natives of Alaska are considered lesser people even though it is their land. The word siwash is derogatory, both as a noun and a verb. Even the children are not exempt from cruel words and actions of the white community. Anne is not fazed by the immature behavior of the white community and, after developing a fondness for one such "half breed" child named Chuck, insists he attend her school. The taunts and threats now targeting Anne grow louder when she develops an even stronger fondness for a "half breed" adult named Fred. It isn't until Anne and Fred survive a terrible tragedy that the community starts to slowly come around.… (mere)

Anne Hobbs accepts a job teaching in Alaska in 1927, at the age of 18. This is her story, as told to Robert Specht. The way she and the brave people of Chicken, AK, lived is astounding. They are definitely a tough group of people. One thing that was hard to read was the intense racism against the Native Alaskans and those who were part white, part Native Alaskan. I had to keep reminding myself of the time period to accept what I read. It made me admire Anne even more for sticking to her principles of treating all children and indeed all people as equals. She and her husband eventually adopted 10 Native Alaskan children. It was interesting to read of how day-to-day life was lived in a place that was often 50 degrees below 0. The last pages of the book were particularly exciting and scary. I could hardly put it down.… (mere)