Women Who Lived and Loved North of 60 [Paperback]

Toni Graeme (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2006

Here are 31 short stories with many black and white photos, written by women who went north to work, for adventure, or to join a fiancé or husband. The stories span from 1937 to the present. They were cooks, nurses, teachers, and wives. Some married there, many had babies there, most worked in and out of home. The experience changed each one. They embraced life in the north with its difficulties and joys and came away feeling far richer for their experience. They had adventures with bears or wolves, they had stories about honey buckets, no indoor plumbing or fresh milk, and ball gowns for formal dances and doing their laundry in a bucket with water that had already served for each family member's bath. They brought warmth to the north and gentleness to the otherwise harsh environment. Journey through the north and the years with these wonderful warm, brave and resourceful women as they recall their lives there. You will wish you could have known them.

Read an interview with Toni Graeme at bookreviewcafe.com

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... glimpses into joys,travails of a simple life...a captivating read, unique, recommended to personal, academic Women's Studies collections." -- Midwest Review

"It was like being invited to a tea party of long-time northern friends. The women's voices were genuine." -- Anne Crawford, Deputy to the Premier, Nunavut

"It's been years since I was in Alaska, too many years...but it haunts me still." -- Zinta Aistars, Kalamazoo, MI

"Simple lives well lived become the stuff of legends. Remarkable women in remarkable times." -- Claire Barnaby, ex Eastern Arctic Northerner

"The picture emerges of frequent hardship and deep sense of community...it fosters independence, sharing, and a reverence of nature." -- Victoria Times-Colonist

'Canada's North fosters independence, sharing, caring, a reverence for nature, and the magic and mystery of the northern lights. -- Gloria Collings, Victoria Times-Colonist

'They certainly are a real treat, permitting us to appreciate the distinct beauty and uniqueness of Canada's north'. -- Norman Goldman, Bootsnall.com

'Wonderful heartfelt stories bring you into the past of women lucky enough to have these awesome experiences North of 60'. -- Lisa at Book Review Cafe

From the Publisher

A Canadiana book, rarely told stories from Canada's barren territories, belongs in everyone's library, public, school and university libraries for research.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing; 2 Revised edition (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552124495
• ISBN-13: 978-1552124499
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,356,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I live in Beautiful British Columbia, in Victoria on Vancouver Island. I spent 1978-1979 in Whitehorse, Yukon for a year, and Yellowknife, NWT 1979-1988. I drove throughout the Yukon; in the NWT I was an Itinerant Employment Counselor for the federal government, I flew to many Inuit communities in the central and high arctic and Dene communities in the Western Arctic. I lived in the 'bush' for 5 years with propane and a generator for heat and truck delivered water and loved every minute of it. I skidoed, canoed, picked wild cranberries and other berries for homemade jam and liqueurs and gave and enjoyed many fabulous parties with terrific friends. Went down the Mackenzie River one summer from Fort Providence to Inuvik through the San Sous Rapids and through the west channel to Inuvik, it was inhabited by a flock of white geese. My last job was Executive Director of the Women's Secretariat. After I had been back in BC for a year I got homesick for the North so collected these wonderful stories for a book, one goes back to 1937 when Yellowknife first opened it's gold mine and had settlers. I loved the Aurora Borealis, wonderful people, big blue skies, cross country skiing and to swish across the crisp clean snow on a dog team and so much more. I hope you enjoy these stories.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What it is like to work & survive in a frequently cold land, April 9, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women Who Lived and Loved North of 60 (Paperback)

Women Who Lived and Loved North of 60 by Toni Graeme is a collection of brief yet inspirational and evocative anecdotes drawn from a wide variety of women who call the upper latitudes of Canada home. Describing what it is like to work and survive in a frequently cold land during the twentieth century, and offering unforgettable glimpses into the joys and travails of a simple life, Women Who Lived And Loved North Of 60 is a captivating read , as well as being a unique and highly recommended contribution to personal and academic Women's Studies collections.