Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness [Mass Market Paperback]

Robert Specht (Author), Anne Purdy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1984

The author tells the story as told to him of Anne Hobbs, a woman who went to Alaska in the 1920's to teach, but who had trouble due to her kindness to the Indians there.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anne Hobbs is a prim and proper 19-year-old schoolteacher who yearns for adventure. She finds this and much more in a town with the unlikely name of Chicken, located deep in the Alaskan interior. It is 1927 and Chicken is a wild mining community flaming with gold fever. Anne quickly makes friends with many of the townspeople, but is soon ostracized when she not only befriends the local Indians but also falls in love with one. A heartwarming story in the tradition of Benedict Freedman's classic, Mrs. Mike, Tisha is one of those rare books that stays with the reader for years, beckoning to be read again and again. --Maudeen Wachsmith

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (July 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553265962
• ISBN-13: 978-0553265965
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.8 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Historical Study > Reference
  • #51 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Educators

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Specht is my grandfather, March 20, 2000

By 

naomi jade specht (california) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness (Mass Market Paperback)

For my 13 birthday I was given a copy of "Tisha". I loved it! Not just because grandfather wrote it but because it is an inspiring story. The librarian and my teacher were very surprised to find out who I am. Everyone loves this book. It was written a long time ago, but is still read by adults and their children. When people travel to Chicken Alaska they buy the book and then they write a fan letter. My grandfather died 3 years ago. I am proud of his work.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young teacher goes to Alaska, January 27, 2005

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1927 young Anne Hobbs goes to Alaska to be a teacher and to have an adventure. Having no family left in Colorado, she seeks to do something special as her beloved grandmother predicted she would. She finds life difficult because of inclement weather and a lack of conveniences, but the biggest problem she faces is that of prejudice. She seeks to teach and befriend all of the people in the small town of Chicken, Alaska, where she lives but she soon discovers that her kindness towards Indian children raises the ire of the white people in the town. She has to face up to the local school board and the town's people before she is allowed to teach Indians in her school. As if that isn't bad enough she ends up falling in love with a "half-breed" and adopting some mixed-race children. This book is full of adventure and real insight into what it was like to live in Alaska in the 20's. It is also a triumphant story of one woman's love and her persistance in encouraging justice in her small Alaska town.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tisha, August 18, 2000

By 

Brittany Karns - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness (Mass Market Paperback)

Last year (1999-2000) the teacher in my literature class made us read a book that had to do with Alaska (this being more of the state spirit they try and cultivate at school). My mom suggested Tisha, and I finished it shortly after she dug her copy off of her book shelf. The true story of a lady who went to teach in Chicken Alaska was very interesting. I learned things about the way life was in 1927 in Alaska, because now it's very different from that. The racial predjudices that some of her students face are very interesting, and I found this story captivating.