Robert Specht

First read this book probably twenty years ago. Reminded me of CHRISTY. Simple tale of a very young and inexperienced teacher working with a mixed community of miners and Native Americans in the tiny town of Chicken, Alaska. It's a love story too, and the young heroine, Anne, has the temerity to love a mixed race man. Hey, it's a beautifully told simple little love story of life on the wild frontier nearly ninety years ago. I passed it along to my mom, who loved it so much she bought show more additional copies for her friends and ended up reading it several times herself over the years. And I didn't fault her for it; it's that good a story.

Last week my mother died. She was nearly 97. In the last months of her life she was making her way slowly through TISHA one more time, despite failing eyesight and crippling pain. I was reading the final chapters to her myself just two weeks ago. She could no longer speak, but she could still listen, and she would nod and smile at the by-now familiar words and passages. TISHA is that good. My mother and I thank Robert Specht and the book's heroine, Anne Hobbs, for telling the story of a young teacher from many years ago. My mother was a young inexperienced teacher herself just ten years later than Anne Hobbs was. She could relate, I'm sure.

Did I say that TISHA is a good book? Well it is. One that bears up well no matter how many times you read it. Highly recommended. show less

This is a biographical story about Anne Hobbs, a young teacher who went out to Chicken, a remote gold mining town, in Alaska in 1927. The story creates a vivid picture of the hardship, dangers, but also beauty of life in this remote region. Anne begins the story as quiet and demure but finds the fire in her soul when the vitriolic racism of the townsfolk pushes her to action. Firstly she has to fight to allow Native American children to be educated at her school. Next her budding romance show more with the lovely Fred, whose mother is Inuit and father is white, threatens her employment and existence in the town. Lastly when she adopts two children after their Native American mother dies and their white father disowns them, the powder keg is lit. Anne’s grandmother was Native American, but the townsfolk consider her to be white and have very rigid views on how she should behave.

Anne was a brave and kind-hearted person and a dedicated teacher. The story itself was gripping, with some action scenes, a sweet romance, and a vivid portrayal of the nastiness of racism and small-mindedness of life. On the other hand the writing itself was very basic and a little clunky at times. The whole thing feels quite dated to read and although I understood Anne’s desire to protect the children, ultimately she still removed them from their culture. Three stars for me, for the insights it gave into life in the Yukon in the 1920s, and for Anne’s example of not bowing to the racism of others. show less

Such a surprise to enjoy a book whose cover looks like a 1960s Mutual of Omaha/Doctor Zhivago romance novel. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) I read this for the community book club I'm in against my will (the reading, not being in the club).

But wow. It was so captivating! Put a young girl with open ideas in a remote town and set her loving acceptance against the racist ideals of a scared and small-minded clan. The struggle feels like it could've taken place in 2018 instead of in show more the 1920s. (Once again, thank you Trump and all who voted for him.)

Two things made this all the more wonderful: first, it's a true story and second, I read it when the temperature was 7 below. In the book they make reference to temperatures of 54 below or greater with nothing to heat the house but a small stove... I couldn't stop thinking of the fortitude of these pioneers (but even more so, the amazing survival powers of the Indians. Who we destroyed and continue to mistreat.)

Great read and I would recommend enjoying it on a blowy, freezy, icy night. show less

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 show more 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. show less